Particularly in need are retrenched workers who received little, if any, retrenchment benefit, said its secretary-general, Mr Lim Swee Say, yesterday (21/2).
To help this group tide over difficult times, NTUC may add a new 'hardship grant' component to its Care and Share fund, which currently provides aid to needy union members in the form of transport and utility vouchers.
The fund will increase its annual budget to at least $20 million this year, compared to $13.1 million last year and $7 million in 2007.
Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, spoke to reporters at the Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU) bursary awards event yesterday.
'With the global recession, we expect to see some retrenched workers whose companies have folded,' he said. These workers may not get any retrenchment benefit or the sum could be too low to tide them over in the short term, he added.
A blogger in Singapore said NTUC should help the retrenched workers. In Singapore, retrenched workers are particularly vulnerable. That's because Singapore is literally the easiest place in the world to pay a worker peanuts; make him work overtime; and then sack him without compensation.A member of the public commented
Another blogger commented
"I'm not so sure about Singapore being the "easiest place in the world to pay a worker peanuts; make him work overtime; and then sack him without compensation." but Singapore is definitely a place where a retrenched cannot
move to another part of the country where cost of living is lower to tide him over the difficult time."
Another blogger commented
"IMHO, he is just crying wolf in a sheep's skin.If he is really sincere in helping the retrenched people in Singapore, he should be bold enough to take the first step in revamping our Employment Act instead of making use of the NTUC to make some political statements about offering help to those in need. As it stands, our Singapore Employment Act is very bias towards employers while offering very little protection (even it there is any) to employees. If one were to study our Employment Act in detail as to which category of employees are protected, one will find that it is almost like an insurance policy with so many conditions and exclusions that at the end of it, almost everyone are excluded. Even for those who are supposedly protected under the Act, they are subject to further conditions before they can really qualify to recover any retrenchment benefits or compensation as provided under the Employment Act. And for those who do not qualify, they will just provide you with a shameless response something to the tune of "We are unable to assist you as you are not covered under the purview of the Employement Act, therefore kindly refer to your contract terms and conditions or to your organised union for further assistance".To me, all these offer of assistance is really a hypocrisy at its very best."
There are Singaporeans who think that the government is not doing enough to help the
retrenched workers because there are conditions given by the government for them to help the
retrenched workers, and not many retrenched workers fulfil those conditions so they are unable
to receive help from the government.
I find their argument convincing as they stated a few strong points like reviewing our
Employment Act,and the fact that some people did not qualify for their conditions and were
unable to be helped.
There are Singaporeans who think that the government is not doing enough to help the
retrenched workers because there are conditions given by the government for them to help the
retrenched workers, and not many retrenched workers fulfil those conditions so they are unable
to receive help from the government.
I find their argument convincing as they stated a few strong points like reviewing our
Employment Act,and the fact that some people did not qualify for their conditions and were
unable to be helped.
