Me and Minister Ng Chee Meng at my 1st ever Meet-The-People Session.
I’ve heard about the whole Meet-The-People Session (MPS) thing for the longest time but it was actually my first timing being part of it. What did I know about MPS before this? Basically a place for you togo and bang table when you want something lor.
- Want your driving offense to go away.
- Need help with your HDB application.
- Need help to get your son into a good school. LOL.
That was about all that I knew about MPS. I guess I am one of the lucky ones who does not need help from MPS. Sadly, not every Singaporean are that lucky and privileged. During my observation at MPS, I noticed that there were actually a fair numberof Singaporeans who need help on day-to-day stuff that might not even cross my mind that anyone would need such help (That’s how privileged and ignorant I am. And also kinda guilty). From looking for jobs, getting help with citizenship/PR, getting financial help, complaining about disruptive neighbours and others.
Truth be told, I was quite beaten emotionally by the end of the day. I was affected that despite Singapore being an advanced society, there are still many people who need help. Of course, at the same time, I also saw a few cases where I would classify them as Singaporeans being entitled. However, when I voiced out my thoughts to some of the more senior helpers at the MPS, they told me that this is what they are there for. To listen and try to help, not to judge who is right or wrong, or even who deserves help. I guess I still have a long way to go in that area. It is amazing how these volunteers can be there every week helping the residents. They also told me that it takes time and they did not start off being all ready and compassionate too.
I was also quite impressed with how Minister Ng remembers all his volunteers as well as some of the residents. I can hardly remember the people in my own classes or organization but yet as a minister, given the number of people he meets on a daily basis, he makes an effort to remember them. It goes beyond just names, mind you. He even remembers their personal details, family situation and their last conversation!
The rationale of having MPS makes a lot of sense to me after sitting in one of these sessions. It really gave me a lot more understanding of the problems that different Singaporeans are facing and not just via reports but face to face. To look at them in their eyes and to feel for them.
A conversation I had with my son before heading for MPS.
Why was I there?
Many friends asked me if I was there because I am going to be part of the coming GE LOL. I thank you guys for your support and faith but I don’t think I am MP material now, or anytime soon. I have met many different MPs because of my line of job previously as an online journalist as well as my current role in NTUC, I really do not think we are on the same level.
This is actually part of our induction programme at NTUC. All new staff are encouraged to check out our Labour MPs in action by signing up to observe them during MPS. If this comes as a surprise to you, don’t be. As a Singaporean, you should know the special relationship between NTUC and PAP. Although I am not a part of PAP as an individual, these two organizations have a long running history of supporting each other.
In a recent speech by PM Lee made during NTUC National Delegates Conference, PM Lee described the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and PAP as “twins” and that the system has allowed workers to have influence and interests within it.
From the same article,
“PM Lee said that one of the PAP’s core missions is to advance the well-being and future of workers, a goal that it has shared with NTUC since the conception of both organisations more than 50 years ago — when the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew represented the postal workers’ union as a young lawyer in the early 1950s before he became Singapore’s first prime minister.”
In fact, I remember watching an old video where our late MM Lee mentioned that NTUC and PAP was ONE. At least that was how it was back in the 1950s. It was the same people in the unions who had supported him when PAP was first formed. So the people behind both organisations back then were effectively the same people with the shared vision of fighting for workers.
Regardless of what naysayers disagree about this system and argue that the system would be more robust if it wasn’t like this, we have seen how both NTUC and PAP have worked together over the years to tide over difficult times and testing the symbiotic relationship.
This is nothing unusual for unions around the world, you know. Unions either partner political parties, or they form their own. So that they can win seats in the parliament to have a voice for the workers, and so that they can be a part of the nation’s policy-making process.
Like the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organisations (AFL-CIO) supports the US Democratic Party and formed an alliance while some unions form their own political party like the UK Labour Party and Trade Union Congress (TUC).
What is NTUC National Delegates Conference (NDC)?
So what is this NTUC National Delegates Conference (NDC) that our PM was speaking at?
It is an event held every four years where delegates discuss issues facing the labour movement and also elected a new central committee.
The central committee is the planning, policy and executive organ of NTUC.It is essentially the highest decision-making body in the labour movement.
More than 400 delegates from NTUC's 59 affiliated unions elected the new central committee by secret ballot, for a four-year term of 2019 to 2023.
So yup, even as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Ng Chee Meng had to win enough votes to be elected into the committee and then nominated and voted to be the Secretary-General of NTUC. As much as we “borrow” the talent from govt, it does not mean that NTUC and the unionists must die-die just say yes to whoever govt allocates to us. Whichever minister the Govt “loans” us, he or she will still need to win votes to get the mandate as our Labour Chief.
So before NDC, there was also a Pre-NDC which is somewhat a retreat format kinda event where unionists come together and let their voices be heard by sharing common problems their members face at work. So a lot of people like to complain about their voices not being heard or our govt do not know the ground, so besides MPS, joining the union is another good platform to be heard. Not everything also need to go to Hong Lim Park lah hor.
Talking about membership, it was also one of the things that was brought up by Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng. In case you are confused, yes, I am referring to the same person. Mr. Ng Chee Meng, Minister Ng Chee Meng, and also Secretary-General (Sec-Gen) Ng Chee Meng. LOL.
He pointed out the harsh reality of declining union membership around the world. Most unions around the world are losing their relevance and losing mindshare, especially amongst the young. Worker profiles are changing, we now have more PMETs than rank-and-file workers while it was the reverse in the past. Digital disruption is impacting businesses and the nature of work as well.. How can we as a Labour Movement keep up with the times and face all these new challenges while still continue our core mission of helping workers? Here are some of my takeaways from our Sec-Gen’s speech during NDC.
3Is and D
Innovate, Innovate, and Innovate.
1.Innovating Union Model
Unions have been around for very long. There are a lot of practices that are no longer just simple practices but also known as traditions or even rules if I may. With the changing landscape of workers and times, is it too much for us to look into possible ways to restructure it to help more people according to their needs? Can we have more all-collar unions since it is clearly inevitable that we are just going to have more PMEs in the industry? (For the uninitiated, traditionally unions wereto protect blue collar workers.) Can we innovate and have digital unions? And besides structure, can we have new ways to protect our workers? Instead of just helping them after they get retrenched, how about a taskforce to work upstream by partnering employers to help them in the pre-retrenchment phase?
As much as unions have been around for so long, there are still a lot more room for us to innovate.
2.Innovating Membership
Like many out there, I never knew what union membership was all about until I started working closely with NTUC some years back. I never saw the importance of it. Nobody ever told me why it is important and more importantly, I never saw the value of being a member.
NTUC’s social enterprises that focused on things such as cheaper groceries, household items, insurance were started in the 70s with the workers in mind. Some 50 years have passed and the focus remains unchanged; workers. However, the needs and wants of workers are no longer the same. So can we reinvent the NTUC membership model to meet today’s needs? How can we bring in new value and privileges that matter to our members across life cycle and even their families?
The Labour Movement will have to think about these and see how we can partner our Government to ease the issues of an ageing population, ease the burdens of the double-sandwiched Singaporeans and hopefully, encourage more babies as well
3.Innovating Training
This is one thing that I personally feel a lot for. If not because of how kaypo I am by default and how I enjoy attending training and workshops, I will probably not be where I am today. Like I mentioned earlier, I guess I am a lot more privileged when it comes to knowing the right people, doing the right things, and with the right support. Not everyone is that lucky to know what kind of training to seek or even where to start. One of my favorite lines in life, “You don’t know what you don’t know.”
So NTUC has started Company Training Committee (CTC) implementation earlier this year and we are beginning to see some results.
The critical pace of technology changes means more disruption and continual learning is required to keep up and hopefully, upskill to maintain a good trajectory of wage increases for workers. It is no longer just about keeping them at their current jobs but also to ensure that there will be career progression for them and also being ready for future job placements as well.
4.The “D” for Digitalisation
Digitalisation is not just a buzzword to make the organisationn sound cooler or feel sexier. It’s effectively a means to an end. It is about exploiting digital technologies to enable the innovations mentioned above. It is about better serving NTUC’s members and giving them the value they want and deserve in terms of protection, privileges, and progression/placement.
The Journey So Far…
It has been 9 months since I started working with NTUC. The journey has been amazing. I’ve seen things happening on the ground with my own tiny eyes and I’m very fortunate to be able to meet some of the most amazing people who take time out of their busy schedules and volunteer to help others. I might just be a small fry in a big pool of people but the strength of the labour movement is not based just on my personal capacity but what we can do as an organisation.
There are a lot of things to be done, and there are so many people out there who can benefit from our work. Someone from the organisationasked me recently, “Smith, what drives you?”
I know it might come out as a bit of a cliche but what drives me is really knowing that what we do as an organisation is helping people and shaping our future. You can laugh at me saying that what can I achieve alone, but the truth is I am not alone in this. We need to have a Dream… We need to be brave and Dare to believe that it is possible… And more importantly, we need to DO IT!
In case this article is overly boring for you, here’s a nice video by the team – DREAM . DARE . DO.
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