Forum: NTUC has lost sight of original purpose

[chittychitty]

Revisit a 2018 article


UPDATED OCT 6, 2018, 7:10 AM

I read Dr Lee Siew Peng's letter and would like to add to the issues that were raised (Help from NTUC Enterprise can be a way to ease poverty; Oct 3).

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) was set up decades ago for the people. It helped with employment issues and provided affordable meals, insurance, education and more.

Over the years, however, it seems that the NTUC's management has lost sight of its original purpose.


It is not uncommon today to hear complaints of sky-high rents for shops in NTUC-managed malls. The prices at NTUC Foodfare outlets are not cheap, insurance premiums are going up and items in their supermarket chain cost quite a bit too.

To cite an example, about a month ago, when I checked the price of a bottle of Sunsilk shampoo, it was selling for $4.70 at a heartland shop but cost an unbelievable $12.95 at FairPrice.

It is regretful that an enterprise set up for the people has evolved to become a hard-driving organisation that appears to be worsening the problem of the high cost of living here.

I urge the management to relook the way the business is being run today and take control of what it is costing the community.

Sam Yeow

 

[laksaboy]

Haha! You 61% imbeciles! The NTUC (CUNT) was never on your side.

Having govt officials, ministers etc in a labour union is a farce. That doesn't happen in a civilized country.

 

[waitifcuk]

how many months
bonus they give ?

 

[millim6868]

Look into it for wat, 'kaw pei' for wat ,61% voted for these ,n PAPigs happily to ask for more pay , 61% still don jnow 50k sgd per mth is not enough ,how to live with 50k sgd , qoute by one of the PAPigs.

 

[shittypore]

For peasants 1k can afford to owned a HDB unit and feed family.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

NTUC's enterprises are making massive profits under the guise of co-operatives.


Forum: FairPrice cafe prices seem too high for most customers

JAN 24, 2021, 10:55 PM SGT

Recently, I went to the newly opened FairPrice Xtra supermarket at Parkway Parade.

There is a cafe inside the supermarket, and a piece of cake there can cost between $5.90 and $6.90.

Even a simple doughnut can cost $2.50, as compared to a popular curry puff being sold in the same shopping centre for $1.80.

There are many elderly customers at the supermarket who may need to take a break but who may not be able to afford the prices at this cafe.

FairPrice should set the trend and have hawker stalls instead at its supermarket cafe.

It should also not overlook its original mission to serve the working class and the fact that the majority of its customers are working-class people.


Harry Ong Heng Poh

 

[searcher1]

Got someone ever say: Whats wrong with making more money ?

 

[kkbutterfly]

cannot comapre like that la.this bugger compare the price from $1 value shop to NTUC price.the quality is different.

 

[batman1]

Never Trust Union Congress.

 

[amransan]

There no different HDB and NTUC Fairprice when they just started they were very AFFORDABLE and over the years they get VERY EXPENSIVE.

singaporean still think singapore in affordable to live well if u are filthy rich YES but those middle income and low income trust me it is very very very expensive!
well all of these are gahmen link and the people show their support by voting for them every 5 years LOL.
if only they voted wisely

 

[shittypore]

Today the PAP is a self serving Party, look at how rich each PAP individual has been over the last 5 decades.

 

[tobelightlight]

when will Singaporeans realise that it is them who allow this to rot. You want to change things? then get your ass up to do something and stop waiting for someone else to do it for you. Until you realise this, the place you live in called Singapore with its manipulative govt will continue to rot in the expense of you.

 

[Hypocrite-The]

Workers’ Party’s MP Sylvia Lim questions the need for NTUC’s involvement in administration of Gov’t SIRS scheme
"What does this mean for government accountability?" she asked
by The Online Citizen
30/12/2020
in Current Affairs
Reading Time: 4min read
9
In Parliament on Thursday (4 June), Workers’ Party chairman Sylvia Lim raised some questions on the Government’s decision to have NTUC administer the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) and what that means for government accountability.
SIRS is an auto-inclusion scheme introduced by the Government in the Resilience Budget to support eligible self-employed persons tide through the current economic hardships by providing S$1,000 per month. However, Ms Lim said that while the scheme operates on an auto-inclusion basis, NTUC would be assisting the Government in administering appeals for those who were not included.
She mentioned that she had received equations from the ground about the purpose and fairness of the scheme. She noted a question that MP Dennis Tan asked during the Resilience Budget debate about what the annual value of the property one lives in has got to do with whether the person has suffered serious income disruption as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“To illustrate, I have several residents who are disqualified from SIRS due to this criterion because they are living in their parents’ homes. Others are renting,” said Ms Lim.
She also stated that the SIRS auto-inclusion mechanic doesn’t require a self-employed person to show income loss which has “resulted in full SIRS payments being made to self-employed persons whose incomes are unaffected by COVID19″.
Going further, Ms Lim asserted that NTUC has partially allowed some appeals under SIRS for a reduced payment of S$800 per month instead of the full S$1,000 in some cases, adding that other appeals have been outright rejected.
“Suffice to that these disparate outcomes have caused frustration and feelings of arbitrariness and unfairness,” she remarked.
Ms Lim then asked, “How does NTUC decide? What are the criteria for allowing or rejecting appeals?”
She also questioned the administration of the scheme by NTUC. She asked, “SIRS involved public funds. To be exact, SIRS involves the use of past reserves. Who should be in charge of the scheme?”
Noting that NTUC has been fronting all communications and appeals for the scheme while MOM “is not visible”, Ms Lim further questioned, “From a governance perspective, why was there a need to outsource the administration of SIRS appeals to NTUC in the first place? Was this done due to a lack of manpower or other reasons?”
“Will this set a precedent for the Government to outsource its schemes to external parties to manage? What does this mean for government accountability?”
In response to Ms Lim’s questions, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said that NTUC was asked by the Government to help, adding that organisation agreed because it cares and has the capability to help the Government extend assistance as quickly as possible to those who need it.
Though he conceded that NTUC could do better in certain areas, he stressed that this introspection will be done after more immediate issues have been dealt with.
He noted, “I think in time to come when we can settle the immediate issues that we have to deal with with COVID19 and the transformative things NTUC is embarking on, I will humbly say that yes we will look at areas where we can do better.”
Mr Ng also spoke on tripartism, describing it as a strength, and stressing that while the Government has “put up the S$100 billion budget”, business owners, NTUC, and workers have to collectively play a part as well in this fight against the pandemic.
He remarked, “Tripartism is a strength and we should ride on this strength to execute this strategy that I mentioned well and to the extent possible, remain adaptive and learn lessons along the way.”
Mr Ng went on to say that NTUC has been helping taxi drivers since January and February upon noticing that the income for this group of workers were “dropping like a rock” due to COVID-19 – almost 50 per cent.
“We set up a quick reaction, small group and put up S$77 million to help our drivers cope with the initial hit of COVID19,” he added.
However, despite all that, Mr Ng did not quite address Ms Lim’s question on the criteria NTUC follows for rejecting or allowing SIRS appeals; nor was there an answer as to why the administration of the scheme was outsourced to NTUC at all – whether it was due to a lack of manpower or something else.
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[zhihau]

Altogether now!!! HUAT AH!!!