<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>NTUC speeds up aid to workers
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Labour movement cuts red tape, works with unions to give out $23m to needy members </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Aaron Low
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NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say at the May Day Family Day Out with U 2009 organised by NTUC at Downtown East. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->The labour movement is moving speedily to help 194,000 members affected by the recession this year with $23.2 million worth of cash, vouchers and bursaries.
Mindful that many families need help urgently, some programmes were rolled out immediately yesterday by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). It represents 500,000 unionised workers.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the U Care funded schemes, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say said the labour movement is making extra effort to disburse funds to needy workers as fast as possible.
'So we are cutting back all bureaucracy and working through the unions and this way we can reach out to workers a lot faster,' he said.
To do this, the NTUC will give individual unions a sum of money so they can quickly disburse the aid, instead of workers applying to the NTUC which may take longer, said its Care and Share director Zainudin Nordin.
The U Care fund was set up in response to the downturn, with tripartite partners collectively raising money to help low-income workers and their families.
The $23.2 million raised by U Care this year is almost double the $13.4million collected the previous year.
The extra funds will enhance the present help schemes and also launch two new one-off schemes, in the form of financial aid for needy families and extra funds for bursaries.
About 50,000 retrenched workers and those on shorter work weeks will benefit from the immediate cash assistance of between $100 and $300 under the $6.5 million U Care Immediate Assistance programme.
Said Mr Lim: 'We recognise the sum is not that big, however, for
lower-wage earning between $800 and $1,000, it means a lot to them. It may not be a lot but what is important is that the labour movement continues to do its very best.'
One beneficiary is technician Tang Weng Yew, 53, who was put on a shorter work week in January. The father of three saw his income drop from $2,700 to $1,800.
'The $100 I get is not a lot but it helps and will go towards paying for my daughter's transport fees and books,' he said.
Children of needy members will also enjoy help, with the NTUC dishing out an extra $1.2 million in bursaries for 6,000 students.
'The economy is bad but we do not want parents to do less for their children's education because they are Singapore's future,' said Mr Zainudin, who is also Mayor of Central Singapore district.
Book and school vouchers worth $6.5 million will also be given at the end of the year to needy students.
Besides direct financial aid, needy workers will also get U Stretch discount vouchers. These give a 50 per cent discount on every $5 spent at NTUC social enterprises, such as FairPrice supermarkets and Foodfare foodcourts.
To promote family life, six carnivals will be held this year at the NTUC Club's Downtown East facility.
Asked if more will be done, Mr Zainudin said that the NTUC will monitor the situation and review the programmes should the recession worsen and last beyond this year.
NTUC members can approach their unions on how to apply for the aid. [email protected]
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Labour movement cuts red tape, works with unions to give out $23m to needy members </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Aaron Low
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say at the May Day Family Day Out with U 2009 organised by NTUC at Downtown East. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->The labour movement is moving speedily to help 194,000 members affected by the recession this year with $23.2 million worth of cash, vouchers and bursaries.
Mindful that many families need help urgently, some programmes were rolled out immediately yesterday by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). It represents 500,000 unionised workers.
Speaking to reporters at the launch of the U Care funded schemes, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say said the labour movement is making extra effort to disburse funds to needy workers as fast as possible.
'So we are cutting back all bureaucracy and working through the unions and this way we can reach out to workers a lot faster,' he said.
To do this, the NTUC will give individual unions a sum of money so they can quickly disburse the aid, instead of workers applying to the NTUC which may take longer, said its Care and Share director Zainudin Nordin.
The U Care fund was set up in response to the downturn, with tripartite partners collectively raising money to help low-income workers and their families.
The $23.2 million raised by U Care this year is almost double the $13.4million collected the previous year.
The extra funds will enhance the present help schemes and also launch two new one-off schemes, in the form of financial aid for needy families and extra funds for bursaries.
About 50,000 retrenched workers and those on shorter work weeks will benefit from the immediate cash assistance of between $100 and $300 under the $6.5 million U Care Immediate Assistance programme.
Said Mr Lim: 'We recognise the sum is not that big, however, for
lower-wage earning between $800 and $1,000, it means a lot to them. It may not be a lot but what is important is that the labour movement continues to do its very best.'
One beneficiary is technician Tang Weng Yew, 53, who was put on a shorter work week in January. The father of three saw his income drop from $2,700 to $1,800.
'The $100 I get is not a lot but it helps and will go towards paying for my daughter's transport fees and books,' he said.
Children of needy members will also enjoy help, with the NTUC dishing out an extra $1.2 million in bursaries for 6,000 students.
'The economy is bad but we do not want parents to do less for their children's education because they are Singapore's future,' said Mr Zainudin, who is also Mayor of Central Singapore district.
Book and school vouchers worth $6.5 million will also be given at the end of the year to needy students.
Besides direct financial aid, needy workers will also get U Stretch discount vouchers. These give a 50 per cent discount on every $5 spent at NTUC social enterprises, such as FairPrice supermarkets and Foodfare foodcourts.
To promote family life, six carnivals will be held this year at the NTUC Club's Downtown East facility.
Asked if more will be done, Mr Zainudin said that the NTUC will monitor the situation and review the programmes should the recession worsen and last beyond this year.
NTUC members can approach their unions on how to apply for the aid. [email protected]
