NTUC forms company-training committees with 811 firms, hopes to scale initiative in 2022

THE labour movement has formed about 200 company-training committees (CTC) over the past year, with more small-and-medium enterprises (SME) coming on board as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said on Monday (Feb 7).

This brings the total number of such committees to 811 since the initiative was launched in April 2019, although it is some ways away from the National Trades Union Congress's (NTUC) initial target of 1,000 companies in 3 years.

"We are limited by our own resources because it is a very involving process that my officers go down to the companies and engage them," Ng, who is secretary-general of NTUC, said, adding that there are about 25 such officers.

He said it is a very detailed process that may take 1-2 years, and it involves "operations roadmapping" to help companies that may not have the capabilities to adopt new technologies.

Ng said his plan for 2022 is to scale up the initiative, adding that the Singapore National Employers Federation is "very keen" to see how it can help NTUC push the CTC concept further.

"I've also spoken to different ministers to see if the government can also step in to create tripartite possibilities, including the tripartite academy," he added.

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Ng was giving the update at a media briefing on the NTUC's priorities for the year, while taking stock of the progress of existing initiatives.

So far, about 266 companies have completed the operation and technology roadmap process as part of the NTUC's training and placement ecosystem set up last year.

"We are looking also to impact more of our Singapore SMEs in the manufacturing sector because we can make a difference with the ops tech roadmapping, in upping technology input, Industry 4.0 practices with the businesses and also bringing in our capabilities in training when we partner them," said Ng.

On job placements, NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) has helped over 46,000 workers with job matching or transition as of December 2021, since its Jobs Security Council was set up in February 2020.

In terms of job matching, Ng said NTUC is able to help 60 per cent of every 100 cases.

Noting that the cost of living is a major concern amid rising inflation, Ng said: "The best way to beat inflation, cope with cost of living as a sustainable strategy has always been upping our productivity and therefore keeping our workers in pace with any changes in cost."

To do this, Ng said NTUC will work with its industry partners to ensure businesses can thrive and in the process help workers to upskill through training enablers so that they can earn a good wage.

At the same time, NTUC FairPrice's continuation of its discount schemes for seniors and low-income families until end-2022 will result in more than S$65 million worth of savings for customers since its start in 2015, he noted.

He added that the labour movement will continue to champion the interests of a wide range workers in 2022, including seniors, but also particularly youths as well as women and families.

The NTUC is working with Singapore's institutes of higher learning and Institute of Technical Education to see how it can partner them in the areas of career opportunities, development and mentoring, Ng said.

As for women, Ng said NTUC is advocating for flexible work arrangements if the full-time responsibilities of a job is too much to handle in balancing family commitments.

While Ng said he is "cautiously optimistic" about the economy in 2022, the NTUC is hoping to bring "sectorial capabilities" such as the tripartite academy to look at the needs of the industry and opportunities when Singapore opens up.

"What are the needed skills that employers are looking for new capabilities in our workers and put it in the ecosystem of our tripartite academy to have this end-to-end one-stop service to respond at the fastest-possible pace to upgrade our hospitality and tourism sectors," said Ng.

The tripartite academy initiative is also available for advanced manufacturing, with partners such as the Economic Development Board, the Agency of Science, Technology and Research and industry partners, he added.

Asked about whether the NTUC is looking at offering more protection for gig workers or helping them to transition to more stable jobs, Ng said the approach differs as the group is not a homogenous one.

He noted that it is fair for both part-timers and full-timers to be covered in areas such as workplace injury.

For part-timers that are working as ride-hailing drivers or food deliverers under "Covid-19 circumstances", Ng said NTUC will do its "very best" in short-term protection while enabling them to pivot back to jobs that they have qualifications and a passion for.

For those that are looking at driving as "a job as a last resort", Ng said he will do his best to provide them benefits, such as Central Provident Fund, so that they can make a full career with adequate retirement planning.