Union leaders seeking views on how to improve well-being of healthcare frontliners

UNION leaders are gathering views from healthcare workers to better understand the stressful conditions they face while dealing with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, said National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) deputy secretary-general Chee Hong Tat on Friday.

The leaders will share this feedback with the Ministry of Health and the hospitals' management, and discuss with them on how to further improve processes and support measures to look after the well-being of frontline workers. This is not just for Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), but across different healthcare institutions too.

In a Facebook post on Friday, Mr Chee applauded the combined effort from the labour unions and other social enterprises, adding that the labour movement stands in solidarity with healthcare workers.

"I salute our healthcare workers for their dedication and thank them for the sacrifices they have made," he wrote.

He also expressed his gratitude to the those who have supported and shown their appreciation for healthcare workers, asking Singaporeans to "thank them for their hard work" and "care for those who are caring for us".

Both NTUC and HSEU are working together with NTUC FairPrice to provide some 12,000 care packs to healthcare workers.

These care packs contain items such as instant coffee, vitamin pastilles and hand sanitiser. The sponsors include Ben Foods, F&N Singapore, GSK, Khong Guan Biscuit Factory, Malaysian Dairy Industries, Unilever Asia and Yeo Hiap Seng.

Packing efforts will commence in early June with the help of volunteers from HSEU, NTUC Club and Young NTUC. Organisers say that strict Covid-19 management measures will be put in place in view of the rising community cases, but are hopeful that the care packs will be packed and ready for distribution by the middle of June.