Union will still serve MBS workers

[pillowtalk]

ST Forum letter -

Union will still serve MBS workers

ONE key role of a workers' union is to engage in collective bargaining for its members' rights, benefits and welfare with their employers ("Collective bargaining a key union role"; last Wednesday).

Collective bargaining is made possible with the support of the majority of workers in a company or if the employer grants the union recognition or right to represent the workers.

The union can still serve the members through other means, even if we do not have the support of the majority of the workers to secure collective bargaining with the company.

The union can work closely with the management to strengthen labour-management relations, promote welfare and well-being of workers, provide workplace advice to workers, raise employment issues with the employer and union for resolution, and facilitate interactions between employees and employer.

In the case of Marina Bay Sands, its workers' response to the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union's (AREU) membership recruitment efforts have been very encouraging.

However, the level of support from the workers was not high enough for us to secure collective bargaining with their employer.

Nonetheless, instead of walking away from the workers there, AREU reached a mutual agreement with MBS to offer a range of social benefits and workplace assistance. AREU is confident that it can work closely with MBS to advance the interests of our workers. The workers' union memberships are fully funded by MBS and at no cost to the workers. We believe this is a win-win situation and a big step forward in establishing a constructive labour-management relationship for the interest of the workers at MBS.

Charles Khng

General Secretary

Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union

Source: Union will still serve MBS workers

 

[winnipegjets]

Paying dues for union membership is a pure waste of money. The union here is powerless and depends totally on the goodwill of the employer.

 

[Scrooball (clone)]

Union is a joke in Singapore. Lao aunties only join to get free gifts.

 

[pillowtalk]

Workers win fight for pay increase, bonuses
Global Yellow Pages agrees to pay up just in time for Christmas after a long battle
The Straits Times - January 7, 2012
By: Toh Yong Chuan
FORTY-SEVEN workers at public-listed company Global Yellow Pages
received a Christmas gift late last year - when they finally obtained
salary increases and bonus payments for which they had been fighting
for many months.

The Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union (SMMWU), which
represented the workers, took the unusual step of going to the Industrial
Arbitration Court (IAC), which handles labour disputes, to claim the wage
increases and bonuses.

A court hearing was set for Dec9 last year.

Before the hearing took place, however, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) decided to intervene.
Following a meeting between the three parties on Dec 16, Global Yellow Pages, which publishes
directories, relented and agreed to pay the workers two months' bonus, and a monthly pay increase of
5per cent, backdated to July11 last year.

Confirming the settlement, an MOM spokesman said: 'Both the union and company reached an amicable
settlement after a conciliation meeting on Dec 16 at the ministry.'

The workers received the payments in their bank accounts on Dec23, just before Christmas.

The 47 workers in the company are covered by a collective agreement covering the period January 2010
to December 2012.

The agreement, however, does not spell out the size of increments and bonuses. Hence, yearly meetings
are held.

Talks began in August last year, but hit gridlock despite earlier attempts by MOM to mediate.
The union then took the case to the IAC.

Explaining the union's move, its deputy secretary-general, Mrs Cheong-Law Swee Hong, said: 'We were
reluctant to do so, but it was something we felt we had to do for the workers.'

The union felt that it had a compelling case, she said.

In its court papers, the union pointed to the company's profitability to back its claims. The company has
been profitable since it was listed in 2004. Profits after tax rose from $15.2 million in 2009, to a record
$16.4 million in 2010. Last year, profits after tax fell but were still $11.3million.

The 47 workers, however, had not received any bonus payments since 2009, the union said.

And the only pay rise they received in the last three years was in 2010. The increase was 2.75 per cent,
but it has already been 'stripped away by inflation', said Mrs Cheong-Law.

Last year, the union asked for a 7per cent wage increase for the workers, and one month's bonus for
each of the last two years.

It argued that the company was 'well able to pay' for the raise, and bonuses.

The company counter-offered a 3 per cent pay rise and half-a-month of bonus in total.

Global Yellow Pages chief executive Stanley Tan explained in a letter to the IAC that the company was
'fighting back in the face of declining revenues with cost management and new business initiatives'.

The company's annual reports show a steady decline of revenues, from $59.3 million in 2009, to $41.5
million last year.

There was an impasse, and the IAC set a date for hearing on Dec 9.

Cases before the IAC are rare: two in 2008, six in 2009 and four in 2010.

One of the most high-profile cases in recent years was that between Singapore Airlines and its pilots over
pay and flying allowances.

With the settlement reached, SMMWU will be withdrawing its application to the IAC.

Mr Tan of Global Yellow Pages has since written to SMMWU secretary-general John De Payva to say that
arriving at the agreement to avoid the IAC process 'is in the best interest of all concerned'.

The settlement brought relief to the workers.

A female worker who declined to be named to avoid being singled out by the company, told The Straits
Times she is very happy with the outcome, as 'things were not going anywhere'.

She added that she had worked for the company for 'several years'.

Veteran unionist Mrs Cheong-Law was glad the matter was resolved at the end of last year.
'It is the best year-end present that we can give to our workers,' she said.

 

[BuiKia]

Union is useless. Dun waste money...