Something to Clap About

This story appeared in Today on 3 February 2009:

Something to clap about
Retrenched workers get better deal, retraining help from union
Lin Yanqin

THEY were being handed letters informing them they would be laid off, but the workers of Chin Heng Garments Factory still found something to clap about.

Soon to be out of a job, some workers had been unhappy and angry with the severance pay offered by the company, on top of feeling emotional about being unemployed.

So, when told of the improved package that took nearly a month to negotiate, the workers were so happy that they burst into applause, said Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (Siseu) executive secretary Josephine Teo.

"For them, the original package was difficult to accept," said Mrs Teo yesterday, at a training camp for the retrenched workers at the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). “So we had to negotiate with the management to formulate something more acceptable."

There was more than money on the table. After almost 15 years at the factory and over 40 years :in the garment production line, Madam Sim Beng Hong was unsure of what jobs she could take on next.

But Siseu was on hand when the retrenchment notices were given out on Jan 22. That same day, over 400 of the 612 affected workers were taken by bus to e2i, where they took part in a job preparation exercise and were counselled on their next step.

And while some workers like Mr Lee Soon King, 54, got a mere $50 hong bao from the company as he had been with it for less than three years — the labour movement offered him $400 in cash and vouchers to tide over the festive season. “The union helped to guide me on what to do next,” said Mr Lim. "I was worried because my salary was already not enough to pay for my expenses to begin with, and I was very anxious to get a job."

One of the 45 workers attending the six-day camp — paid for by the e2i — that began yesterday, Mr Lim said he signed up because he did not see many employment opportunities. "It seems much worse than when I was laid off in 1997," said Mr Lim, who started working after completing primary school. "Getting some training might improve my chances."

Mrs Teo said it was natural that the workers were still feeling disoriented and unsure about their next step. "That’s why we're trying to take it slow and not overload them with too much information at the time,” she said of the training programme. "Otherwise they might feel resistant towards training."