10,000 CARE PACKS FOR WORKERS
The fight against COVID-19 requires all hands on deck and the Labour Movement stands firmly beside our workers during this difficult period. Since the outbreak, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has packed and is distributing more than 10,000 care packs for workers across industries, who have been working tirelessly to keep Singapore safe and running smoothly. Additionally, NTUC has been working closely with our unions and tripartite partners to help affected workers soften the economic impact brought on by the virus. Please refer to Annex A for NTUC’s efforts so far to support our workers.
Packing efforts have been ongoing over the past few weeks and were finally completed this weekend with some 70 volunteers from across the Labour Movement’s various communities, including nEbO, Young NTUC and U Live, as well as leaders from U Family. The care packs have been and are in the process of being distributed to a cross-section of frontline workers over the next few weeks through our different unions.
This weekend’s packing effort was carried out in two locations on Saturday 22 February, at NTUC Centre at One Marina Boulevard and at NTUC’s e2i at Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability. At the NTUC Centre, there were about 30 volunteers who packed care packs for cleaners, security officers, frontline media crew, taxi and private hire drivers who signed up to be the Point-to-Point transport of healthcare workers. At NTUC’s e2i, 40 volunteers packed care packs for the healthcare workers and these will be distributed next week to all public healthcare institutions through the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU).
NTUC Central Committee members led by NTUC President Mary Liew and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng visited NTUC’s e2i packing site to rally the volunteers and to present small tokens of appreciation to the volunteers who took time off during their weekend to pack the care packs for our workers.
“It is important that we rally together to show our appreciation to workers who are working extra hard during this difficult time. It is heartening that our communities have come together to lend their support to our unions to show appreciation our workers. NTUC, our unions and associations, together with our social enterprises stand ready to do more for our workers and support them in every way that we can,” said NTUC President Mary Liew.
22-year-old nEbO volunteer Mak Fong Yee, who was one of the 40 volunteers at e2i, shared, “I am very happy that I am able to contribute and show support to our healthcare workers during this stressful time. I hope the packs will be helpful to them. I am grateful for such initiatives to gather like-minded individuals to help the society together. We hope that our support here will influence more people to come forth and show care to those who need them.”
The packs for healthcare workers are part of HSEU’s ongoing efforts to show support to them, in light of recent cases whereby healthcare workers were being shunned by members of the public. On 25 February 2020, Tuesday, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng will be joined by NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Dr Koh Poh Koon and union leaders of HSEU at Tan Tock Seng Hospital to personally give some of the care packs to the hospital’s frontline staff.
