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NTUC helps 25% more low-income union members, families this year

SINGAPORE — The labour movement has given out S$9.1 million worth of benefits to low-income union members and their families this year, up 4 per cent from S$8.75 million last year.

TODAY file photo

TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — The labour movement has given out S$9.1 million worth of benefits to low-income union members and their families this year, up 4 per cent from S$8.75 million last year.

And it helped about 7,000 low-wage workers this year. This is 25 per cent more than last year’s, increasing outreach to these workers, said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Zainal Sapari today (Nov 29).

A significant portion of the monies disbursed this year was in the form of NTUC’s U Stretch vouchers, through which about S$2.16 million was given to 24,922 members.

These vouchers can be used for discounts at NTUC FairPrice supermarkets, NTUC Unity pharmacies and Denticare clinics, and NTUC Foodfare food courts.

The labour movement also gave about S$3.2 million worth of U Care Back to School vouchers to benefit 25,882 school-going children.

The vouchers can be used at NTUC Family Fair — Back to School Edition events such as the one held yesterday, where parents can buy discounted school-related merchandise such as school shoes and art materials.And the labour movement provided S$729,990 in co-funding to help unions provide study bursaries to 5,904 children.

At the fair today, Mr Zainal, who is also the director of the NTUC Care and Share Department and NTUC U Care Centre, presented a cheque for S$1 million to the Eldercare Trust, which aims to support projects that promote the material, emotional, psychological and physical well-being of the elderly.

He also said that the NTUC U Care centre has assisted about 7,000 workers on workplace issues — an increase of more than 25 per cent from last year.

“These workplace issues vary from assistance on calculation of leave, overtime payment to CPF entitlements,” said NTUC, attributing the increase to greater awareness of the centre.

Also, its new pro-bono legal clinics, launched in April, have handled 60 cases, ranging from housing issues to the writing of wills.

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