SINGAPORE: A year after its launch, some 21,000 low wage workers have benefited from the government's S$40 million Inclusive Growth Programme.
It aims to share productivity gains with workers and can cover up to half the costs needed to roll out initiatives. The programme was launched in August 2010 by the labour movement.
340 projects have used the fund so far, with 30 per cent of them coming from Small and Medium-size Enterprises (SMEs).
One
of the SMEs is a laundry company, which is sharing the productivity
gains from the use of automation and technology with its workers.
The
35 local workers at Zero Spot Laundry Services stand to enjoy a minimum
10 per cent annual increment and at least one month additional
performance bonus.
The small and medium enterprise tapped on
NTUC's e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) Inclusive Growth
Programme (IGP) and implemented two projects.
The company
installed an automated folding machine and RFID (radio frequency
identification) sorter at one of its three plants to improve
productivity on the production floor.
It previously took 12 hours
of work with seven workers to sort 143 pieces of laundry an hour. With
the system, it takes just one worker eight hours of work to sort 1,500
pieces of laundry an hour.
And with a new folding machine and
system from Germany, output has increased by 3.5 times to 900 pieces per
man hour with only two operators needed to perform the task.
About 70 per cent of the company's workload is currently handled through automation.
Zero
Spot also opens up opportunities for its workers to acquire skills to
operate the new machines, or be multi-skilled to handle various job
functions.
The company which provides laundry and dry cleaning
services to hospitality and healthcare organisations is not resting on
its laurels. It now plans to roll out its system and technology at its
customers' workplace for better integration and improved productivity.
The
company currently has three laundry service plants. One of its biggest
clients is the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort. Its S$18 million
plant in Tuas caters to the resort's laundry needs.
40 union leaders, including Labour Chief Lim Swee Say, visited the company on Thursday on a Learning Journey.
-CNA/ac
we dont' wnat no fucking benerfit? how long can it benerfit us? we want - an all out permanent long term solution to our problems here
minimum wage, or if its not feasible, lesser cheap foreign labor. these really is making thos elower educated, lower salaried sgreans even tougher to get a job.