NTUC cares more for its profits than the workers' welfares!

Heartlander SG

When Parliment mentioned Sheng Siong, Singaporeans should put NTUC Fairprice to shame!

What if NTUC made only $1million profit per year? If Sheng Siong could sell goods even cheaper than those in JB, why NTUC could'nt? Sheng Siong has only 4 or 5 stores island wide and NTUC has more, and before you get 5% rebate from them ,they made 20-50% more from you, let alone that you are a uion member. Contributing $8(up from $7 previously)per month for its elected Committee Members to go for a free holiday in Phuket Island or Genting! They call it working holiday-meeting! This is what NTUC is all about! When local hotels are cutting back manpowers to save cost, NTUC is sending its Committee Members overseas to fuel other countries' hotel industries at the Union members expense!!!

NTUC has forgotten that they have some moral responsibilities to its workers in Singapore. What they get in return besides a thousand or two for his coffin money on his demise, they may just get an umbrella each for their contribution if they are lucky enough. In good time they asked for union member fees increase from $7 to $8! In bad time they said they would compensate workers in a month of rebate and discount due to National Day cerebration when Sheng Siong is having cheap sale from day 1 to the end of each year!

witness SG

Whatever the faults of NTUC, every time I visit Cold Storage, I am grateful that NTUC Fairprice is so successful in Singapore.

Whilst prices in Fairprice may not be the cheapest, one can be fairly sure that the goods are reasonable value for money. Their basic items such as rice and sugar are about the cheapest anywhere.

And annually, all members of the Cooperative recieve generous rebates, and today, there is the Link Points system as well.

Fairprice began in the 70s at a time when there was an acute rice shortage in Singapore and the price of rice skyrocketed overnight. There was panic until NTUC Co-op (as it was then called) was hastily formed. The result was an immediate return to saner prices.

I am not a union member, but will always remain a loyal supporter of Fairprice.

pkchukiss SG

NTUC is a trade union run by PAP. It does not represent the interests of all Singaporeans. So why are there not other trade unions?

Shotgun SG

Cos no one is interested in forming one?

witness SG

Point of clarification...

There are many trade union organisations in Singapore. But most of them (or even all) are affiliated to the NTUC, which is not a union in itself, but a conglomeration of all the unions in Singapore.

Having an umbrella entity such as the NTUC is both good and bad. It means that NTUC has greater bargaining power; but it also means that the unions in Singapore are easier to control.

[This message has been edited by witness (edited 22 September 2001).]