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