關於 general unions ，我們在網路上蒐集到這些相關的討論、資訊與評價

The Registry of Trade Unions approved the dissolution of the Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Employees (AUPDRW) in June. This was for a very simple reason: There were no more daily-rated workers in the public sector!

Previously, these workers were paid based on the number of days they worked in a month. Now they have all been converted to a monthly scheme. As a result, they enjoy higher wages, better benefits and more salary progression.

Converting the workers to a monthly wage scheme was a lifetime ambition of the late Mr. G. Muthukumarasamy (Brother Kumar), the former general secretary of the AUPDRW and a veteran unionist. Brother Kumar passed away in December 2019, but his hard work to improve workers’ lives remains his legacy.

NTUC Singapore is carrying on the work of Brother Kumar, by pushing for faster expansion of the Progressive Wage Model, and fighting for better wages, welfare and work prospects for lower-wage workers. The Government will continue to support the NTUC strongly, to improve workers’ lives. – LHL

#EveryWorkerMatters

National Health Insurance Administration Director-General Lee Po-chang (left) accepts a list of demands made by unions representing medical personnel.
https://focustaiwan.tw/photos/20210224ENP0001m

Deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Encik Mahmud Awang on Monday. He was one of Singapore’s founding leaders.

A widely respected unionist, Encik Mahmud first got involved in union work when he joined the Singapore Traction Company (STC) as a bus conductor. He became close friends with Mr Ahmad Ibrahim, Mr Devan Nair and Mr Lee Kuan Yew, won the support of many unions, and was elected the President of the Singapore Trades Union Congress (STUC) in 1958. When the STUC split in 1961, Encik Mahmud’s STC Employees’ Union was among the few that joined the NTUC, and he became Chairman of the NTUC’s Pro Tem Committee.

Encik Mahmud was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 1963 General Election, and subsequently to the Parliament of newly independent Singapore. In the years when Singapore was in Malaysia, Malay PAP leaders, including Encik Mahmud, Othman Wok, Rahim Ishak, and others, came under enormous pressure by UMNO politicians to choose race over nation. But Encik Mahmud and his comrades held firm in their conviction. Their courage and leadership kept alive the vision of a multiracial Singapore, and enabled it to become the reality today.

Mr Lee was forever grateful for Encik Mahmud’s stout-hearted support at this critical moment in our history, and they kept in touch. At Mr Lee’s state funeral, Encik Mahmud was one of the pallbearers.

Encik Mahmud may have left us, but his legacy will live on. My thoughts are with his family in this time of loss. – LHL

(Encik Mahmud Awang (extreme left), a pallbearer at Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s funeral in 2015. / MCI Photo by LH Goh)

BATU ARANG MERDEKA SPECIAL | A step back in time --
Produced by Indrani Kopal | Sept 18, 2010 --

The quiet Batu Arang is home town of former All Malaya Estate Staff Union secretary-general Jiwi Kathiyah.

According to Jiwi, during its heyday, Batu Arang was a fountain of peace and a cauldron of revolutionary spirit, all at the same time.

This forgotten town which witnessed some of country's most popular labour strikes and demonstrations is also home to many prominent leaders past and present. Today it silently holds many untold stories of our history.

Batu Arang was the birthplace of many radical unions. The Coal Workers Union had a leading role in some of the largest strikes of the period when they protested over their working conditions and poor wages.

Video by Indrani Kopal, Shufiyan Shukur, Maran Perianen and Jiwi Kathaiyah