1. To support Singapore's drive towards higher productivity and a "cheaper,better and faster" economy, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is ramping up its efforts in the Job Re-creation Programme (JRP), which is targeted at low wage workers. With the support of NTUC, companies in the security and landscaping sectors have harnessed technology and introduced new initiatives to raise their productivity and improve the employment terms of their workers.
Security - Use of Technology, Better Shift Hours
2. At Borneo Motors (Singapore), APRO Asian Protection Pte Ltd (APRO) overcome the constraints of lack of manpower by using CCTV monitoring and the Fence Intrusion Detection System (FIDS) for their security operations. Using digital video recording, receivers and the Internet, the security agency can remotely view all the cameras placed at Borneo Motors' seven sites around Singapore, including the perimeter fence. APRO security officers went through relevant training to learn how to operate surveillance equipment.
3. With these measures, APRO and Borneo Motors were able to reduce the total manpower at the seven sites from 33 to 29, while enhancing the standard of security surveillance. As a result, the company is able to take on more jobs by redeploying the freed up manpower to other projects.
4. APRO is moving away from the security industry's traditional practice of putting workers through 12-hour shifts, and is working with employers on implementing 8-hour shifts, with adjusted pay. This has enabled APRO to attract more workers.
5. Mr Ignatius Kang, General Manager of APRO said, "APRO's investment in technology and equipment, as well as training and development of our staff through skills upgrading and courses, is a testament to our commitment to raise the security standards and our service delivery to our clients. We observed that our security officers are contributing higher output and better quality work than before, ever since we integrated technology and manpower in our security operations as well as sending workers for training."
Landscape – Better Equipment for Tree Pruning
6. Kiat Lee Landscape and Building Pte Ltd (Kiat Lee) is a landscaping company that provides tree pruning services. It learnt from the best practices adopted in Australia, and cut down manpower required at each tree pruning site from 5.5 to 4. The driver of the tree pruning equipment will now also supervise the entire operations; one worker will prune the tree and operate the crane; and two other workers will help collect debris and control traffic. Workers who perform dual functions see their salaries increased by about 15%.
7. "Through observing and adopting best practices from Australia, we are able to streamline our work processes and save time and costs concurrently through the use of new machinery and multi-skilling of workers. For example, with the use of the new remote crane controller, we can now better deploy and multi-task our workers to prune and operate the crane at the same time. This has resulted in the value of their work increasing and hence, they receive higher pay," said Mr Royston Soh, Managing Director of Kiat Lee Landscape and Building.
Other Sectors
8. Besides the security and landscaping sectors, NTUC's e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) will also be working closely with companies across varied sectors to adopt the "cheaper, better, faster" strategy and build up an adaptable workforce through up-skilling, re-skilling and multi-skilling so as to meet the challenges of the new economy.
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ANNEX
Background on JRP in Security and Landscaping sectors
Since the Job Re-creation Programme (JRP) was launched in 2005, e2i has been working actively with tripartite partners to help companies redesign work processes, improve work conditions, or make use of equipment and technology to raise productivity and work conditions. Efforts to give the security and landscaping sectors a big make-over have seen encouraging results.
In both sectors, workers are trained to be adaptable to handle different tasks and they attend certified training which is acknowledged by the industry. The image and professionalism of the two industries has also enhanced significantly, with the introduction of uniforms, change in job titles as well as use of equipment and machinery at work. In addition, a higher service standard benchmark was set for the security industry with the introduction of the Security Industry Regulatory Department (SIRD) grading system for security guard agencies and the issuance of security identity cards to security officers. The increase in the value of security and landscape contracts has also led to increase in the wages for security officers and landscape technicians by approximately 60% and 30% respectively.
About e2i (Employment and Employability Institute)
e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) is a one-stop, skills-based institute for job seekers, employers and training providers. It has a job vacancies bank of over 12,000, and has assisted over 60,000 job seekers through training and finding new and better jobs in 2009. To ensure that job seekers meet the hiring requirements of employers, e2i conducts employment coaching, career coaching and conducts employability and skills training. e2i serves all segment of workers, from rank and file to professionals, managers, executives and technicians. e2i an initiative of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), supported by the Workforce Development Agency (WDA), the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF), and the Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF).