SINGAPORE : Paying one more dollar to get much more in return -- that is how the National Trades Union Congress explains the union membership fee increase from January.
Unionists will have to pay an extra $13 dollars annually for membership fees.
At the same time, the labour movement says its key focus remains helping lower wage workers.
It has unveiled the first of such measures -- a new S$1.15 million "Back-to-School" programme for the children of needy members.
If you are a union member, you would have received a personal letter from the leaders of the labour movement explaining why they took what they called the "difficult decision" to increase union membership fees from S$8 to S$9 a month, after deferring it for four years.
Explaining the decision to union leaders at the NTUC pre-ordinary delegates conference, labour chief Lim Boon Heng said the hike had been resisted earlier due to the Iraq war and the SARS crisis.
The membership fee is based on the median wage of the workers and that has increased to S$1,800 monthly.
So NTUC says the increase in membership fee is inevitable.
Said Mr Lim, "Membership fees account for 19 percent of our operating costs; so in other words, 81 percent of our costs would depend on our cooperatives and our social partners. I think if we were to continue this trend and become overly dependent on our social partners, the danger is that we will do less for the workers or become less effective as an independent voice."
And lower income workers will actually benefit from the membership fee increase.
Mr Lim said, "Yes, they will be paying one dollar more but in terms of benefits both tangible and intangible, they are going to get even more."
Union leaders echoed the same sentiments.
Said union leader G Muthukumarasamy, "We said the money is coming back to you Â… to save and help lower income groups."
This includes the "Back-to-School" initiative for more than 10,000 children of some 5,000 needy unionists.
They will get vouchers worth $100 for each school-going child to help them buy school uniforms, books and shoes for the new school year.
Applications for the "Back-to-School" vouchers will open from September 26.
Union members with a monthly household income not exceeding S$1,500 or a per capita household income not exceeding S$450 (if their monthly household income exceeds S$1,500) can apply for assistance.
The programme will start in December. - CNA /ct