Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Finance,
Chairman for SISEU Council of Advisors
Brother Lim Kuang Beng, SISEU General Secretary;
Brother Tan Peng Heng, SISEU President,
SISEU Executive Committee,
Awards Recipients, Parents and Friends,

A very good morning to all of you,

Thank you all for attending our SISEU Scholarship, Bursary and Progress Awards Presentation Ceremony 2009. This is an extraordinary year, one where Singapore is currently going through the worst global financial crises in history. Many Singaporeans are not spared, including some of you who are here with us today.

To extend assistance and immediate relief to our affected members, the NTUC U-Care Fund was launched in May 2009. Thanks to the fund-raising efforts of the Labour Movement and 42 of SISEU’s management partners who came forward to donate to the fund, we were able to Do More to help workers who have been retrenched or suffered from shorter work week and wage cuts in this downturn. SISEU will provide $700,000 worth of assistance to benefit our members in the form of Scholarship and Bursary awards, U-Care Immediate Assistance Fund, assistance vouchers such as NTUC U-Stretch, as well as events and activities organized at affordable rates for members.

This year, with the support from the U Care Bursary/Scholarship Top-up Scheme, I am pleased to share with you that the amount of scholarship and bursary awards given out to SISEU members this year is increased to $100,000, which is double the amount given last year. The number of recipients has thus increased from 283 to 482, about 70% more than last year. Special considerations have been given to members suffering from hardship such as retrenchment, shorter work week or wage cut. In particular, the cap of two children per household was lifted to allow any number of eligible children to qualify for the awards this year. Recipients will also receive $30 worth of Popular Bookstore vouchers each to help defray their schooling expenses.

In addition to the Scholarship and Bursary awards given to members’ children, SISEU has also stepped up its efforts in other areas to help members cope with the downturn. So far, SISEU has presented immediate relief worth $98,400 to 328 retrenched workers through the U-Care Immediate Assistance in the form of NTUC Fairprice vouchers. Another $300,000 has also been earmarked for 1,000 members who were affected by shorter workweeks or wage cuts.

$154,800 worth of U-Stretch vouchers was given out to our members from Sep 2008 till date, with more applications expected to be received. Members are able to utilise these discount vouchers to stretch their dollars within the NTUC social enterprises.

While we focus on the more serious agenda, SISEU also injects the fun element into our members’ lives. Since Jan 2009, as many as 12 activities such as movie screenings, bowling and fishing tournaments, were organised. SISEU has provided $40,800, benefiting close 7,000 members to enjoy these events at highly subsidized rates.

To ensure that workers remain employable, SISEU has continued its efforts to enhance their skill sets by working closely with our companies to send them for training under SPUR. We also remain committed by helping retrenched workers negotiate for better retrenchment packages as well as arranging for internal recruitment drives to assist them look for new jobs.

External help to our members is important but family support is equally crucial to help them tide through this tough period. With the help of the National Library Board, I was privileged to own a compilation of inspiring stories, written by very outstanding young Singaporeans like you, dedicated to their grandparents. Each individual story is unique but has one way or another displayed strong family values, as well as the importance of family support. National Library Board has also lent us their greatest support and has presented to every one of you, this book of treasure. Hence, a big thank you to National Library Board.

This particular touching story, written by Thanveer Banu Bte Mohamed Ali to her grandmother, caught my attention. Thanveer is from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School and is 12 years old. The display of strong family ties and perseverance has helped Thanveer and her family ride through the most difficult times and how she was motivated to study harder.

I will like to invite Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and 3 other recipients up on stage, to share this story together with everyone but before I do that, I will like to congratulate all the award recipients here today. You have done well for your studies and your parents proud. Keep up the good work!

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