Ismalinda Mohamed Sidik, 46, is a mother of three children aged 8, 15 and 16. She and her husband, who works as a private bus driver, have felt the pinch of rising prices.
“The cost of supporting my family has increased ― we have three school-going children and have to manage their education expenses on top of the rising cost of living,” she said.
Some relief is on the way for Ms Ismalinda, and other lower-income NTUC union members like her.
Today, 20 August, at the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) Education Awards Ceremony 2022, NTUC announced a $3.66 million one-off assistance programme that will offer eligible members up to $150 in cash assistance for daily essentials like groceries.
The NTUC Care Fund (Special Assistance) programme will be available to union members with family members staying in the same household, with monthly gross household income of $3,400 and below or per capita income of not more than $850.
Those without family members staying in the same household would need to earn a monthly gross personal income of $1,500 or less to qualify.
Around 28,000 members stand to benefit from this new programme.
NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan said, “The NTUC Care Fund (Special Assistance) provides an additional layer of support for lower-income NTUC union members to cope with the higher cost of living.
“The cash pay-out allows greater flexibility for members to use it for immediate needs. NTUC will continue stepping up during times of need to help our workers tide over challenging times and look into their welfare.”
The NTUC Care Fund (Special Assistance) will supplement the existing NTUC Care Fund (e-Vouchers) programme launched in July 2020, which provides up to $100 worth of assistance for daily essentials and schools supplies, with an additional $100 for each eligible school-going child.
Eligible union members can apply for the NTUC Care Fund (Special Assistance) programme through the new OneCare portal (one-stop system for U Care) at ucare.ntuc.org.sg/assistance.
Application period will be from 22 August to 30 September 2022.
To ensure that timely assistance is provided to our lower-income members, successful applicants will receive cash pay-outs via bank transfer.
All cash pay-outs, including those made through appeals, will be disbursed within 30 days of application.
This is good news for Ms Ismalinda.
“If I can receive this additional assistance to support [my family], it will help to lighten my burden,” she said.
