Introduction
Sister Julie Chong, President of the FDAWU (Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union); Mr. Bennett Neo, Group CEO of the Manda Wild Group; Glen Cook, General Manager of Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, distinguished guests, partners, sisters and brothers, a very good morning to all of you.
It's my pleasure to join all of you this morning at the Mandai Rainforest Resort. We do not just witness just one, but two different MOUs (Memorandum of understanding) that we will sign today. Of course, the first one is with our FDAWU and the second is with NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
I also glad to see community partners. From the North-West CTC Centre for Seniors, SG Enable and Bizlink, whom I want to thank you for the partnership.
Commending Mandai Rainforest Resort
First of all, let me thank the Mandai Rainforest Resort for being a forward-looking employer. One that not only takes care of your employees, currently. But walks the talk by partnering the labour movement for future aspects as well.
I remember you became unionise under FDAWU just six months into starting operations; and you really appreciate and recognise the value of working with the union, FDAWU, and the positive possibilities that, when you partner NTUC, we can achieve in outcomes.
You’ve also made workplace inclusivity a priority. That I am really appreciative because we know that Singapore has an aging workforce population, and you reaching out to NTUC and working in conjunction with union, our partners like e2i, you can offer Singaporean seniors more opportunities in the hospitality industry if they choose to continue working.
Commending Mandai Rainforest Resort
This will become more and more important as our workforce population ages. But we all know the hospitality industry is transforming rapidly, just like other industries that are impacted by digitalisation, artificial intelligence, and more and more changing guest expectations that reshape the way we work.
Even the tourist coming into Singapore, if you read recently, wants our attractions to be rejuvenated in spite of the challenges of our local weather.
Our hospitality industry really has work cut out for them, cut out for our youth, and it is pushing the boundaries for us to move to the sector.
Adapting to Change: AI, Ageing and the Future of Hospitality
Expectations are changing, the context is changing. As Glen mentioned, our workforce is aging rapidly, and the jobs in your sector can remain physically demanding.
Therefore, we must see how we can put our collective efforts together to make these roles for our seniors, more age-friendly, redesigning the work, introducing technologies, and maybe even dicing up the jobs into micro jobs that will allow seniors to continue contributing meaningfully with dignity.
I think this is where the NTUC’s Company Training Community, or CTC, comes in. Helping companies like Mandai Rainforest Resort to transform jobs, upskills workers, and grow the business together.
When we take care of our workers, it is not an expense of the business, but a conjunction with the businesses so that we can move forward. This is very different from other places that we know of.
Value of Partnership: MOU with FDAWU & e2i
This partnership that we are witnessing today between Mandai Rainforest Resort, FDAWU, and NTUC’s e2i is a powerful example of what the labour movement stands for, a collaboration that benefits both employers and workers.
Through this partnership, we will work together with the Resort’s management to transform the business and enhance service excellence and embark on job redesign and upskilling so that our workers, especially our seniors, can have better wages, better welfare, and better work prospects amidst a changing hospitality landscape.
Through this CTC partnership, more than 200 workers - that's about 80% of the Resort’s workforce, stand to benefit from job redesign and upskilling.
Stories that Inspire: Sophen’s Journey
I was told of a story of Sophen, a mature worker, who made a career switch to hospitality, faced many emotional challenges starting out in this new industry.
But with e2i’s support and the Resort’s structured training and mentorship, she has since found her footing and now thrives as a Banyan Tree host. I’m so glad for Sophen. Her journey shows how, with the right support and opportunities for workers, even mature workers, can stay relevant and resilient no matter their age.
This is the kind of impact we want to see multiply across the hospitality industry. This is why the MOUs (we signed) today matter. It is the first foundation blocks for us to do all these good work together. Across the hospitality and other industries, NTUC’s CTC grants projects in totality have impacted 10,000 worker or so. In addition, now, we put in 200 extra. This is not just ideas that we are articulating. But we have done the work where we have helped workers getting higher skillsets and better career pathways.
Workers have tangible returns when we participate in the CTCs. At least 10,000 workers have enjoyed an average 5% of better pay on top of annual increments. Companies are coming onboard with CTCs because they have better productivity and business outcomes too.
Conclusion
Today, we have about more than 3,600 CTCs that have impacted 10,000 workers. And we hope to continue this partnership and come into this wonderful resort and make a difference as well. So, as we look ahead, we want to continue to invest in resources and partnerships to attract, retain uplift talent in the industry and today in the hospitality industry.
So indeed, in hospitality, technology can enhance efficiency and bring many new possibilities. But at the end of it, you know better than I, in the service industry, your warmth, your care, your service makes the difference.
To the people that work in this industry, you can create an exceptional guest experience. Therefore, I hope that at Mandai Rainforest Resort that human touch can shine through regardless of whether young person or an older person and show the warmth of Singapore’s hospitality. Show that we can, together as tripartite partners, to work together to forge better outcomes for businesses and better outcomes for workers.
After all, we are all here to make sure that Singapore can earn a good living for Singaporeans to have a better life. Thank you for your partnership. Thank you to the partners and the audience as well for the good work we do in this society.
Let us work together to forge a resort that we are proud of and to forge the community that is inclusive in this space for the seniors, and for Singaporeans.
Thank you very much.
