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SINGAPORE: Tripartite Upturn Strategy Teams (TRUST Teams), which have been set up to help companies tackle the economic downturn, are targeting small and medium-sized enterprises, especially non-unionised ones.
Some 340 companies have expressed interest in getting guidance and advice from these teams since their formation in April.
Nestle Singapore is one multinational corporation that is being helped by a TRUST Team. Despite the economic downturn, there have been no layoffs in the company, thanks to cost-cutting measures and efforts to enhance productivity.
To upgrade its workers, the company is also working with the TRUST Team to develop customised programmes that will fulfil the criteria for the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) subsidies.
Suresh Narayanan, managing director, Nestle Singapore, said: "What we are really suggesting are some accredited programmes that can add to the focus and dimension of the consumer goods industry, which can be of use to a larger audience, rather than just Nestle."
Besides MNCs, the TRUST Teams are also helping SMEs.
Ng Chun Pin, director, Tripartite Programmes & International Labour, Ministry of Manpower, said: "Many SMEs may not even be aware of the full range of help measures and that's the purpose of the TRUST Teams – to go down and present to them the slew of measures.
"Due to resource constraints, they can't actually afford to spend. In fact, some of the CEOs are HR managers themselves, so they don't really have the manpower resources to send staff for training. We really need to reach out to these companies... engage them and find out what kind of courses actually suits them."
For example, a TRUST Team is helping retail company Three Rifles Holdings to restructure its wage system to a more flexible one - to prepare for future growth, especially in the overseas market.
Ting Yen Hock, CEO of Three Rifles Holdings, said: "We want the wages to be pegged to individual performance, so people who can perform will be rewarded accordingly."
The company has also made several changes internally, such as training staff to multi-task in order to take over another worker's job when he or she goes for training.
Other changes include implementing a compressed work week and reducing unnecessary work processes.
Generally, companies like Three Rifles find the sessions with the TRUST Team useful as they provide them with an opportunity to meet up with tripartite partners directly and discuss challenges going ahead.
Six TRUST Teams have been set up, with each team comprising at least one member from each tripartite partner.
These teams have already visited 14 companies and in the next few months, they plan to contact another 300 firms that have shown interest in getting assistance.
- CNA/so
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