PUBLISHED ONJanuary 05, 2017 12:20 AMByFoo Jie Ying
Help will be available for Raffles Country Club (RCC) employees who lose their jobs when the club closes, said NTUC youth development unit director Desmond Choo.
RCC announced on its website yesterday that it has to hand over its 143ha site to the Singapore Land Authority by July 31 next year for the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur High Speed Rail (HSR) and the new Cross Island MRT line's western depot.
The HSR, which will cross the Johor Straits via a bridge, is scheduled to start running in 2026.
RCC's lease of the land was due to expire in 2028.
Mr Choo, who is also the executive secretary of the Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (AREU), wrote in a Facebook post yesterday: "Our workers at the country club would likely lose their jobs. Some might face difficult times.
"If retrenchment is inevitable, AREU will work closely with the RCC management to ensure the affected workers are fairly compensated and treated for their loyal service to the club.
"Our union leaders and industrial relations officers will be on-site to guide workers through these difficult and uncertain times.
"Together with NTUC's e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), we will provide job placement assistance and retraining to them."
RCC is the second club to be acquired by the Government to make way for the 350km HSR project.
JURONG COUNTRY CLUB
The first was Jurong Country Club (JCC), which shuttered on Dec 31, 2015. The 67ha site in Jurong East will become the Singapore terminus for the HSR.
The club, which was offered $89.8 million for the acquisition, is appealing against the offer and asking for $168.1 million instead.
JCC's 112 employees have been told about their compensation benefits: a lump sum dependent on their years of service and current salary, a $1,500 training grant for courses to boost their skills, and an extra year of union membership.
This article was first published on Jan 5, 2017.
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