Punggol women get help returning to work

More help is on the way for women in Punggol who want to return to work, including finding them a workplace closer to home and getting jobs with firms that offer flexible work arrangements.

Helping women go back to work is a key focus of PAP women activists in the constituency, said Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Yeo Wan Ling.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event on March 30 to mark International Women's Day, she said: "I think the winning combination is that it's flexible work, there are good career prospects and the company is a partner to the women returning to work.

"And the most important part is there's a good salary package. So, these are some of the things that I know my women activists here have been fighting for."

So far, about 200 women have found jobs with flexi-work arrangements with Chye Thiam Maintenance - a facilities and environmental management firm - under a National Trades Union Congress pilot scheme called "C U Back at Work".

Chye Thiam's offices are in Tampines Industrial Drive, almost a stone's throw from Punggol.

The event, held at the Koufu foodcourt in Punggol Plaza, also featured a talk by lawyer Steven Lam on the benefits of the lasting power of attorney (LPA). Mr Lam also later helped endorse LPAs for residents.

The LPA is a legal document that allows a trusted person to make key decisions on someone's behalf should they lose their mental capacity.

Ms Yeo, an assistant secretary-general at NTUC who oversees women and family issues as well as matters linked to small and medium-sized enterprises, said LPA matters are particularly important for people who are caregivers to seniors or children with special needs.

She added that her NTUC role puts her in an "advantageous position".

"Because of this, I know about some of the national issues that I can also bring down here into the community," she said.

Ms Yeo, the only woman MP in the Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC team, said her Meet-the-People Sessions are popular with residents, who may find it more comfortable to talk to women about certain issues.

Apart from women's issues, there are other teams that deal with the different issues that crop up in Punggol's diverse demographic, such as youth mental wellness issues.

Parts of Pasir Ris-Punggol have been carved up into the new four-member Punggol GRC that has taken in the Punggol West single seat in the latest Electoral Boundaries Review Committee report published on March 11.

The new four-member GRC will see the introduction of a new division, said Ms Yeo, who added that the Punggol population has grown with the building of new flats in the area.

A team of WP members, led by former Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong, was spotted making the rounds in Punggol Place in February.

Asked about the possibility of competing with the WP in the coming general election, Ms Yeo said she and her team had become like friends to residents over the past five years.

"I think it is important that we continue with this friendship, so that we are able to continue building on how we have been helping them," she added.