Twice a week, for three hours, Madam Artini Hamzah, 43, would go for lessons in sign language.

The senior community service officer did so for six weeks, in an effort to communicate better with a teenager, who is hearing impaired.

The 17-year-old had been put on probation for an offence and was required to report about once every two weeks to Madam Artini, who is with the Ministry of Social and Family Development. “Over time, he started to open up and talk more about his family,” she said.

For going beyond the call of duty, Madam Artini, along with 15 others, received the PS21 Distinguished Star Service Award yesterday, a top honour at the annual Excellence in Public Service Awards.

At the ceremony, attended by 500 people, trophies were also given out to 241 public officers, agencies and members of the public that, correspondingly, gave good service, have best practices and are good customers.

In his address, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean urged public servants to build strong partnerships to overcome new challenges, such as creating jobs of the future for Singaporeans.

Mr Teo, who is also the minister in charge of the civil service, called on them to “partner closely” with public sector agencies to deliver better policies and programmes, “partner widely” to reach out to more Singaporeans, and “partner deeply” with communities and individualsto produce lasting results.

To illustrate, he cited the car-free zone in Circular Road on Friday and Saturday evenings as a way to partner deeply. Singapore River One, a private-sector association, worked with five government agencies to implement it. They were rewarded with the Best Partner award.

In deep partnerships, said DPM Teo, “all partners are heavily involved in developing, refining and implementing solutions. This requires deep commitment, sustained over time”.

Another example shows the Health Ministry and government agencies pooling data, so that people had to verify personal details only online, via the phone or at service counters, for the ministry to assess their eligible MediShield Life subsidies. The agencies got the Best Practice award.

Said Mr Teo: “As we set our sights on SG100… be open to new ideas, think out of the box and be prepared to try new ways of doing things.”

This article was first published on May 21, 2016.
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Transport operator SMRT and Nanyang Technological University have set up a research laboratory to develop ways to fix rail engineering problems even before they arise.

The $60 million SMRT-NTU Smart Urban Rail Corporate Laboratory (Corp Lab) was launched yesterday, with equal funding from the two parties, along with $20 million from the National Research Foundation.

Although the lab is its first rail-related research venture, NTU is confident that its track record stands it in good stead.

NTU vice-president for research Lam Khin Yong cited the university’s collaboration with companies such as ST Engineering, Rolls-Royce and BMW Group.

For Singapore’s rail system, Corp Lab will work on a suite of real-time monitoring systems for trains, tracks and power supply.

For trains, these systems will continuously monitor vibration, wheel axles and gearboxes, as well as door mechanisms. Door faults often lead to trains stalling as a result of a safety design.

Sensors will also be embedded into the running rail and the power-supplying third rail.

SMRT head of trains Lee Ling Wee said some problems cannot be detected by off-the-shelf solutions – for instance, cracks developing on the underside of a running rail, which, if left undetected and unresolved, can lead to serious track breakages.

To this end, the joint venture will work on thermo-acoustic sensors, which can sense temperature fluctuations within materials. These will be able to detect cracks and defects which may lie deep within components. Corp Lab will also work on better maintenance and reconditioning of assets.

NTU president Bertil Andersson said Corp Lab will also “develop core competencies and human capital for the railway industry”.

“It aims to train 50 research engineers, 35 PhD students and 100 undergraduate students in the next five years,” he said.

“Commuting woes can cause tempers to fray, so as a university, we hope to develop technologies that can lead to smoother and more sustainable modes of transportation.”

SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek said monitoring systems have already been proven to work. The operator’s Third Rail Sag Alert system captured 14 incidents last year which could have led to the third rail sagging.

“Timely remedial actions and time-critical decisions can be made, preventing a single but critical fault from cascading into a major service disruption,” Mr Kuek said.

Corp Lab will work on more advanced condition monitoring systems. One example is defect detection of a train’s electrification system via radio frequency. Another is automated inspection of train undercarriages.

Electrical faults are increasingly common in Singapore’s rail network. More than half of the major breakdowns in recent months have been power-related.

For instance, a power trip at the Buona Vista intake substation crippled the western section of three MRT lines and one LRT line on April 25.

Corp Lab will have to show quantifiable results. Prof Lam said a number of patents must be filed and half of them must be commercialised.

The guest of honour at yesterday’s launch was Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan.

christan@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on May 21, 2016.
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Technician Goh Jeow Hong may be 85, but he is still learning how to speak English at work.

“I want to be able to communicate with my colleagues, hotel guests and contractors,” said Mr Goh, who was named the best employee at the Novotel hotel in Clarke Quay last year. He handles carpentry, repair and plumbing work, and also mentors younger colleagues.

For his dedication, Mr Goh, who has not taken sick leave for the past 15 years, was honoured by the labour movement with a May Day Partnership Award yesterday.

A total of 24 awards were presented to 63 recipients for supporting skills upgrading in the workplace and building a strong partnership with the labour movement.

Labour chief Chan Chun Sing, the guest of honour, said the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) will continue to increase its membership and take care of all workers here. Its vision is to make sure Singapore “continues to do well, and continues to thrive” based on strong tripartite relationships, he added.

Employers who were lauded include Fei Siong Food Management, marine firm MTQ Engineering, which invested in automation to increase productivity, and Home-Fix.

Fei Siong was recognised for its entrepreneurial programme, where local job-seekers are hired and trained to run their own food stalls.

The programme, which is part of the Employment and Employability Institute’s Place-and-Train initiative, teaches trainees service, kitchen and management skills.

They are paid a monthly salary for the first three months before they start their own stalls. They also have the option of being deployed to other roles within Fei Siong if they do not start a stall.

Home-Fix was lauded for its “strong Singaporean core” – seven in 10 workers are locals.

Managing director Low Cheong Kee said: “We help shoppers find solutions to their fix-it needs, so it helps if our employees know what living in Housing Board flats is like.”

The home-grown firm offers employees NTUC membership, paying for the fees. It is also trying to make its workplace more elder-friendly.

“We are using bigger fonts for our price labels,” Mr Low said.

As for Novotel’s Mr Goh, the award affirms his hard work. “I will continue working for as long as I can. I am going back to work (after the ceremony),” he said.

This article was first published on May 21, 2016.
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Indonesia has said it loud and clear: No more new live-in maids abroad from as early as next year.

The news has raised eyebrows in Singapore, where the 125,000 Indonesian maids employed have formed an integral part of busy households.

Indonesia said it is prepared for brickbats and boycotts from receiving countries, which may look for labour supply elsewhere rather than deal with alternative housing issues and draw up fresh labour contracts. Jakarta is aware that a lot is at stake, which is why the move is being done in phases and the authorities hope for a “win-win solution” through bilateral meetings, Indonesian Manpower Ministry official Soes Hindharno told The Straits Times.

Currently, seven million Indonesians work abroad, 60 per cent of whom are maids in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Slowing the worker outflow could break the rice bowls of Indonesia’s poor and uneducated.

Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source: 

The Straits Times

The country could also potentially lose billions of dollars in worker remittances, which the World Bank put at US$10.5 billion (S$14.5 billion) last year. That is around 1 per cent of the country’s total economic output.

Mr Soes said Indonesia wants to raise the social image of its people and better protect its workers. The government wants to send fewer but quality workers abroad and hence is training workers in specific skills such as cooking and childcare.

“We don’t want to be known as a producer of cattle-class workers forever,” he said.

If Jakarta goes ahead with its plan, it would be the only nation insisting its maids be housed separately. Labour-receiving countries then might need to harmonise their laws. In Singapore, for instance, a maid has to live at the residence of the employer.

Indonesian leaders have been talking about ending the practice of sending maids abroad since 2012, so it remains to be seen how the plan will pan out this time. Mr Soes said: “We are serious about doing this.”

This article was first published on May 20, 2016.
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For 12 years, the Buddy Hoagies Cafe and Grill has been a fixture at the Nee Soon South Community Club (CC).

But the restaurant will stop serving its Western favourites such as fish and chips and sirloin steak come June 15, after it failed to secure a tender for a new lease.

It is set to be replaced by a KFC outlet, and residents and long-time patrons have expressed disappointment that meals at the family-run cafe will soon be a thing of the past.

Many residents such as Ms Hannah Neo, 34, have been visiting the cafe for many years – in her case since her late 20s.

“It’s coming to us as a surprise,” said Ms Neo, a part-time lecturer who takes her three-year-old son to the cafe with her. “If a KFC opens here, I will still come, but I don’t think it will be as personal or child-friendly.”

The cafe has a couch and a small play area for children. Yesterday afternoon, when The Straits Times visited, the cafe was buzzing though it was not lunchtime.

Patrons lounged on the couch and chatted. On the walls were faded posters of singers such as the Beatles, Barbra Streisand and Michael Jackson.

Crane operator Yeo Hock Wah, 58, will miss the set lunches, where patrons can get a main course, soup and drink for less than $10. “The food here is affordable and very nice. I will miss this place,” he said.

The cafe’s owner, Mrs Theresa Ng, said the neighbourhood joint has been through some tough times, especially at the start, when business was very quiet.

“When we took over in 2004, no one knew about this place,” said Mrs Ng, who is resigned to looking for another space.

Buddy Hoagies has two other outlets, one in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre and the other in Waterway Point – they are run by her husband and son respectively.

But Mrs Ng, who is in her late 50s, said she felt it was quite unreasonable that the CC gave them only one month to move out. She said a tender was called in February, but she was informed that her bid was unsuccessful only last month. She got a one-month extension after seeing Nee Soon GRC MP Lee Bee Wah.

“It is common for F&B businesses to let them know at least three to six months in advance,” she said.

When approached, the People’s Association (PA) – which runs the CC – said a new tender was called when the lease, which ended on May 15, approached expiry. It did not respond to questions about the timeframe given to Mrs Ng to move.

“The current tenant submitted a bid that was significantly lower than the eventual winner’s. The grassroots committee decided to award it to the eventual winner after taking into consideration many factors,” said the PA spokesman.

This article was first published on May 21, 2016.
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SINGAPORE – A fire broke out at the rooftop of Rivervale Plaza in Sengkang this morning (May 21). 

According to The Straits Times, a ventilation exhaust duct had caught fire. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at 7.13am. They dispatched two fire engines, two Red Rhinos, four support vehicles and an ambulance to the scene. 

The fire was put out in 20 minutes, said local reports.

According to the SCDF, coffee shop patrons and shoppers had self-evacuated the building before help arrived. 

No one was injured. 

The cause of the fire is being investigated. 

maryanns@sph.com.sg