Turyak Distinguished Senior Citizens of the World Congress - "Wholesome Solution of the World Crisis: 4-5 December 2010 – IFA – 15 Dec 2010

Source: http://www.ifa-fiv.org/images/stories/PDFs/declaration%20of%20the%20turyak%20international%20congress%20on%20wholesome%20solutions%20to%20the%20world%20crisis.pdf

“We, as the senior citizens of the World, see it necessary  for the world system to shift to more efficient and  needs-based production policies that  are physically, ecologically, socially and emotionally sustainable” We must understand that the humanity and our world have lost their harmony with the cosmos.   This is where the crisis starts. We hope to succeed in bringing wisdom and culture to the forefront; we will see that they are both directed towards the same goal based on generally accepted values and norms which will provide a strong framework for full coverage of the entire humanity.  Thanks to such a global value system which truly understands that it is humankind’s common destiny; alliances of civilizations will increase, whereas competition among the strongest and the psychology of establishing hegemony over the others will decrease.

Interconnection and interdependency between the environment and people forms the very foundation of the universal system. The perception of nature as an unlimited resource is a wrong one. The ecosystem crisis that we are facing today mostly stems from the failure of natural systems to operate in a healthy manner due to the harmful effects of waste coming out of resource utilization processes as well as production and consumption of products. 

There are three reasons leading to this problem:

• consumption philosophy and patterns,
• resource, space planning and site selection,
• production technologies.

Even if the world has the capacity to cope with the increase in populations, it simply cannot do so due to this wrongful attitude of excessive consumption.  A lifestyle driven by the technological developments which does not take into account the future is not a sustainable one.  It is very important to ensure a change in mentality and concordantly to get organized for the cause of the environment. Once people grasp the wholeness of the ecosystem, then everyone should do their share of the work for balanced utilization.

It is observed that the environmental organizations around the world remain rather weak vis-à-vis  existing need, which stems from the following reasons: Civilizations are based on four fundamental values;

• principle of justice emerging from love (rule of law, potential justice),
• principle of fairness (kinetic justice),
• principle of honesty (loyalty and fidelity),
• principle of sincerity.

We should come to a mutual agreement on finding a shared notion of civilization which takes into account all of these principles.  Civilization is like a river.  It is not static, it continues to flow from the past to the future, and that’s the reason why we cannot really talk about a Western or an Eastern civilization as well as civilizations based on certain religions.  It is important for cultures to understand and respect one another’s differences without causing unnecessary polarization.  All cultures should be preserved to ensure the sustainability of diversity.

The very essence of wisdom/reason is to acknowledge the true nature of things.  Such an acknowledgement perceives the earth as a divine asset which is to be respected and not to beharmed. To be able to revive our capability to protect and restore the balance that we have lost, there is a great need for an effective and sincere effort starting at the individual level, further extending and reaching out to countries and the United Nations.

Since such an effort is not yet in place, it has become more frequent for the world crisis to centre around the economy.  Taking into account the recent monetary crises, we should not ignore the imperative need to structurally reform the economic system. Exiting such crises can only be possible by changing our perspective.  The world crisis can be overcome through such a production concept which is respectful of the world’s resources and is in harmony with the ecosystem.  While doing so, we need to pick up and focus on specific sectors within each country which will yield productive employment and quality products, innovation and innovative discoveries, patents, world-class companies and brands.

Thanks to the new technologies the trends within the labour market will be subject to change and in this way fewer people may prefer to live in cities.  Labour-intensive employment areas are increasing day by day including the emerging  branches of labour in the field of  advanced technologies,  in the field of education-training, home care or institutional care for the elderly and patients.

Financial systems should be perceived merely as one of the inputs of the economy amongst others. Unless  more  people earn their  income primarily through  production thenunemployment will increase. There is  surely an exit from each crisis. In order to secure astructural recovery such an exit should be accompanied by production based on the basic needs of human beings,  sustainable development, investments made to educate people throughout the lifecourse for more efficient employment, skills based  and vocational/professional training, and on-the-job training.

Greater importance should be attached to the development of employment friendly policies and the principles of decent work which include:

• proportionately charging lower taxes and lower premiums from lower wage earners,
• wage policies based on productivity and efficiency,
• flexible working hours,
• encouraging the employment of women,
• encouraging the employment of senior citizens,
• targeting the employment of more than one member in each family, making the necessary arrangements in agriculture and husbandry policies to address the hidden unemployment in agriculture.
  
  

It should be noted that as the labour markets become more rigid, unemployed people’s hope to find new jobs is fading. Social security should have a balanced distribution in the society.  Public pension systems should cover the fundamental pension rights of individuals, whereas people should exert additional effort to win further pension rights, and should also benefit from private insurance schemes.

It is necessary for all societies to benefit from the social capital offered by the elderly. As senior citizens, our main duties in achieving global recovery are as follows:

• promote the culture of coexistence,
• interconnect cultures without letting them segregate from one another,
• protect our similarities and differences without causing too much polarization,
• create an atmosphere of love in the world,
• make sure that love and mutual understanding is being spread especially among youth
• and children through our face-to-face encounters,
• enable  dialogues that will not only  bridge  different cultures  but also different
• generations,
• make sure that our words do translate into sincere actions.

It is very important and very much needed that young people work hand in hand with the elderly for the future world.  As we are able to utilize the wisdom, the experience, the energy and creativity  of senior citizens  and youth together, then we can definitely come up with effective and wholesome solutions to all kinds of problems of the world.

Active seniors win award for innovation - The Straits Times - 13 October 2010

By Judith Tan

Tourists on their first visit to Singapore are being approached by friendly senior citizens at the airport, offering directions and telling them where to claim their baggage.

Dressed in black polo tees and red vests, these seniors are part of the Changi Senior Ambassador programme run jointly by RSVP Singapore - a body for senior volunteers - and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

RSVP president Philbert Chin, 81, said being involved this way engages the seniors both mentally and physically, a goal at the heart of RSVP's activities for its members.

This philosophy has won RSVP Singapore this year's Outstanding VWO Award in Innovation, given out by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). VWO stands for voluntary welfare organisation.

Meanwhile, the Outstanding VWO Award in Collaboration was shared by the Alzheimer's Disease Association and the Lions Befrienders Service Association. The two bodies were honoured for working tirelessly with other organisations to raise awareness of their respective causes.

Each of the two categories comes with a prize of $20,000, with the latter two associations splitting their prize equally. The winners also received plaques from Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports Yu-Foo Yee Shoon at the NCSS Members Conference 2010 at the NTUC Centre yesterday.

Dr Chin told reporters that, aside from being friendly faces and helping hands to lost tourists at the airport, RSVP members run Learning Journey, an outdoor interactive programme for school children and senior groups.

Acting as tour guides, RSVP volunteers take their charges to places such as the Marina Barrage, the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and the Old Ford Factory to show them what makes Singapore tick.

'It is like a sort of national service we seniors do and enjoy doing,' Dr Chin said. He described RSVP as a 'bottom-up driven' organisation which gives its members a say in the kind of programmes it runs.

Besides the awards presentation, the NCSS Members Conference 2010 brought together 500 members to address key issues in the social service sector.

Speakers yesterday were Professor Andrew Scharlach, a specialist in elder care, and Mr Ho Kwon Ping, the executive chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, a developer and manager of premium hotels, spas and resorts.

At the event, a website which VWOs can use to promote their products and services was launched. Items sold include batik coasters and cushion covers by the Metta Welfare Association, and door hangers and magnets by the Centre for Adults at the Association for Persons with Special Needs.

An NCSS spokesman said a single website would provide a centralised platform for its members to showcase their products: 'Previously, these products and services were hosted on the VWOs' own sites, making it quite difficult for the public to go from one to the other.'

Source: The Stratis Times, 13th October 2010
URL: http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/STIStory_589922.html

New training centre to enhance job opportunities for the disabled: MOM

By S Ramesh | Posted: 07 July 2010 1257 hrs

SINGAPORE: Two companies will pioneer a new training initiative for persons with disabilities.

They will operate Centres for Training and Integration (CTI) to enhance the employability and job readiness of these people in two sectors- call centres and hospitality.

The programme's being coordinated by the Enabling Employers Network, which helps people with disabilities get jobs.

Double degree holder Steve Tee Wee Leong is visually impaired. But that has not dampened the 28-year-old's drive to master skills in call centre operations to get a job.

Mr Tee says: "Our system has enhanced voice synthesizers where the software reads out whatever is on the screen. We also use enlarged fonts which enables me to read whatever is on the screen. All the call centres are pretty much re-engineered to our needs. As each of us in the call centre have different kinds of visual needs and so all the systems have been well organised and catered to our needs."

Eureka Call Centre Systems and Holiday Inn Singapore Orchard City Centre will pioneer the training and integration centres.

Launching the two centres, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong says these centres will provide specific skills training for the disabled from special education schools and voluntary welfare organisations, after which they will undergo on-the-job training.

Mr Gan says with this, more persons with disabilities can be equipped with relevant vocational skills through on-the-job training and contribute to the workforce.

He urged more companies to offer employment opportunities for trained persons with disabilities as this would help them attain self-reliance and integrate more fully into society.

Mr Gan noted that the Eureka Call Centre Systems started its own initiative in 2007 to modify its call centre to facilitate employment of persons with disabilities.

The initiative has since paid off with more than 10 people with disabilities being trained and hired at the call centre since last year.

Holiday Inn Singapore employs persons with disabilities in many of its operations, from housekeeping, laundry to F&B services.

The centres will run for four years and train 150 people with disabilities for other hotels and call centres.

The Enabling Employers Network also plans to introduce a special award to reward employers who have been supportive in training people with disabilities and giving them jobs.

Shantha de Silva, chairman, Enabling Employers Network, says: "They have been really loyal to us and when they get an opportunity they are diligent in what they do and they are thankful for the opportunities and for us we see them as very committed employees without distractions.

"It's about making it known, making it public and for us to act as ambassadors in our industries and share our knowledge and experience with our colleagues. Then people will quietly overcome their biasness about people and employ them."

To recognise employers who are supportive in training and employing people with disabilities, the Enabling Employers Network plans to introduce a special award. 

Adjustments help seniors stay employed

Adjustments help seniors stay employed
Home > ST Forum > OLDER WORKERS' WAGES

May 29, 2010

WE THANK Madam Ee Kit Heng ('CPF cuts based on age, which is not a reasonable factor', last Saturday) and Captain Rakesh Dir ('CPF cut a contradiction', Wednesday) for their views on the Central Provident Fund contribution rates for older employees.

While Singapore has seen the employment rate of older residents aged 55 to 64 rise from 43 per cent in 1999 to 57 per cent last year, it is still significantly lower than the overall employment rate of 76 per cent for all age groups. We have introduced various measures to improve the ability of older workers to stay employed.

In our labour market, wages still contain significant elements of seniority-based pay, where wages increase automatically with age regardless of workers' productivity and performance. This may result in older workers becoming less competitive. Some wage adjustment is, therefore, necessary in order to maintain the employability of workers as they age.

Singapore's approach is twofold. First, an adjustment through the CPF contribution rates for older workers, which applies to all firms across the board. Second, allowing employers to adjust the salaries of their workers as they reach age 60. However, employers should not do so automatically, but should take into account the ability and performance of their workers as well as other relevant factors.
In addition, since 2007, the Workfare Income Supplement has also helped to boost the annual income of older, low-income employees and make up for the lower CPF contribution rates.

The Ministry of Manpower will continue to work with the tripartite partners to enhance the employability of older employees, through training, skills upgrading and job redesign. This will reduce the element of seniority-based pay in wage structures, and hence reduce the extent of wage adjustments that older workers will face.

Farah Abdul Rahim (Ms)
Director, Corporate Communications
Ministry of Manpower