NTUC Enterprise rolls out $50 million support package to help Singaporeans manage cost of living amid Covid-19
Published on
22 June 2020
In light of Covid-19, NTUC Enterprise has more than doubled the value of its support from $20 million last year
The $50 million package comprises new deals for NTUC Union Members, extension of various discounts and Covid-19 related support measures
The package reaffirms the commitment and timeliness of NTUC Enterprise to support Singaporeans, especially during difficult times
SINGAPORE, 22 June 2020 – NTUC Enterprise announced today its $50 million support package aimed at providing holistic support for Singaporeans and helping them manage the cost of living in 2020. The support package comprises various initiatives from its group of social enterprises.
Mr Seah Kian Peng, Group CEO of NTUC Enterprise said, “For the last 50 years, NTUC Enterprise and its group of social enterprises have remained committed to doing good for the community, standing united with Singaporeans throughout past crises. 2020 has been a challenging year with the heavy impact brought about by Covid-19 on the daily lives of Singaporeans. In times like these, our resolve to serve Singaporeans has only deepened. We have put in additional resources to ensure that daily essential products and services, including groceries, childcare and eldercare, remain accessible and affordable for all. Furthermore, our insurance, learning and skills upgrading services have adapted swiftly to address the needs of the community during this period. Through this comprehensive support package, we reaffirm our commitment to manage the cost of living for all Singaporeans.”
1. Special deals for NTUC Union Members
NTUC Enterprise has introduced a series of new initiatives for NTUC Union Members totalling $11.9 million. These programmes by NTUC FairPrice, NTUC Income, NTUC Health, NTUC LearningHub and MoneyOwl provide comprehensive support including specially priced groceries, complimentary $50,000 LUV term life coverage for the first year, dental care kits and more than 100 complimentary online courses to encourage upskilling.
In addition, in line with the recent advisories as F&B businesses reopen for Phase 2, plans to launch a reduced price $1 Breakfast Set1 for NTUC Union Members and $1.50 for the public have been shifted. This promotion will now be available for two months, from 3 July to 31 August 2020. Estimated to bring about savings of $1 million, the initiative is available at all NTUC Foodfare and Kopitiam food courts and coffee shops, from 7-11am every day.
1 The Breakfast Set includes a cup of hot coffee or tea, toast and two soft boiled eggs. Usual price is $1.80 for NTUC Union Members and $2.20 for the public from 7-11am.
More details of the initiatives are available in Annex A.
2. Extension of discounts/ programmes until 31 December 2020
To alleviate cost of living pressures for all segments in our community, NTUC Enterprise is extending several discounts and programmes for another six months to extend support to all households, our seniors and NTUC Union Members.
A) Price freeze on daily essentials from FairPrice
Over the years, the FairPrice housebrand range of products, which is priced at least 10 per cent cheaper compared to leading brands, has helped defray daily expenses and provided good quality everyday essentials for Singaporeans.
To further extend the support for all households amid the Covid-19 pandemic, NTUC FairPrice will continue to hold prices of 100 housebrand everyday essentials until 31 December 2020. The 100 items are popular daily essentials and include groceries like rice, oil, beverages and poultry, as well as batteries, toiletries and household cleaners. This six-month extension helps cushion Singaporeans against potential price increases, regardless of changes in supply, socio-economic factors and external factors that could affect food prices, especially during the current volatile and uncertain climate. This price freeze of essentials will also act as a benchmark for prices in general of everyday essentials, ensuring they remain affordable.
The initiative, which was launched in March 2019, would have run for 15 months until 30 June 2020, providing customers with savings of approximately $17.8 million2. The six-month extension is estimated to provide an additional $6.7 million in savings to shoppers. In 2019, the cost of 38 of the 100 housebrand items have seen increases of up to 10 per cent, amounting to over $350,000 that FairPrice has absorbed.
2 Based on sales of the 100 housebrand items compared against similar national branded items.
For the full list of housebrand items, please refer to Annex B.
B) Discounts for Merdeka Generation, Pioneer Generation, Senior Citizens and NTUC Union Members
NTUC Enterprise and its group of social enterprises will extend the validity of its various programmes to provide more cost savings to seniors.
At NTUC FairPrice, the Merdeka Generation (MG), Pioneer Generation (PG) and Senior Citizens will continue to enjoy their discounts from Monday to Wednesday, for another six months until 31 December 2020. In 2019, PG and MG members saved over $5.5 million while seniors saved $2.2 million through the Senior Discount Scheme.
The extension of both the PG and MG Discount Schemes are estimated to provide savings of $7.9 million in 2020, while savings from the Seniors Discount Scheme is estimated to exceed $2.5 million, bringing the total estimated savings for our seniors to $10.4m in 2020.
Day of the week
NTUC FairPrice initiative
Benefit
Monday
PG Discount Scheme
3% discount
Tuesday
Seniors Discount Scheme
2% discount
Wednesday
PG & MG Discount Scheme
3% discount
In July 2019, NTUC Enterprise introduced programmes for PG and MG members intended to provide them with various benefits and discounts. With the six-month extension till 31 December 2020, PG and MG members can continue to enjoy the various promotions, including the $0.50 offer on hot coffee and tea, and discounts on courses, insurance, personal home care services and day centre services.
NTUC Union Members can also continue to enjoy their $0.50 hot coffee and tea every Wednesday, a popular initiative launched in May 2019 which will also be extended till end of this year.
More information can be found in Annex C.
3. Covid-19 Relief Measures
When the Covid-19 outbreak emerged, the social enterprises introduced timely relief measures worth $8.8 million to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the community. FairPrice Group (comprising NTUC FairPrice, Kopitiam and NTUC Foodfare), NTUC First Campus, NTUC Health, NTUC Income, NTUC LearningHub, NTUC Link, Mercatus and MoneyOwl swiftly introduced initiatives that went beyond the mandatory guidelines provided by authorities to support the needs of those affected.
An example would be NTUC First Campus that set aside $500,000 to offset school fees for families that are most in need, provided financial assistance for eligible students placed on Home Quarantine Orders, Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notices, and offset 50% of school fees for eligible children during the Circuit Breaker in April and May 2020.
FairPrice on Wheels was launched by FairPrice in April 2020 to bring daily essentials closer to seniors, reducing their time outdoors. The community initiative features no-frills mobile grocery vans providing basic essential items at selected mature estates with a higher concentration of low-income seniors. PG, MG and Senior Discounts schemes are available to seniors visiting these vans. After its launch, the fleet of five vans initially served five locations. This was extended to give more locations in May and June 2020, serving a total of 10 locations currently.
More details of the initiatives can be found in Annex D.
Annex A
New Initiatives for NTUC Union Members (unless otherwise stated)
Social Enterprise
Details
Remarks
NTUC FairPrice
50% discount off 8 selected items each week
18 June to 15 July 2020
N/A
NTUC Foodfare & Kopitiam
$1 Breakfast Set, comprising coffee/tea, eggs and toast – $1.50 for the Public
Available at NTUC Foodfare and Kopitiam food courts and coffee shops 3 July to 31 August 2020, 7-11am
N/A
NTUC Health
$5 Dental Care Kit: – Brushcare Professional Sensitive – Advanced Sensitive Toothpaste 130gm – Flosscare Classic Waxed Mint 10m
Available at all 18 NTUC Health Unity Denticare Clinics From 18 June 2020 onwards
N/A
NTUC Income
Complimentary $50,000 LUV term life coverage for the first year (Term Life Insurance) 18 June to 30 April 2021
Limited to first 50,000 sign-ups
NTUC LearningHub
Complimentary online courses for independent learning 18 June to 31 August 2020
More than 100 free online courses
MoneyOwl
60% agent’s commission rebate for selected insurance plans 18 June to 30 April 2021
U.P. 50% agent’s commission rebate
Annex B
Full List of 100 FairPrice Housebrand Products
FairPrice Onwards Baby Diapers L 60s
FairPrice Onwards Baby Diapers S 80s
FairPrice Onwards Baby Diapers M 70s
FairPrice Onwards Baby Diapers Xl 56s
FairPrice Baby Wipes Tissue Travel Pack 2 X 30sheets
FairPrice Golden Royal Dragon White Fragrant Rice 2.5kg
FairPrice Jasmine Fragrant Rice 10+1kg
FairPrice Potato Chips – Value Pack (4 Flavours) 75g
FairPrice Moisturising Hand Soap Refill Violet/Jasmine 500ml
FairPrice Coarse Sugar 1kg
FairPrice Pure Drinking Water 1.5L
Annex C
Extension of current promotions’ end dates
The validity end dates of the following promotions have been extended from 30 June, to 31 December 2020.
Social Enterprise
Promotion Details
NTUC FairPrice
Senior Discounts
Monday: 3% Pioneer Discount Scheme
Tuesday: 2% Seniors Discount Scheme
Wednesday: 3% Pioneer & Merdeka Discount Scheme
This is applicable at all FairPrice supermarkets, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice Xtra, FairPrice Shop and Unity Pharmacies; subject to a S$200 cap per transaction per day.
FairPrice Housebrands price freeze
Price freeze on 100 FairPrice housebrand products will be extended to 31 December 2020.
NTUC Foodfare & Kopitiam
$0.50 hot coffee/tea for NTUC Union Members and MG & PG members
Those eligible can look forward to enjoying this initiative every Wednesday from 1 July to 31 December 2020.
Promotion applies to hot beverages of Kopi, Kopi-O, Kopi-C, Teh, Teh-O and Teh-C (inclusive of kosong). Available at all NTUC Foodfare and Kopitiam food courts and coffee shops.
NTUC First Campus
Up to 90% off Basic Infant Care (0-18 months) for Caregivers course
Usual Price: $289 MGPG: $50 NTUC Union Member: $30
Up to 85% off Nurturing Early Mandarin Readers workshop
Usual Price: $289 MGPG: $50 NTUC Union Member: $30
Up to 85% off Building Relationships with your Grandchild (3-6 years old) workshop
Usual Price: $210 MGPG: $50 NTUC Union Member: $30
NTUC LearningHub
$15 Coding or Digital Photography course (part of Silver Digital Creators courses)
NTUC Income
10% off personal accident insurance with MerdekaCare
MoneyOwl
Free e-Book on retirement planning
Free will writing
NTUC Health
Up to 50% discount on home personal care services for MG/PG union members and family
For a minimum of 5 sessions within the same month: 50% discount for the first session of home personal care service 15% discount for the next 4 sessions 10% union member discount (existing benefit for union members) applies from the 6th session onwards Limited to the first 1,000 union members who are new clients of the home care services 20% discount every Wednesday on drop-ins for MG/PG union members and family at Senior Day Centres Selected centres: Wisma Geylang Serai, Jurong Central Plaza, Radin Mas, Geylang East 2-day complimentary trial at Senior Day Centres
Annex D
Covid-19 Initiatives
Social Enterprise
Initiatives
NTUC FairPrice
FairPrice on Wheels to bring groceries closer to residents, especially the elderly Donated $1 million to charities and the needy affected by Covid-19 Priority Shopping Hour for the elderly and vulnerable groups Allowed shopping on behalf of Pioneer Generation parents Ensuring stock availability Atrium sales for better crowd control Priority queues for healthcare workers at 56 outlets
NTUC Foodfare & Kopitiam
Sponsored beverages for healthcare workers Assisted F&B stall holders to onboard food delivery platforms
NTUC First Campus
$500,000 “Bright Horizons Fund Covid-19 Care Package” to offset 100% school fees for eligible My First Skool children Financial assistance for eligible families whose My First Skool child is affected by Home Quarantine Order, Leave of Absence or Stay-Home Notice: One-off amount of $200 50% offset of school fees for eligible children (My First Skool, The Little Skool-House and The Caterpillar’s Cove) during Circuit Breaker period in April and May 2020
NTUC Health
Family Medicine Clinic registered as a Public Health Preparedness Clinic (PHPC) Operated 3 of the initial 7 whitelisted day care centres to serve seniors with greatest care needs
NTUC Income
Extended Covid-19 protection to over 550,000 individuals for six months through its Personal Accident plans, Group Employee Benefits and Income Family Micro-Insurance Scheme Support schemes to help customers facing financial difficulty stay insured (e.g. premium assistance and temporary protection plans for low-income customers, low-cost temporary protection plans, premium deferment programmes, discounts on motorcycle insurance for vehicles registered for deliveries) Offered full travel insurance premium refunds Waiver of endorsement fees for private-hire motor insurance to cover food and parcel deliveries
NTUC LearningHub
Training support with enhanced course fee funding of up to 90% for affected sectors (e.g. Tourism, Food Services, Retail, Air & Land Transport) Training support for self-employed persons Training Support for Financial Institutions and other Self Sponsored Individuals in collaboration with the Institute of Banking and Finance Quickly transitioned to virtual classroom delivery to ensure learning remains accessible 100 complimentary online courses for all Launched Covid-19 Citizen Defender Programme – a course on Covid-19 screening practices, personal and workplace safety and hygiene, and customer engagement Job matching services for employers and individuals (in collaboration with NTUC, e2i and the unions) Advanced access to $500 SkillsFuture Credit top-up Learn & Earn LinkPoints for Union Members Upfront Union Training Assistance Programme: Learners can now use subsidies upfront without having to pay out-of-pocket first and claim subsidies after enrolling in courses
NTUC Link
Special discounted marketing programmes for partners affected by Covid-19 Allowed deferment of contractual fee payments by partners Sponsored hand sanitisers for frontline workers Extended LinkPoints validity period for Plus! members for six months till 31 December 2020
Mercatus
Rental relief of up to three months’ of rents and waiver of interest from 1 February to 31 October 2020 Support programmes for tenants to improve takeaway and delivery capabilities, and use of promotional spaces 100% pass-through government property tax rebates and cash grants Vouchers and free parking for public
MoneyOwl
Advised clients using teleconsultation Complimentary webinars on financial literacy for all
