Freelance sports coaches will now enjoy better protection and representation with the formation of the Sports Coaches Association of Singapore (SCA) on 10 April 2015.
Working together with NTUC, the pro tem committee highlighted the various concerns of coaches, including income security, continuing employability and retirement adequacy.
“More often than not, to buyers’ advantage, freelance coaches underbid (for contracts) in order to secure jobs. Coaches compromise their survivability and incur greater risks when they accept lower fees and lesser terms than what are fair,” said SCA President Justin Teh, who has been a coach for more than 14 years.
All-Inclusive
While regular workers enjoy protection and progression at their workplace, freelance and self-employed workers are not privy to such benefits. They are also responsible for their own Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, and medical and accident coverage.
“The Labour Movement feels strongly that more can be done to encourage responsible buying of freelance and self-employed services and to provide a level playing field for them,” explained Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Ang Hin Kee, who is also Director of the NTUC Freelancers and Self-Employed Unit.
For a start, the collaboration with NTUC will see SCA members enjoying the full suite of resources and support available from the Labour Movement for their professional development. Partnerships with the Devan Nair Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), Singapore Workforce Development Agency and Sport Singapore will allow coaches to make use of schemes like the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) and SkillsFuture Credit to upgrade themselves for continuing employability.