350 S’pore Turf Club workers to get support leading up to retrenchment

SINGAPORE – Mr Teo Yam Choon, 62, has worked at the Singapore Turf Club (STC) for more than half his life.

But come October 2024, his employer will begin a winding-down exercise, as the Government announced on Monday that

the 120ha facility will be closed

to make way for redevelopment in the Kranji area.

STC’s 350 employees will be provided with transition support such as counselling, job placement assistance, personal career guidance and skills training courses to help them find new employment, the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of National Development said in a joint statement on Monday.

When their employment ends, the workers will be given retrenchment packages.

The facility will be shut by March 2027, marking the end of horse racing in Singapore after more than 180 years.

Mr Teo, an assistant manager of property and facilities at STC who was involved in the club’s move from Bukit Timah to Kranji in 1999, told The Straits Times that employees were informed during a town hall on Monday afternoon.

“It’s sad to see the racecourse closing for the government redevelopment. We’re going to miss the only racecourse in Singapore,” said Mr Teo, who has been working for STC for 33 years.

Asked how he and his colleagues took the news, he said: “Some were very emotional, some were very sad, and some cried because they have been with the company for so long.”

Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers’ Union secretary-general Andy Lim, who represents the STC workers, told ST that the union was present at the town hall and individual consultations to address concerns arising from the closure.

He said: “We will follow through the process closely and ensure a smooth transition while protecting the rights of the workers. There will be different phases of the retrenchment, and the union is working out the details with STC.”

Noting that STC has “quite a number of long-serving staff”, Mr Lim added that the union was concerned about the workers’ emotions following the news, as well as the placement of the older workers.

“We are in discussion with STC on how best we can address this and the retrenchment benefits that will be worked out for our workers,” he said.

The union will work with relevant NTUC agencies, such as e2i or LearningHub, to place the workers in new jobs and help with training, added Mr Lim.

Earlier on Monday, Second Minister for Finance and National Development Indranee Rajah said that the retrenchment of these workers will be phased, with the first phase starting in around 16 months, or October 2024, when the last race at the club is scheduled.

The STC site in Kranji will be returned to the Government by March 2027 for housing and other developments in the area. 

Ms Indranee told the media on Monday that the reasons for STC’s closure were twofold: land constraints, and the dwindling spectatorship at the track on race days.

Between 2010 and 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the average attendance per race day had declined from about 11,000 spectators to some 6,000, the club said.

When the racecourse reopened to the public in April 2022, the average attendance per race day was about 2,600, which is less than half the average pre-pandemic attendance.

STC chairman Niam Chiang Meng said the staff were saddened by the news.

“We told them we will give them a fair compensation, and make sure that it’s as good as we can possibly give. And we will continue running and ensure a smooth transition for everyone,” he said.

Mr Teo said that if the club did not have to shut, he would have continued working for a few more years.

“If there are opportunities, I will move on. If not, I might have to go for some retirement activities,” he said.