The Northern District Integrated Services Centre of the Macao Federation of Trade Unions (MFTU) celebrated its 18th anniversary yesterday by holding a community festival (“carnival”) at its building on Avenida 1º de Maio. The venue of the festival was initially scheduled for Areia Preta Urban Park, but was changed to the integrated services centre, in response to the impact caused by Super Typhon Saola that hit Macau late last week.
The Federation of Trade Unions is commonly known as Gung Luen in Cantonese. The federation’s Portuguese acronym is FAOM.
The event, sponsored by the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) and themed “Growing Together with the Community”, comprised booth games, family engagement workshops, a lucky draw, on-site counselling services, as well as various stage performances. According to a statement published on the organiser’s website, the festival aimed to raise awareness of social and emotional well-being amongst residents by fostering a stronger sense of connection with the community. The organiser underlined that all the activities were designed with the purpose of educating residents about their civil rights and available social support measures.
MFTU’s Vice President and Community Service Director Chio Lan Ieng highlighted in her opening speech the importance of local labour interests’ protection for a healthy community. She cited the “2023 Improvement of the Labour Relations Law Legal Questionnaire Survey” which was released last month by the organisation, as saying “a significant number of Macau’s residents had experienced labour issues relating to their rights,” reflecting the need to enhance both employers and employees’ understanding of the Labour Relations Law. According to Chio, the MFTU will continue to strive for reducing residents’ employment pressure and upgrading their skills.
Centre providing ‘M-Power’ service for men
Tang Ieng Nam, deputy director of the Northern District Integrated Services Centre, told the media that most issues that the centre’s service users have been encountering were related to marital and parent-child relationships.
He said that in response to the growing number of family-related issues, the centre’s “M-Power” men’s support service has been providing counselling and guidance specifically to husbands and fathers, as a means to improve family communication. He added: “Balancing work and family life is key to solving conflicts within a family and increasing life satisfaction. Family members should learn to share their burden and not let it fall on the shoulders of one person”.
One of the festival’s attendants told reporters that she and her family members have been actively participating in the centre’s activities. She added that the centre provided not only essential social support for the northern district’s residents, but also a friendly environment where residents socialise and make friends.
A group of classical Chinese dancers performs at the community festival that was held by the Northern District Integrated Services Centre of the Macao Federation of Trade Unions (MFTU) yesterday. – Photo by Gabriel Tam
Residents participate in a booth game during the MFTU community festival yesterday. – Photo courtesy of Hou Kong Daily
