The annual May Day Dinner on 29 April 2016, Friday, kick-started the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) May Day celebrations this year. At the Dinner, 91 award recipients comprising union leaders, management partners and companies received the prestigious May Day Awards in recognition of their significant contributions to the Labour Movement. Some 1,600 guests, including senior Government officials, management partners and union leaders, attended the event.
Recipients of the May Day Awards have demonstrated their support to the Labour Movement by promoting harmonious labour-management and tripartite relations. They also improved the lives of working people by supporting various initiatives such as the Progressive Wage Model, productivity improvement initiatives, skills upgrading, re-employment of older workers and enhancement of workers' welfare. Their stories are testament to their dedication in making lives better for fellow workers.
Distinguished Service (Star) Award
The Distinguished Service (Star) Award is the highest award bestowed this year. It is conferred on long-serving individuals who have made significant contributions to the Labour Movement, and continue to make a difference in the lives of workers.
This year, the Distinguished Service (Star) Award was conferred on Sister Diana Chia, Immediate Past President of NTUC and the General Secretary of the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union. Sister Diana has served as a union leader for 25 years. She became the first female President of NTUC in 2011, and oversaw significant achievements during her tenure. She strengthened the tripartite relationship between unions, employers and the Government; and promoted harmonious labour-management relations. She has been resolute in her efforts to improve workers’ lives by voicing out their concerns, and influencing the Government to implement policies beneficial to working people.
Other Awards Presented
A total of 91 awards were presented across 12 categories this year, including 14 recipients of seven higher award categories. For the full list of awardees, please refer to Annex A.
|
No. |
Award Category |
No. of Awardees |
|
1 |
Distinguished Service (Star) |
1 |
|
2 |
Meritorious Service |
1 |
|
3 |
Comrade of Labour (Star)(Bar) |
2 |
|
4 |
Comrade of Labour (Star) |
3 |
|
5 |
Medal of Commendation (Gold) |
2 |
|
6 |
Plaque of Commendation (Star) |
1 |
|
7 |
Plaque of Commendation (Gold) |
4 |
|
8 |
Comrade of Labour |
37 |
|
9 |
Veteran of Labour |
1 |
|
10 |
Friend of Labour |
6 |
|
11 |
Medal of Commendation |
18 |
|
12 |
Plaque of Commendation
|
15 |
The Meritorious Service Award was conferred on Brother Gabriel Teo, Chairman of One Marina Property Services Pte Ltd (OMPS). Under Brother Gabriel’s stewardship, OMPS was transformed from an internal property management arm of the Singapore Labour Foundation and NTUC, to a restructured company providing a holistic suite of services and capabilities in real estate through professionalism, service excellence, reliability and innovation.
The Comrade of Labour (Star)(Bar) Award was presented to Brother Lim Kuang Beng, General Secretary of the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union; and Sister Nora Kang, President of DBS Staff Union. These distinguished union leaders have worked tirelessly to improve the lives of workers by championing initiatives that enhance workers’ welfare and representing their interests in various committees. Brother Kuang Beng has been a champion for mature workers, working with management to enhance re-employment terms and make job processes more age-friendly. Sister Nora has represented women on various platforms, developing programmes to assist women jobseekers with employment and advocating for family-friendly practices. They have both actively mentored younger leaders and shared their wealth of knowledge and leadership experience.
The Comrade of Labour (Star) Award was presented to Brother Ma Wei Cheng, Advisor to the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees; Brother Richard Tan, General Secretary of the Housing and Development Board Staff Union; and Brother Selvam Sivasamy, Consultant to the Public Utilities Board Employees’ Union. They have, in their own ways, helped improve the lives of fellow workers and worked hard to build strong labour-management relations.
The Medal of Commendation (Gold) Award was conferred on Sister Chua Sock Koong, Group Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Telecommunications Limited and the late Dr Moh Chong Tau (Posthumous). Both have made significant contributions, particularly in strengthening labour-management relations and providing strong support to the Labour Movement’s initiatives.
The Plaque of Commendation (Star) and Plaque of Commendation (Gold) Awards were presented to organisations that have made consistent efforts to promote and support good industrial relations, workers’ training and welfare, as well as NTUC initiatives.
The full citations of the higher awardees can be found here.
