This year’s prestigious May Day Awards were conferred on 92 outstanding individuals and companies at the May Day Dinner attended by 1,500 guests at the Orchid Country Club this evening. This would be the largest number of awardees since the first May Day Awards were given out in 1963. The Awards recognise their significant and invaluable contributions to the Labour Movement. A total of 12 categories of May Day Awards were presented to the awardees.
These awardees have supported their fellow workers in the areas of skills upgrading, workfare and staff welfare; maintained strong labour-management relations; and strengthened the Singapore workforce by supporting key initiatives such as the re-employment of older workers, Job Re-creation Programme and Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP), among others. Their stories are a testament to their passion, conviction and hard work in striving for the betterment of our workers’ jobs, wages and lives.
Of the 92 awardees, 19 were nominated by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and they were from the categories: Distinguished Service (Star), Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service (Labour), Comrade of Labour (Star), Medal of Commendation (Gold), Plaque of Commendation (Star) and Plaque of Commendation (Gold).
Distinguished Service (Star) – 2 awardees
This year’s highest award—the Distinguished Service (Star) award was conferred on two deserving stalwarts who have been in the Labour Movement for over three decades: Mr John De Payva and Mr Ong Yen Her. Six individuals had received this award since 2001. Mr John De Payva’s deep-rooted commitment to the Labour Movement goes way back to 1978 at The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU) where he became its Secretary-General. In 1988, he was nominated into the Central Committee, and served as Nominated Member of Parliament till 1997 when he became NTUC’s President. A firm believer in leadership renewal, Mr De Payva relinquished his position as President last year, but will continue to serve the unions as President Emeritus and represent NTUC’s best interests in the international arena.
The illustrious career of Mr Ong Yen Her, Senior Director and Advisor for the Ministry of Manpower, is underscored by his strong contributions to the harmonious landscape of industrial relations in Singapore. His commitment to the Labour Movement began at the then Ministry of Labour and he was seconded to NTUC in 1978 for six years. His keen sense of diplomacy and responsiveness saw Singapore through key events in her history of industrial relations: the Hydril strike in 1986 and the Singapore Airlines pilots dispute on wage cuts in 2003.
Meritorious Service – 2 awardees
This year, two senior management personnel received the Meritorious Service award: Mr John Lim Kok Min and Mr Matthias Yao Chih. Mr John Lim undertook many crucial roles at NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Limited when he joined the board in 1999 as a Founder Member. He chaired the Audit Committee from September 2000 till 2008, and went on to chair the Overseas Investment Committee until 2010, working on FairPrice’s investment policy and strategies. He also chaired the Establishment Committee. Mr Lim has since retired from the board.
Mr Matthias Yao Chih brings to the Labour Movement a wealth of experience from the civil service which he joined in 1980. Mr Yao was appointed Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office in 1999, and served as Deputy Secretary-General for NTUC. He left NTUC in 2004 to become the Mayor of the South East District. Mr Yao continues to serve the Labour Movement as Vice Chairman of the NTUC-Ong Teng Cheong Education Trust Fund and is currently an Advisor to five trade unions. Mr Yao was appointed Director and Deputy Chairman of NTUC Income in 1999 and still performs these responsibilities today.
Distinguished Service (Labour) – 1 awardee
The sole recipient of this year’s Distinguished Service (Labour) award, Mr Cyrille Tan Soo Leng, has served in the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries (UWEEI) since 1981. In 1984, he was elected UWEEI’s President before moving on to serve on the Executive Council as General Secretary in 1990. As a member of the National Wages Council, National Productivity and Quality Council, the ITE Board of Governors, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) Board and other appointments, Mr Tan has constantly championed workers’ welfare and played an active role in communications between the management and union members. Mr Tan is the second recipient of this award since 1997.
Comrade of Labour (Star) – 4 awardees
The Comrade of Labour (Star) award was given to four immediate past NTUC Central Committee members: Mr Ameer Hamzah Abul Nasir, Mr Tan Chai Kun, Mr Teo Yock Ngee and Mr Thomas Tay Jwee Hwa. Mr Hamzah moved from being an ordinary Branch Member to General Secretary of the Executive Council, after he joined the Singapore Port Workers Union (SPWU) in 1972. As a Central Committee Member for two consecutive terms, Mr Hamzah was an active link between the port workers and the highest echelon of the Labour Movement. He was the Chairman of the Advisory Committee of Costa Sands Resort (Pasir Ris), a member of the National Wages Council and Director of NTUC Healthcare.
Mr Tan Chai Kun’s involvement in the Labour Movement began in 1975 when he first joined the Metal Industries Workers’ Union (MIWU) as a branch official. He has since served in many key positions within the MIWU Executive Committee, including that of General Secretary. A supporter of the 3F (Flow-In, Flow-Up and Flow-On) leadership framework and leadership renewal, Mr Tan recently stepped down as MIWU’s General Secretary and took on the responsibility of training his successor.
Mr Teo Yock Ngee has served in the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) for the past 25 years, and undertaken the role of General Secretary of the Executive Council for more than nine years. He is also the union’s Advisor, Director of the AUPE Multi-Purpose Co-operative as well as the Chief Executive of the AUPE Sports and Recreation Club.
Mr Thomas Tay first joined the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union (SMOU) in 1976. Mr Tay’s dedication can be felt not just within the local maritime environment but also nationally and internationally. It was the same commitment that saw him being elected as Vice President of NTUC in 1998. In 1988, Mr Tay became the first Asian to be elected as Vice Chairman of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Seafarers’ Section. He still serves in several ITF committees today and currently sits on the board at various NTUC co-operatives.
Medal of Commendation (Gold) – 2 awardees
Two senior management personnel were honoured with the Medal of Commendation (Gold) award this year: Mr Fock Siew Wah and Mr Quek Poh Huat. Mr Fock Siew Wah, Group Chairman of PSA International Pte Ltd is an exemplary leader who supports tripartism, appreciates the work of unions and cares for workers. He has a close relationship with the Singapore Port Workers Union (SPWU) and the Port Officers’ Union (POU) since he took over the chairmanship of PSA in 2005. He takes interest in his employees’ welfare, skills upgrading and continuous learning, believing that an innovative, productive and motivated workforce is the company’s competitive edge.
Mr Quek Poh Huat, Senior Advisor of Singapore Power Ltd, was the Group CEO of his company for nine years, during which he rendered invaluable support to the Labour Movement. When Singapore Power was going through restructuring exercises, Mr Quek worked closely with the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE) to keep workers informed on all employment matters. He was also committed to training and upgrading staff, paying careful attention to the lower-skilled workers so that they could enjoy better salaries.
Plaque of Commendation (Star) – 3 awardees
The Plaque of Commendation (Star) award was first given out in 2010 and two companies had received it thus far. This year, it was awarded to three outstanding companies, namely the Housing and Development Board (HDB), NTUC Fairprice Co-operative Limited and Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd for their unwavering support towards the Labour Movement. The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has put in place a structured re-employment framework since 2009 to enable its staff to contribute to the organisation beyond the retirement age of 62. It also actively promotes continuous learning and development through comprehensive training and job re-design programmes. Another recipient, NTUC FairPrice—as part of the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers’ Union (FDAWU)—has been recognised for supporting NTUC’s initiatives such as employing local and re-employing mature workers. The third recipient, Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd had led the implementation of the Flexi-Time Scheme in early 2000, allowing one of its strategic business units to embrace a more effective deployment and utilisation of manpower. It had tapped on the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) during the economic downturn to improve workers’ skill sets, and worked closely with the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) to convert casual workers to fixed-term contract workers so that they could enjoy better employment terms.
Plaque of Commendation (Gold) – 5 awardees
The Plaque of Commendation (Gold) was awarded to five outstanding companies, namely Aventis Pharma Manufacturing Pte Ltd, Hewlett-Packard Singapore (Pte) Ltd, Land Transport Authority, National University of Singapore and Singapore Telecommunications Limited.
Of the other 73 awardees nominated by their unions, NTUC social enterprises or related organisations, 46 unionists have served the Labour Movement tirelessly, 12 senior management representatives have helped to promote good industrial relations and workers’ training, while 15 companies have supported NTUC’s programmes consistently.
Mr Lim Kuang Beng, Chairperson of the May Day Awards sub-committee said: “This has been an extraordinary year as we see a record number of 92 tripartite partners receiving the prestigious May Day Awards. That many of our comrades are being affirmed tonight shows that more people are coming forth to contribute and lend support to NTUC’s initiatives and programmes, which aim to better the jobs, wages and lives of all our workers in Singapore. ”
The May Day Dinner sub-committee and May Day Awards sub-committee would like to thank the Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF) and NTUC FairPrice for their generous support, without which this year’s May Day Dinner would not have been possible.
