96 Awardees recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Labour Movement

The Labour Movement kicks start its May Day celebrations with the annual May Day Dinner. At this year’s dinner, 96 recipients, made up of union leaders, individuals, companies and tripartite members, received the prestigious May Day Awards in recognition of their significant contributions to the Labour Movement.

The May Day Awards recipients have demonstrated their support to fellow workers in the area of skills upgrading, workers’ welfare and promoting strong labour-management relations. They have helped thousands of workers at their workplaces by supporting key Labour Movement initiatives like the Progressive Wage Model, re-employment of older workers, and other programmes that promote work-life balance like flexible work arrangements etc. These initiatives helped to create a positive impact on Singapore’s economy and reputation as a vibrant place for people to work, live and play. Their stories are testament to their passion, determination and hard work that helped bring about better jobs and better lives for fellow workers as the Labour Movement and the tripartite partners work together to build a brighter future for all.

Over 1,600 guests comprising tripartite partners – unionist leaders, senior government officials and company management attended the event. The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance.

Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award

The Distinguished Comrade of Labour is the highest award bestowed on non-unionists who have made unique and supreme contributions to the Labour Movement. This year’s highest award, the Distinguished Comrade of Labour, has been conferred upon Brother Stephen Lee Ching Yen, Immediate-Past President of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). Brother Stephen has played a key role in strengthening the strong tripartite partnership between the unions, government and employers. He always adopt a fair and balanced approach when managing major issues that had great impact on both workers and businesses. He has staunchly supported the Labour Movement and its initiatives ever since he began his tenure at SNEF in 1980.

Other Awards Presented

A total of 96 awards were presented in 10 different categories this year.

The Distinguished Service Award and the Meritorious Service Award are conferred on non-unionists who have been active and rendered significant contributions to the Labour Movement, while the Comrade of Labour (Star) Award is given to serving and deserving unionists who have made outstanding and significant contributions to their unions and fellow workers.

The Distinguished Service Award was presented to Brother Lim Pin, former Chairman of the National Wages Council (NWC). Brother Lim Pin has contributed significantly to the tripartite discussions on wage reform. He suggested for the salary structure to be made flexible through the use of monthly variable components linked to performance and productivity. In economic downturns, he advocated wage restraint, cost cutting measures and skills upgrading for workers. He also proactively urged tripartite partners to adopt the Labour Movement’s Progressive Wage Model.

Brother Koo Tsai Kee is the recipient of the Meritorious Service Award. His experience serving as Advisor and as Executive Secretary in various unions allowed him to understand the challenges faced by workers and companies. He shared his wisdom, explained issues and built strong relationships with many. As someone who is humble and approachable, he has won the trusts and respect of many union leaders and workers.

Brother Fang Chin Poh, General Secretary of the National Transport Workers’ Union; Brother Michael Tan Eng Hin, President of the Education Services Union; and Brother Terry Lee Kok Hua, President of the Singapore Insurance Employees' Union; were presented with the Comrade of Labour (Star) Awards respectively. They have, in their own ways, helped change and improve the lives of countless workers as they worked tirelessly over the years with the unions and the management to overcome different challenges at their work place.

The Medal of Commendation (Gold) Award is conferred on senior management personnel who made very significant contributions towards the Labour Movement, particularly in strengthening industrial relations and providing strong support towards the Labour Movement’s initiatives, programmes and projects. The Plaque of Commendation (Gold) Award is conferred on companies that continue to provide strong support to the Labour Movement after they received the Plaque of Commendation Award.

The May Day Dinner sub-committee and May Day Awards sub-committee would like to thank the Singapore Labour Foundation and NTUC FairPrice for their generous support, without which this year’s May Day Dinner would not have been possible.