A More Upbeat May Day Celebration For 2010

18 Apr 2010

As the Singapore economy rebounded strongly from its worst ever recession and re-positions itself for the next lap of growth, the Labour Movement will celebrate May Day in this upturn with two key themes in mind:

- Strengthening Tripartism during an upturn;

- Calling on all workers, enterprises and sectors to work towards a Cheaper, Better, Faster (CBF) Economy powered by an All Inclusive Workforce.

Having gone through one of the worst economic downturns last year, this year’s celebration will be upbeat as we recognise the collaboration and partnership between workers, employers and Government to overcome the downturn collectively.  Having withstand the test of adversity, we need to build up the trust between tripartite partners during the upturn.

NTUC President John De Payva said, “We were able to Upturn the Downturn by cutting cost and saving jobs.  And because of our strong tripartite efforts, we managed to avoid record retrenchment and help workers who lost their jobs to find employment.  As we ride the upturn, we will reinforce the strong bipartite and tripartite relationships with management and government partners.  As workers worked hard together with employers in accepting cost-cutting measures in the downturn, we call upon employers to share gains with their workers in the upturn.  This is to ensure working people of all collars, ages and nationalities are not left behind as we stay ahead of the global competition and capture opportunities so that all workers can earn a better living, and live a better life.”

Although the Singapore economy rebounded strongly in the first quarter of 2010, the Labour Movement recognised that the environment has changed, and we need to continue to upgrade our economy and workforce.  In line with the Economic Strategies Committee recommendations, the Labour Movement will continue to mobilise workers to achieve higher levels of skills, innovation and productivity so as to achieve inclusive economic growth as encapsulated in the LM 2011 vision.

In line with this year’s theme, the Labour Movement will celebrate May Day with four events. 

May Day Dinner

A record number of awardees – 88 outstanding individuals, companies and tripartite partners – will receive the prestigious May Day Awards to honour their contributions to the Labour Movement.  In an inclusive effort to also recognise deserving parties who helped fight the recession in an extraordinary year of 2009, a special category of awards – the Upturn the Downturn Awards – will be given to 15 unionists, management individuals and companies.  Guest-of-honour, Mr Mah Bow Tan, Minister for National Development and Chairman, Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF), will deliver a speech that will highlight the SLF’s partnership with the Labour Movement.

May Day Rally

Some 1,400 union leaders, NTUC social enterprises’ key personnel, tripartite representatives and staff of the Labour Movement will gather once again to reaffirm their commitment to solidarity, and to call on workers of all collars, ages and nationalities to take on new challenges as we work towards a Cheaper, Better, Faster Economy powered by an all Inclusive Workforce.  Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will deliver the keynote address at this event while NTUC President John De Payva will lead in the reading of the May Day resolution.

May Day CBF Model Partnership Award

More than 300 workers, companies, unions and partners are honoured for their exemplary contributions in raising the productivity (Cheaper), strengthening capability (Better) and enhancing flexibility (Faster) of individuals and organisations. These role models demonstrated strong partnership in driving growth based on total factor productivity, skills and innovation.  Besides receiving certificates and trophies at the award ceremony from tripartite Guests-of-Honour on 29 May 2010, Saturday; awardees and their families will be treated to an evening of fun, feast and entertainment at an exclusive Theme Party held at Universal Studios Singapore on 13 May 2010, Thursday, hosted by NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say and attended by tripartite partners.

May Day Family Fiesta

This is the key member centric event, to recognise members and their families who have shown great resilience during the downturn. About 40,000 union members and their families of all collars, ages and nationalities will attend the event.  NTUC will take this opportunity to encourage more older workers and back-to-work women to pay heed to their health and keep fit, so that they can stay employable and productive. There will also be a showcase of latest innovation in infocomm by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. 

Labour Movement Gives Back

In the spirit of celebration, NTUC will launch a special month-long campaign to reward members with special deals and promotions in celebration of our 49th anniversary in the month of May.  We will reach out to our members and their families through a series of WOW deals relating to Work, Live and Play offered by our Social Enterprises and corporate partners. The deals, which include attractive retail offers, professional development courses and family recreation activities, will be launched on 25 April 2010.