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Mr Speaker,
The Labour Movement welcomes the pro-worker, inclusive and forward-looking Budget by Minister Lawrence Wong.
I join Members of this House to thank our workers for their hard work and sacrifices during the pandemic.
a. This includes our frontline workers
b. and also those who are providing critical support behind the scenes.
In my capacity as Advisor to the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) and SMS for Transport,
a. I have witnessed how our healthcare and transport workers
b. have stood strong and resilient in the face of challenging circumstances,
c. to care for patients and commuters,
d. and to keep Singapore connected with the world.
Our Labour MPs will speak about how NTUC and our Tripartite Partners have worked together to protect, enable, and care for our workers.
a. Brother Abdul Samad will share his views on protection of workers during the pandemic and beyond.
b. Brother Heng Chee How will touch on enhancing employment for older workers, a topic close to his heart.
c. Brother Patrick Tay will focus on strengthening workplace fairness and support for Professionals, Managers and Executives.
d. Brother Desmond Choo will talk about providing support and opportunities for younger workers.
e. Brother Melvin Yong will speak on improving mental health support for our workers and enhancing consumer protection.
f. Brother Fahmi Aliman will touch on NTUC's efforts to uplift lower wage workers, reflecting our shared values with the People’s Action Party to build a fair and just society.
g. Sister Yeo Wan Ling will highlight how NTUC has provided support for women, family, Self-Employed Persons, and workers in Small and Medium Enterprises.
h. Brother Seah Kian Peng will share on cost pressures faced by SMEs
i. and how NTUC and our social enterprises
ii. have helped Singaporeans to manage costs of living and provided assistance to our members.
Together, the Labour MPs will present how NTUC has championed the interests of our workers and helped them to achieve better wages, better welfare, and better work prospects.
Because every worker matters and every worker can make a difference.
PURSUING GROWTH
Today, I will focus on how a strong tripartite partnership between Labour Movement, Government and employers
a. will enable our workers to benefit from
b. better Growth, better Protection, and better Skills.
Let me start with Growth and why this is important to give our workers a brighter future.
In his speech at the 1976 NTUC’s Second Triennial Delegates Conference, Dr Goh Keng Swee warned about the dangers of having small or no economic growth.
Without sufficient growth, we have a zero-sum game.
This will intensify social conflict because one group can only benefit at the expense of another.
a. Instead of win-win, we have win-lose.
b. And when cohesion is affected,
c. win-lose will soon become lose-lose.
This is why the Labour Movement fully supports the Government’s efforts to grow Singapore’s economy,
a. and to ensure that when companies do well,
b. our workers receive a fair share of the gains.
The PAP Government has consistently placed emphasis on achieving this win-win outcome through tripartism, to keep improving the lives of our workers.
As Mr Lee Kuan Yew said,
a. “it is in the interest of the workers and their unions
b. that we must strive for growth and development.
c. In other words, growth is meaningless
d. unless it is shared by the workers.” [unquote]
When Singapore’s economy transforms and the profile of our workforce changes,
a. this important purpose shall remain at the heart of NTUC’s mission.
b. Even as we evolve “what” we do
c. and “how” we achieve our outcomes.
In Mandarin, we say 不忘初心，与时并进.
a. Never forgetting our core purpose and DNA,
b. while moving in tandem with changing times.
We could see how this principle was translated into action when NTUC implemented new ideas over the years.
For example, when we developed the Progressive Wage Model
a. to uplift the salaries and skills of our lower wage workers
b. without exposing them to dis-employment risks.
Or when NTUC set up e2i to work with Government agencies and employers
a. to improve productivity and help workers find jobs,
b. which is especially important during a crisis.
A more recent innovation is the formation of Company Training Committees (CTCs) between our unions and employers,
a. to strengthen our engagements with companies and workers
b. through NTUC’s Training and Placement Ecosystem.
Since Brother Koh Poh Koon started the CTCs in April 2019, we have set up 826 CTCs with both large organisations and SMEs.
Our ecosystem brings together a comprehensive package of training and placement services offered by
a. e2i, NTUC LearningHub,
b. Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute and
c. NTUC’s Industry Training and Transformation team.
Compared to an entity which does only training or only job matching,
a. we provide companies and workers
b. with a wider range of integrated services.
c. Our union leaders will mobilise workers to actively upskill themselves
d. and support the company’s transformation plans.
Depending on their requirements, NTUC can help CTC companies to redesign jobs and implement productivity improvements,
a. improve workplace safety and health
b. to promote physical and mental well-being of workers,
c. provide training to existing workers and new entrants,
d. and match jobseekers to companies that are growing and expanding their workforce.
We also have strong support from Government agencies and employers,
a. which makes a powerful combination for driving enterprise and workforce transformation
b. through CTC as a collaboration platform.
I am happy that Ms Janet Ang and Mr Chong Kee Hiong have expressed support for setting up CTCs. They are experienced and respected business leaders who understand tripartism well.
The Labour Movement would also like to thank the Government
a. for agreeing to our proposal to provide NTUC with $100 million to scale up our CTCs.
b. This includes a $70 million grant to help CTC companies implement their transformation plans.
This will give NTUC additional resources to work with our CTC companies,
a. and co-fund their proposals to raise productivity, re-design jobs,
b. upskill workers and improve work prospects.
By helping every worker to become a better worker through training,
a. making every job a better job through job redesign,
b. and then matching the better workers to the better jobs
c. through effective job placement.
Certact Engineering is a local SME that provides precision and plastic engineering services.
a. The Managing Director, Ms Ellis Eng, is a strong believer in training and self-improvement.
b. She started her career as a nurse before joining Certact.
c. Through on-the-job training, she picked up new skills and learnt more about its business functions.
Certact Engineering formed a CTC with the Advanced Manufacturing Employees’ Union.
Management and union agreed to redesign the role of Machinists to Robotics Operators.
a. Some workers were initially reluctant
b. because they were unsure if they could adapt to the new requirements.
c. They had been working as Machinists for many years.
With support from the union and management,
a. the workers embarked on the transformation journey
b. and over time, they became more confident and familiar with the digital tools.
After its transformation, Certact Engineering has more than doubled its revenue and is expanding its operations to take on more contracts.
The growth benefitted the workers too, as they received significant wage increases.
It is a win-win outcome that we want to scale up and achieve together with other CTC companies.
NTUC will go beyond our original target of forming 1000 CTCs by this year,
a. to achieve a more ambitious goal
b. of having at least 2500 CTCs by 2025.
We will make good use of the $30 million funding from Government
a. to expand our team of Industry Training Officers
b. and enlarge our network of CTCs to benefit more workers and companies.
ENHANCING PROTECTION
I will now talk about Protection for our workers, and focus on two areas:
a. First, how NTUC can uplift vulnerable workers,
i. including ex-offenders
ii. as well as persons with special needs and disabilities,
iii. through skills upgrading and job placement.
b. Second, why Labour Movement firmly supports the Government’s policy
i. for Singapore to remain open to international trade,
ii. investments, and foreign workers.
Because we know that our workers can have better wages and work prospects
a. when our economy is open and connected with the world,
b. and when we allow employers
c. to have a complementary mix of local and foreign workers
d. to grow their business in Singapore.
Let me start with support for vulnerable workers.
a. I visited Agape Connecting People,
b. a social enterprise that helps individuals turn their lives around
c. through skills upgrading and job placement.
The beneficiaries include people who are physically or visually challenged,
a. single mothers and ex-offenders,
b. with the last group forming the majority of their clients.
One of its co-founders, Mr Anil David, is an ex-offender himself. He founded Agape Connecting People to help other vulnerable workers by equipping them with job-ready skills.
He and his team have helped more than 800 vulnerable workers to find jobs,
a. and just as important,
b. to discover their sense of purpose, dignity, and self-worth.
One beneficiary is Ms Nur Madiah Lim, who was born without hands and legs.
a. When Nur approached Agape Connecting People for help,
b. the company trained and appointed her as one of its contact centre agents.
c. She has been in this job for the past three years,
d. and continually hones her skills to manage calls, emails, and live chats.
Nur went on to handle a national care hotline and earned a diploma, which was one of the goals she set to achieve.
Her other goal was to own a HDB flat, which she has also fulfilled.
Well done, Nur! Your resilience, determination and positive attitude are a source of inspiration.
NTUC and e2i have been partnering social enterprises and agencies
a. like Agape Connecting People,
b. Yellow Ribbon,
c. Singapore Prison Service and
d. SG Enable
e. to help our fellow Singaporean workers like Nur and many others.
I am also glad the Jobs Growth Incentive, which has been extended to September 2022,
a. will continue to include higher support for employers who hire Persons with Disabilities and Ex-offenders.
Together with our partners, NTUC will expand our services
a. to help even more vulnerable workers
b. through training and job placement.
The number of vulnerable workers may be a small proportion of our overall workforce,
a. but this is a meaningful area for the Tripartite Partners to focus on.
Last evening, Mr Shawn Huang spoke passionately about how he and his colleagues worked with Ms Denise Phua
a. to help a group of vulnerable workers find meaningful employment
b. What he shared really touched my heart
To build a more caring and inclusive society, we must do our best to leave no one behind.
Sir, another way to benefit our local workers is to keep Singapore open and connected with the world,
a. so that our companies can grow their business operations
b. and create good jobs for Singaporeans.
I agree with Mr Edward Chia that Singaporean workers are capable, but there are not enough of us.
a. Minister Ong Ye Kung made the same point during an earlier debate in this House.
We believe a balanced and complementary approach is better for our local workers,
a. Instead of rejecting free trade agreements
b. and turning away foreigners and foreign investments.
We understand the concerns of local workers regarding competition from foreigners. NTUC will do our best to protect the rice bowls of our workers
a. and champion fair employment practices for locals.
b. However, we know this alone is not sufficient.
Having an empty rice bowl does not help our workers.
a. They cannot eat the bowl.
b. To enable our workers to have better jobs and better lives,
c. we must also protect our rice fields
d. and ensure that the fields are productive
e. and can yield bountiful harvests year after year.
f. Then the rice bowls of our workers and their families will be filled with rice.
This is why NTUC works closely with employers and the Government
a. to grow Singapore’s economy,
b. attract more investments,
c. and create good jobs for our people.
As Minister Wong said in the Budget Statement,
a. “By combining local and foreign professionals,
b. we form the teams in Singapore to create value together.
c. This gives us that extra advantage to excel amidst intense global competition,
d. and to create many good jobs and career choices for Singaporeans.” [unquote]
To be clear, there are some employers who do not practice fair hiring and do not invest enough in developing their Singaporean Core.
They are the minority among employers,
a. but their behaviours have created a negative impact on the lived experiences of our workers and their families.
NTUC supports the Government’s moves to differentiate the inflow of foreigners
a. to offer better protection for Singaporean workers,
b. and to take firm enforcement action against errant employers to send a clear message.
However, we must not react to the small number of black sheep employers
a. by implementing overly tight foreign manpower measures that will hurt our businesses,
b. or worse, by stirring anti-foreigner sentiments amongst our population.
Such moves are detrimental to Singapore and Singaporeans
a. as they damage our international standing,
b. erode cohesion in our society
c. and lead to job losses for our workers.
Instead, a key part of our response
a. must focus on working with employers and HR managers through tripartism
b. to improve workplace practices for local workers,
c. strengthen the emphasis on developing local talent,
d. and invest in building a strong Singaporean Core.
Last year, I suggested at an event with business and HR leaders
a. that the Government should sharpen the differentiation
b. in how we treat employers with good HR practices and strong relationships with the unions,
c. versus those with poor HR records
d. and do not put in effort to develop their local workforce.
A differentiated approach is also fairer to good employers
a. who have invested resources in building a strong Singaporean Core
b. and developed positive relations with the Labour Movement.
These companies add value to their workers and the community,
and we should recognise their contributions in tangible ways
a. by giving them a competitive advantage over their peers,
b. including in areas such as government projects,
c. grants, and work pass applications.
One example is dnata Singapore, which has been badly affected by the pandemic
a. as their main business is ground handling,
b. cargo, and catering services to the aviation industry.
After they formed a CTC with NTUC and completed their Operation and Technology Roadmap in 2020, the company started offering food services to local business and retail customers.
They also invested in upskilling their workforce to support the transformation, and to prepare for the recovery in the aviation sector.
115 employees have taken on expanded job roles in Air Service Management, Passenger Services, Load Control and Cargo Services.
I met 3 of their staff during my visit – Ms Garmit Kuar, Mr Abdul Faizal and Ms Ferry Carisma.
a. Garmit and Faizal are locals, while Ferry came from the Philippines.
b. They shared with me their challenges during the pandemic,
c. and their upskilling journeys to become trainers in dnata.
They enjoy their new roles
a. as it gives them great satisfaction
b. to help their colleagues acquire new skills and knowledge.
I was happy to learn from Garmit and Faizal
a. that they appreciate having Ferry and other foreign colleagues as co-workers,
b. because they contribute to making the team more productive.
c. And when the company does better,
d. everyone gets to enjoy larger bonuses and higher salary increments.
Dnata’s example show that if we can work with companies through our tripartite partnership and CTC platform
a. to create good jobs for locals and develop a strong Singaporean Core,
b. it will help to provide sufficient protection and assurance to our people
c. which will in turn allow Singapore to remain open and connected with the world.
SKILLS UPGRADING – UP-SKILLING AND RE-SKILLING OUR WORKERS
This brings me to the third and final area, skills upgrading for our workers.
The Labour Movement believes that a good job is the best welfare for workers.
a. And the best protection for their employability
b. is to invest in their continuous training and skills upgrading.
c. Lifelong learning for lifelong employability.
I fully support MOE’s plans to give lifelong learning a further boost, and Minister Chan Chun Sing’s call for all Singaporeans to “learn for life, and to learn throughout life”.
Skills upgrading and continuous learning are key priorities for the Labour Movement too.
a. One practical challenge we want to tackle is the jobs-skills mismatch,
b. where employers who are short-handed could not find enough workers with the right skills to fill their job vacancies.
c. Some workers also feel frustrated,
d. when the new skills they acquire after going through training are not a good fit with what employers are looking for.
We propose to address the skills mismatch by forming Tripartite Academies,
a. where we bring together unions, employers, and Government agencies
b. to jointly identify industry-specific skills requirements,
c. so that workers can receive job-relevant training
d. that prepare them for jobs that employers offer.
The tripartite coordination can help achieve better alignment,
a. improve job placement rates,
b. and reduce wasted time and effort for both employers and job-seekers.
We have some experience with such tripartite collaborations.
a. The Singapore Bus Academy (SGBA) was formed in 2016
b. as a partnership between Land Transport Authority,
c. National Transport Workers’ Union and the public bus operators
d. to train bus captains and technicians.
They have been doing good work
a. to identify new skills required in the industry
b. and preparing existing workers and new entrants with the relevant training.
Another example is the Singapore Institute of Power and Gas (SIPG)
a. that was set up in 2014 to be a Centralised Training Institute.
b. I was then Chief Executive of EMA.
c. This has grown into a tripartite collaboration between the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE), industry and government agencies like EMA.
Under the leadership of Brother Samad, UPAGE worked with SIPG to train our workers in emerging areas,
a. for example Electric Vehicle charging facilities
b. and wider adoption of renewable energy in Singapore.
More recently, NTUC set up the Tourism Careers Hub with Singapore Tourism Board,
a. Workforce Singapore, e2i
b. and the industry associations
c. to help employers and workers from the tourism sector.
The tourism industry has gone through a difficult period during the pandemic, but it is slowly recovering, and I am confident it will bounce back.
Tourism Careers Hub will provide customised training courses focusing on skillsets that employers require,
a. including traditional areas such as safety, security, and customer service,
b. as well as emerging areas such as digital skills and knowledge in eco-tourism.
Dedicated career coaches will advise new entrants and existing workers on the training they need to take on higher level jobs in the industry.
Tourism Careers Hub will also facilitate placement of workers within the industry to help employers who are facing manpower shortages.
Besides tourism, the Labour Movement is discussing with employers and Government agencies
a. to explore setting up Tripartite Academies
b. in sectors such as advanced manufacturing, retail, logistics, security, healthcare and maritime.
c. We plan to start with these and grow the list of sectors over time.
The Tripartite Academies will serve as collaboration platforms at the sectoral level,
a. to complement our network of CTCs
b. which are collaboration platforms at the enterprise level.
Both platforms will support the larger national objective
a. of transforming Singapore’s economy
b. by building stronger enterprise and workforce capabilities,
c. which will in turn provide better jobs and better wages for our workers.
Mr Speaker, please allow me to continue in Mandarin before I conclude in English.
议长先生，我们必须继续推动企业转型，
a. 以取得足够的经济增长
b. 让我们的员工享有更好的薪金，
c. 更好的福利以及更好的就业前景，
保护员工的工作和利益，让他们得到公平的待遇，
同时,确保员工能够通过终身学习，
a. 不断提升他们的技能。
就像長城集团,
a. 他们从大巴窑的一家咖啡店起家。
b. 長城创办人郭观华先生， 15 岁成为学徒厨师。
多年来，他努力拼搏，细心聆听客户的反馈，
a. 不断改进，提高效率，
b. 增添新的产品和品牌，
c. 发展到今天的饮食集团。
長城与食品饮料 及同行业工友联合会
a. 签署了
b. 企业培训委员会 (CTC)，
c. 并一起制定员工培训、
d. 业务转型
e. 和工作重新设计等计划，
f. 为所有员工 （接近1000人） 进行培训，
g. 提高他们的技能，
h. 让他们有更好的工作前景。
長城集团也和e2i 合作
a. 提高工作效率，
b. 让员工可以身兼多职，
c. 并帮助56位低薪工友
d. 和15位年长员工提升技能，
e. 得到更高的薪金。
职总会通过我们的
a. 劳资政伙伴关系
b. 全力支持長城
c. 和其他本地企业，
d. 通过转型提高竞争力，
e. 为工友们制造更多良好的就业机会
f. 增加收入，保障未来。
CONCLUSION
Mr Speaker, I have spoken about the importance of Growth, Protection and Skills Upgrading or “GPS”.
As a navigation tool, GPS can show us how to get to our destination,
a. but GPS cannot get us there
b. unless we embark on the journey.
This is the journey of transforming and growing our economy,
a. to build stronger enterprise and workforce capabilities through tripartism,
b. and helping our workers to upgrade their skills to remain employable
c. and to take on the new jobs that are created.
There will be obstacles and unexpected developments during the journey.
a. Sometimes, the GPS may wrongly indicate a turning,
b. or we could discover new paths along the way.
So, we will need to adjust and calibrate our measures as we progress,
a. but never lose sight of the direction we are taking
b. and the destination we want to arrive at.
c. And always remain cohesive,
d. so that we can stay together while we move ahead
e. as one united people.
SG Together, Solidarity Forever.
Sir, I support the Motion. Thank you.
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