Four pieces of advice by his seniors in the course of his union work have guided him before and even today as he carries out his duties as the General Secretary (GS) of the Metal Industries Workers’ Union (MIWU).
Meet 46-year-old Lim Teck Chuan, a union member for the past 25 years and MIWU’s GS since 2011.
We caught up with the productivity promotion officer who faced disruption in his job about five years ago.
His Union Journey…
I joined MIWU as a branch union official and 17 years ago, I was the youngest on MIWU’s executive committee. My seniors guided me and shared with me their experiences in tackling challenges. They gave me four pieces of advice.
First, be patient, listen carefully before you act on an issue.
Next, make it a point to talk to one member every day. In no time you will get to know most of your union members in a few months’ time and that is exactly what I have been doing.
The third advice they gave me was I will need a lot of patience when grooming leaders as being a leader is not everybody’s cup of tea. Union leaders must be able to put the interests of others before their own.
The fourth was to build trust and widen my network during good times as the contacts will come in handy during difficult times.
As MIWU’s General Secretary...
Getting a better grasp of the industrial climate in Singapore and the daily issues encountered by our members are two areas which I have been focussing on.
Different companies may have their own work culture and policies for various workplace issues but at the end of the day when they come up to the union, we always go for a win-win outcome.
Moving forward, besides dealing with industrial relations matters, MIWU will also need to focus on preparing its members for new jobs and future work opportunities as a result of the industry transformation map (ITM).
For this, we plan to work with our member companies to set up skills training committees to understand the skills upgrading needs of both workers and the company.
With that our union can help the company link up with the relevant agencies for funding and training support.
On ITMs and the Future Economy
MIWU was involved in the Precision Engineering Sectoral Tripartite Committee to map out the details of the precision engineering ITM.
I was an observer and from the discussions in this committee, MIWU was able to chart its own action plan to prepare its members to handle the dual challenges of disruption and digitalisation.
Since the launch of the ITM, we have been doing several things. Among them are educating our core group of union leaders on subjects like robotics and big data.
Our union leaders also visited an automation factory in Chengdu in China to see for ourselves the changes which robots bring about.
We have also approached our unionised companies to set up SkillsFuture committees to help both the company and its workers to be future ready. At the end of the day, employment is the best protection for workers.
His advice on staying future-ready...
Change is happening every day and if we are not ready for it, it can have a big impact on the worker.
I myself faced disruption in my work life. In 2013, the work that I was handling was shifted abroad.
With the help of my company and the union, I was transferred to another division.
But my new job was nearly 80 per cent different from my 20 years of technical work which I had been doing all this while.
I was fortunate to have a good superior and colleagues who were willing to guide me during this stage and now I am managing the work better.
As a union leader, we must walk the talk and be ready for changes that can take place any time. If we are ready to adapt, adjust and transform, then most of the changes that come by can bring about a good outcome for the worker.
Good To Know
Metal Industries Workers’ Union (MIWU)
Date of Registration: 4 August 1981.
Date of Affiliation to NTUC: 4 August 1981.
History: MIWU was formed in 1981 as a result of the restructuring of the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation (SILO) and the Pioneer Industries Employees' Union (PIEU).
