In his opening speech at the NTUC National Delegates' Conference 2011 on 6 December 2011, NTUC President John De Payva attributed the Labour Movement's successes and achievements to "good leadership at all levels of the Labour Movement".
Minimising retrenchments and unemployment while at the same time establishing a good foundation for an All Collars, All Ages and All Nationalities (All CAN)and a 3-Gen Labour Movement, President John said that what was achieved over the last four years would not have been possible without a strong and constructive brand of tripartism.
He said:” This strong tripartite relationship is Singapore’s unique advantage and we must continue to nurture and refresh this relationship to meet future challenges.”
He shared that the journey forward for the next four years will not be any easier but leadership ranks must be continually strengthened to ensure the Labour Movement and affiliated unions are well-positioned to meet newer and tougher challenges.
With 10 new candidates out of 22 standing for election to the new Central Committee (CC) at the end of the conference, President De Payva's message to potential new CC members was focused.
"Remember we are elected by our fellow workers and we are here to serve them, and to uphold a system of tripartism that is best for our workers for the long term," he said.
President John has led NTUC since 1997, and is the longest president to date. He will not be standing for re-election to the new Central Committee.
