By Ramesh Subbaraman
A strong tripartite relationship that establishes the conditions for Singapore to continue to thrive amidst the increasing global competition – that's the vision of the Labour Movement in Singapore, said NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing as it continues to expand its services and grow its network.
SG Chan was speaking at the May Day Partnership Awards that saw 63 companies and individuals being recognised for their efforts towards up-skilling and shaping a resilient and adaptable workforce.
The awards were given out by both SG Chan and NTUC President Mary Liew on 20 May 2016 at Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability.
Over 400 guests comprising the awardees and their family members, management partners, tripartite partners and trade unionists attended the ceremony.
A Labour Movement For All
SG Chan emphasised that the Labour Movement does not just want to achieve objectives for itself.
"We do not just take care of the rank and file, but also the people beyond the rank and file, the people who are called PMETs, the people who are called freelancers, contractors, those who in the MNCs and SMEs, these are all part and parcel of our work," explained SG Chan
The same point was also emphasised by the Co-Chairman of the May Day Partnership Awards and NTUC Vice-President K Karthikeyan.
"We believe it is crucial for the Labour Movement to continue to expand our services and grow our networks to meet the evolving needs of all working people. Hence we urge more partners to come forward to collaborate with the Labour Movement to help our working people be future-ready. Only through strong partnerships and collaborations with the unions, associations and partners will the Labour Movement be able to do more for all working people," said Mr Karthikeyan.
A Happy Problem
SG Chan noted that the number of partners for consideration for the May Day Partnership Awards is growing and this is a happy problem. He expects the number to increase in 2017.
"What we see today is but a small slice of the good work done by all the tripartite partners and beyond to help the Labour Movement to grow," said SG Chan.
Citing examples, he said the transport sector has come together to take care of bus captains.
Home-Fix Private Limited, a company which promotes Do It Yourself services, is leading the way to take care of its employees through the Labour Movement.
SG Chan said that for next year, the Labour Movement plans to reach out to even more partners, especially those who have come onboard with new programmes to benefit a greater segment of the population.
Potential partners include academia who have done good research for Singapore and even media personalities and journalists who have helped the Labour Movement to profile its causes.
The small and medium-sized enterprises and U Associates are also all part of the growing Labour Movement.
These efforts are all in line to truly recognise the diversity of the Labour Movement's growing network.
Care, Fair, Grow
The May Day Partnership Awards recognised the “Best-In-Class” partners who displayed commendable efforts to Care for, be Fair to, and Grow with our workers as they worked together with the Labour Movement.
Under the Care Award Category, companies were recognised for their outstanding efforts in caring for workers through launching initiatives that create deep social impact, help make the workplace more family-friendly or benefit different groups of workers such as the self-employed, low-wage workers and migrant workers.
For the Fair Award Category, companies were recognised for their outstanding efforts in ensuring fair workplace practices that safeguard workers’ interests during industry transformation, ensure fair wages, and fair processes in hiring Singaporeans.
Under the Grow Award Category, companies were recognised for ensuring workers grow through initiatives that embrace continuous learning and skills upgrading so they can be future ready.
Workers Who Inspire
Besides companies, there were also individuals who were recognised for embracing the mindset to grow their career pathway.
Five exemplary individuals received the Inspirational Worker Award under the Grow Category for their outstanding accomplishments in re-skilling or upgrading themselves through embracing lifelong education and training.
Source: NTUC This Week
