By Florina Oo
Massive unemployment, confrontational trade unionism and poor working conditions – these were some of the situations faced by the Pioneer Generation (PG) union leaders in the post-war years of Singapore.
Held at the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability on 21 November 2014 and hosted by NTUC President Diana Chia and NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Lim Swee Say, this year’s UNITE Leadership Summit shone the spotlight on the contributions made by the PG union leaders in the presence of over 500 guests.
Dare To Change For The Better
In his address, SG Lim said the Labour Movement was not born with a silver spoon in its mouth and had to wrest with the pro-communist camps to win the trust and support of workers.
Looking back, he applauded the PG leaders for their “bold leap of faith” to abandon the confrontational approach and embrace win-win consultation and cooperation to establish healthy tripartite relations.
He added that such determination gave confidence to foreign investors and created jobs for Singaporeans, thus changing the lives of the workers for the better.
Concluding his address, SG Lim thanked the PG union leaders for their sacrifices and dedicated service and called on present labour leaders to continue their good work of industrial harmony.
Source: NTUC This Week
