Veteran unionist and politician Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon shared her experiences as a mother, daughter, union leader, political figure, mentor and friend, and candidly interacted with unionists and young Industrial Relations Officers (IROs) at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Women's Development Secretariat's (WDS) 'Up Close And Personal With Women Leaders' second session at NTUC Centre on 27 August 2013.
'My father, who was a school principal, always told us that no matter what profession you are in, you must be a useful person. You must respect everyone in society,' Mrs Yu-Foo candidly shared.
She also mentioned that no matter how you rise up in life, one should always be humble and live simply.
Mrs Yu-Foo recalls the first time she joined the NTUC and how one member inspired her to work passionately for the union.
'There was once a union member who won a big TV at a lucky draw at a union event. He came up to me and said that he wanted to give it up to another member, all because he already owned one. At that moment, I was very touched by him. Workers like him have moved me many times and are the main reason why I stayed on as an IRO in the unions. These workers were very genuine and I wanted to serve them genuinely too,' she said.
Her illustrious career includes being a former NTUC Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC Vice President, Minister of State at Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and former Executive Secretary of Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees Union.
'As union leaders, we also need to go back to the basics. We must make sure that workers will get decent wages. We must make sure they have a safe working place. If you are genuine and do your best, people will also respect you. Always remember the basics, as union leaders our big picture is aiming towards harmonious relations and working towards win-win outcomes for our workers,' she added.
Mrs Yu-Foo became the first woman mayor in Singapore and the first woman to be elected as a Member of Board of Directors of NTUC Income Insurance Cooperative Limited. For the veteran unionist, providing equal opportunities are keys to Singapore's progress.
'While we cannot have equal things for everyone, what we want is equal opportunities for everyone. This is why I am happy that the Ministry of Education did away with the ranking, because teachers were not focusing on character development,' she said.
Mrs Yu-Foo is currently an Honorary Adviser for NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited.
Original article written by Naseema Banu Maideen, and can be found in NTUC This Week (20 September 2013)
