The Labour Movement celebrated its May Day Rally 2013 this morning at Downtown East and reaffirmed its commitment to Value Every Job, Value Every Worker and Value Every Member and to the LM2015 vision of striving towards Better Jobs for All.
The event was attended by some 1,600 union leaders, key representatives from NTUC Social Enterprises, NTUC communities (such as nEbO, Young NTUC, U Family and U Live) and staff, as well as tripartite partners. It was also streamed live to the public, who were able to view the proceedings via the NTUC U Portal or the MY NTUC mobile app.
The Secretary-General of NTUC, Mr Lim Swee Say, delivered the opening address at the Rally. In his speech, Mr Lim shared that the Labour Movement is committed to building an inclusive workforce so that every worker in Singapore is able to get a better job with better pay and better work-life balance. He went on to outline three key thrusts to achieve this outcome:
Recognising Singapore’s achievements since the downturn in 2009
Singapore continued to enjoy low unemployment and fared well in employment rates for females and older workers. We have also enjoyed real wage growth and continued growth in unionisation rate.
However, Singapore today faces an increasingly challenging global environment. For instance, China takes the lead in adopting robotics for its manufacturing processes, while US manufacturers are also turning to robotics and 3D printing to be more competitive.
Companies need to be Cheaper, Better, Faster
Recognising the challenges faced by Singapore companies today, Mr Lim encouraged them to continue to strive towards achieving sustainable competitive advantage.
In 2009, when Singapore was caught in an economic downturn, Mr Lim sounded the call for Singapore companies to be Cheaper, Better, and Faster (CBF). Four years on, he shared that CBF is still relevant and is even more crucial in today’s context, as Singapore companies cannot afford to be left behind.
Jobs need to be Easier, Smarter, and Safer for workers
Mr Lim pointed out that while businesses and processes need to be CBF, it cannot be at the expense of workers’ welfare. Companies should continuously strive to ensure that the workers’ jobs are also made easier, smarter, safer (ESS). Highlighting the benefits of the easier, smarter and safer model, he also pointed to a few examples of the use of technology in achieving ESS.
We must Value Every Worker
Mr Lim shared that as an inclusive Labour Movement, we need to Value Every Worker (VEW) – regardless of age, gender, worker, profession or nationality. He added that it is not the sole responsibility of the management, but as fellow workers; as a society, we need to value and respect our workers – who make up the intrinsic fabric of our very workforce. Instrumental to this is the widespread adoption of the Labour Movement’s Progressive Wage Model.
Mr Lim cited several examples of how the Progressive Wage Model has helped workers up-skill and multi-skill themselves so that they can take on bigger and better jobs, thereby getting better wages. He pointed out that all that has been achieved has not been possible without the strength of tripartism.
Mr Lim also brought attention to recent cases of abuse of workers, especially in the fields of security and nursing. On this, he urged all Singaporeans to accord respect for fellow workers, as Singapore continues its journey towards being a better society.
CBF, ESS, VEW to achieve better jobs, better pay and better work-life balance
In closing, Mr Lim re-affirmed the Labour Movement’s commitment to continue to work closely with its tripartite partners and strive for “CBF”, “ESS” and “VEW”, so that collectively, we can achieve better jobs, better pay, better work-life balance for our workers, and ultimately, a better life for all Singaporeans.
