United Workers of Petroleum Industry’s (UWPI) K Karthikeyan has relinquished his role as the union’s general secretary. He will now take on the role of UWPI executive secretary.
The decision was made public at UWPI quadrennial delegates’ conference on 26 July 2019.
Muhammad Aswadi Salleh, 47, will take over the role of general secretary with immediate effect. He was formerly the union’s assistant general secretary (AGS).
Mr Karthikeyan, who will turn 60 this August, has helmed the role of UWPI general secretary since 2001. Before a union merger with UWPI, he was the general secretary of Singapore Petrochemical Complex Employees Union, which was a house union he founded in 1986.
“I am trying to make way for the younger ones in my union to step up. I will also look to relinquish my positions at the NTUC level. You see, each term is a four-year term. So it is timely that I do this now. Because by the time I turn 62, it will only be the halfway mark before the next union elections,” he said.
As the new head honcho of UWPI, Mr Aswadi said that he has “big shoes to fill.”
“Brother Karthikeyan is a very prominent figure in the Labour Movement. He’s been the rock of the union. For myself, I’m still learning the ropes of being a general secretary who oversees 33 branches. The challenge now is to continue Karthikeyan’s legacy, and to take UWPI to new heights,” said Mr Aswadi, who has been involved in union work for 23 years.
Mr Karthikeyan said that the union is in good hands with Mr Aswadi.
“Aswadi was a good AGS, and he was also my branch secretary. I’ve been grooming him and a few others to take on key roles in the union. In fact, I’ve been preparing for this day for some 15 years. Both Aswadi and the union’s president gave up many off days and rest days just to follow me for meetings as understudies. They eventually became outstanding in industrial relations matters,” said Mr Karthikeyan.
There were three things Mr Karthikeyan hopes the next generation of UWPI leaders can work towards – continue building a good rapport with the management, continue unionising more companies and continue building the union’s membership base.
Not surprisingly, Mr Aswadi’s plans for the union aligns with this. He said that to draw more union members in the long term, awareness of unions and what they do must start at a young age.
He also added that to build a good rapport with management, clear communication is vital.
“It all starts at schools. Unions play a very significant role in workers’ lives, but many are still not aware of the work we do. I would suggest schools have a curriculum to raise awareness on the Labour Movement.
“The union also needs to work more closely with companies in the industry to shift perceptions, and this includes the representation of professionals under the current law. There is a lot of work to be done to move things forward,” said Mr Aswadi.
