The Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi), the leadership training and development arm of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), has taken on a new look today as it repositions itself with a sharper focus on enhancing leadership and tripartism in the Labour Movement and among the tripartite partners.
Celebration of Union Leadership in Nation Building
This morning, more than 500 union leaders, management representatives, government officials attended the Labour Movement’s first National Day Observance Ceremony (NDOC) for 2009 and witnessed the unveiling of the OTCi ’s new logo and identity by Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General, NTUC. The NDOC, organised by OTCi, is aptly themed, “Celebrating Leadership”, as it highlights the dynamic and value-creating role of trade unions and union leaders in building Singapore.
Commenting on the role of union leadership, Secretary-General Lim Swee Say said, “Labour leadership is all about helping workers to have better jobs and live a better life. As union leaders, we must lead with our heads, unite with our hearts and serve with our hands.”
4 Indeed, Singapore’s strong trade union leadership has played a critical and effective role in nation building. Unlike trade union movements in other countries that routinely choose militancy to push their agenda, Singapore’s Labour Movement pursues the workers’ cause with equal fervour through a pragmatic, caring, pro-worker and pro-business approach that attracts the support of government and employers. This successful use of tripartism has clearly withstood the test of time and crises, and has stood Singapore in good stead in the current downturn as well.
Re-positioning of Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute
Recognising that a successful tripartite relationship can only function effectively with three equally strong pillars of the Labour Movement, employers and government, NTUC has over the years invested in leadership development to create a strong union leadership and effective industrial relations as the third pillar. To ensure relevance of the Labour Movement in Singapore’s future, NTUC has repositioned OTCi so as to achieve an inclusive and self-renewing union leadership whereby men and women of different collars and ages can step up to serve workers and members with passion, competence and commitment. Concurrently, OTCi will play a key role in promoting best practices in good governance so that unions can adapt to the changing realities in the economy and the workforce. This is how unions can create value in partnership with companies and how unionised companies can enjoy an unfair advantage over the competition.
On OTCi’s sharpened focus, Mr Heng Chee How, Chairman, Executive Committee, OTCi and Deputy Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress, said, “To build and strengthen union leadership and tripartism, OTCi will focus on an OPEN approach. ‘O’ stands for Outreach – constant outreach to train and equip union leaders of different collars at different levels for effectiveness in an increasingly complex world. ‘P’ stands for Pipeline – OTCi will assist unions in developing their leadership pipeline so that the good work of the past and present generations of leaders will endure. ‘EN’ stands for engagement – engagement and relationship building strengthens the cohesion of the Labour Movement and enhances tripartism.“
New Look for Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute
To reflect its new role and identity, the OTCi has taken on a new logo, which carries the “U” hallmark of the Labour Movement to link the purpose of OTCi to union leadership, and the element of soaring kites to portray the energy, excellence and progressive nature of OTCi and the leaders that it aims to reach out to and to serve. A play on three colours – dark blue, light blue and orange, signifies OTCi’s commitment to enhancing tripartism in Singapore. Please see the new logo in ANNEX A.
On the new logo design, Mr S Thiagarajan, Director, OTCi said, “As a dynamic and cutting edge institute of higher learning and practice in union leadership and tripartism, we wanted a logo that will capture the essence of our vision. The new logo clearly defines the vision of OTCi and the selfless spirit of the people that have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to help workers and businesses, and our economy and society.”
Issued by:
Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute
ANNEX A
1. On 31 July 2009, Mr Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General, National Trades Union Congress and Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, unveiled Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute’s (OTCi) new logo and identity at a National Day Observance Ceremony.
2 OTCi’s vision is to be a regional cutting edge leadership institute and a one-stop platform for the advancement of tripartism. These involve developing its capabilities to become the leadership development hub for the Labour Movement, and promoting tripartite principles and best practices in Singapore.
a) Design of New Logo
b) Description/Meaning of New Logo
The “U” hallmark of the Labour Movement reflects the purpose of OTCi in equipping union leaders to serve the Labour Movement with the right values and effectively. The three soaring kites represent the energy, excellence and progress of OTCi and the leaders it serves.
The combination of the two elements – the “U” hallmark and the kites, highlights OTCi Institute’s objectives of inclusiveness, partnership and all-round development. The play on the three colours of dark blue, light blue and orange portrays OTCi’s commitment to tripartism.
3 The new logo replaces the previous logo of the former Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies.
a) Design of Old Logo
b) Description/Meaning of Old Logo
The logo is made up of building blocks that symbolise the work of the institute in helping to build the foundation of responsible and effective leadership in the union movement. The blocks form steps representing opportunities for union leaders to develop and upgrade their skills and knowledge to bring about a good attitude of industrial relation in Singapore which is so necessary for our economy progress.
