Celebrating National Day Together
1 The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), together with our affiliated unions, association, and unionised companies, will be organising a total of 20 National Day Observance Ceremonies (NDOCs) in August to celebrate Singapore’s 46th birthday (refer to Annex for details). Young NTUC, which has been organising their signature event that runs parallel with the main National Day Parade in the past four years, will once again attempt to break the record of forming the largest human flag this year, while the NTUC National Day Parade (NDP) contingent will continue to march proudly together with the other contingents. The NTUC NDP contingent will also be taking part in the first ever Majulah Moment organised this year.
Majulah! U & me!
2 The Labour Movement’s theme for this year’s NDOCs is "Majulah! U & me!”. This theme is aligned to the National Day Parade tagline, "Majulah! The Singapore Spirit!”, and represents the indelible bond that the Labour Movement has forged with each and every member and workers of Singapore over the five decades to build the strong, vibrant and inclusive Labour Movement of today. It is also our rallying call to all working people to stay united and progress together as an inclusive Labour Movement as we strive towards building a better Singapore.
Opening National Day Observance Ceremony
3 This year, a total of 20 cluster-based, theme-based and company-based NDOCs will be organised to create greater synergies and outreach within the Labour Movement. These union-management jointly-organised NDOCs allow the Labour Movement to show recognition and appreciation to those who have contributed to Singapore’s economic development and success today.
4 Up to 10 newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) will be gracing the NDOCs as Guests-of-Honour for the first time. These newly-elected MPs will be able to interact with workers, union representatives and companies’ management and understand their challenges and views at the events. It also allows the tripartite partners to build a closer and stronger relationship as well as to reaffirm their commitment to work towards a more inclusive Labour Movement and a better Singapore.
5 The Staff Union of NTUC-ARU (SUN) NDOC is the first to kick-start this year’s National Day celebration. Secretary-General of NTUC Lim Swee Say is the Guest-of-Honour at the event. SG Lim will share on the need to strive for Singapore to be first in global competition in order to sustain healthy growth and create enough good jobs. He will also share on the need to strive for Singaporeans to be first in local employment to take on better jobs, earn better pay and live better lives. This also means higher wages for low-wage workers; fair wages for matured workers; meaningful career opportunities for back-to-work women; and better career prospects for Professionals, Managers and Executives.
Young NTUC Celebrates! National Day 2011
6 For the fifth consecutive year, members from the Young NTUC will continue their tradition of celebrating the nation’s birthday. This year, Young NTUC aims to break its own record in forming the largest human flag set in 2008. 13,000 people are expected to attend the Young NTUC Celebrates! National Day (YNCND) 2011 event. In conjunction with NTUC’s 50th anniversary celebration, YNCND 2011 will also feature a retro theme, stirring emotional engagement through interactive audience participation. A candle lighting session will also take place, signifying every hope and dream for the nation, along with the National Day fireworks display. YNCND 2011 celebrations will also be simultaneously broadcast “live” at The Padang and Marina Bay Floating Platform.
NTUC NDP Contingent
7 The Labour Movement has been a proud participant in the NDP since 1966. For the past 45 years, NTUC continues to stand proudly among the other contingents at the NDP. This year, two NTUC participants, have been selected to be a part of the first ever Majulah Moment, where participants receive and raise the State flag to signify their commitment and pledge towards the nation. In addition, one of the oldest participants from NTUC, Mr Leo Sequeira, 67, has been taking part in the parade for 38 times. The NTUC NDP contingent is made up of 44 per cent male and 56 per cent female, with ages ranging from 14 to 68 years old. 20 participants have been tirelessly taking part in the contingent for more than 10 to 30 years. The NTUC NDP 2011 contingent commander is Ms Diana Chia, NTUC Central Committee Member and General Secretary of Healthcare Services Employees’ Union. Diana is the third female to lead the contingent since NTUC joined the NDP celebration.
Closing National Day Observance Ceremony
8 The final NDOC to wrap up the overall celebration will be jointly organised by the Aerospace and Aviation as well as the Transport and Logistics Services Clusters. It will form part of the year-long centennial celebrations of exciting events showcasing the achievements and milestones of Singapore’s aviation industry. Aviation has brought the world closer to Singapore, and has provided a myriad of opportunities for workers to work, live and play here. Today, Singapore is a thriving and vibrant global aviation hub, thanks to the stellar contributions by our pro-business, pro-worker and pro-Singapore union leaders, management and employees of the aerospace and aviation and transport and logistics services industries. Scheduled on 31 August, the event will see Guest-of-Honour NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say and tripartite partners touring an exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of our aviation industry at Changi Airport Terminal 3, following the NDOC.
Conclusion
9 As we celebrate Singapore’s 46th birthday, let us reaffirm our commitment towards a vision of an inclusive labour movement and inclusive growth for all collars, all ages and all nationalities as we strive to achieve better jobs, better pay and better life for all our workers.
