Ms Shyma became a union leader in the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) in 1979, and became an Industrial Relations Officer in 1985. She rose through the ranks and became the Deputy General Secretary in 1991 and has been in the position till today.
Ms Shyma has always played a pivotal role in ensuring fair and equitable treatment for public sector employees through successful win-win negotiations with the management of ministries and statutory boards. Her amicable personality has enabled her to build trust and lasting relationships with the management. This has always worked to help in early sharing and consultations on organisational changes and putting in preventive measures before problems arise.
Till today, through her active engagement with management, Ms Shyma has successfully represented union members on work issues and disciplinary inquiries. She has been a Member of the Public Service Commission Panel of Union Officials at Committee of Inquiry in the Civil Service since 2012.
She was also a Member of the Supervisory Panel under REACH, the lead agency for citizen-engagement on national and social issues, from 2010 to 2014. Through her valuable contributions, REACH was able to develop a more holistic framework to solicit feedback from the public.
At the NTUC level, she is currently a Member of the Public Service Cluster since 2016. She is also serving in various NTUC committees such as the International Relations Committee, the Education Cluster, the Financial and Business Services Cluster and the Healthcare Cluster. She was on the Board of Directors from 2001 to 2010 of NTUC First Campus Co-operative Limited and the Little Skool-House International Pte Ltd. She was conferred the Public Service Medal (PBM) by the President of Singapore in 2009, backed by the Labour Movement’s strong support.
Nominated by National Trades Union Congress
