This year’s May Day Awards recognises outstanding men, women and organisations that have created a significant impact on the lives of workers in Singapore. And to honour them, our unions have nominated a total of 89 out of the 141 awardees this year.
Look out for more in upcoming weeks as we continue to shine the spotlight on our winners in this ongoing series. You can read their full citations here.
Puah Kok Keong, Deputy Secretary (Policy), Ministry of Home Affairs (Working People’s Advocate)
Kok Keong invited the Union of Security Employees to be involved at each stage of the development of the Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM) and supported the union’s contributions in all workgroups. This allowed workers’ interests to be represented at all stages of the ITM’s development.
With his willingness to consult the union and the successful launch of the Security ITM for the betterment of the industry, Kok Keong has positively demonstrated how tripartism is Singapore’s unique strategic advantage.
Nominated by the Union of Security Employees
Azmi Mahmood Razali, Executive Committee Member, Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union (Comrade of Labour)
One of the key ingredients that has spelt success for Azmi is resilience. There have been occasions when his efforts did not bear fruits initially in labour-management relations, but he persevered. He is driven by the belief that such relations are important to the well-being of his members.
Nominated by Attractions, Resorts & Entertainment Union
Dr Vijayarani Govindasamy, Deputy General Secretary, Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union (Comrade of Labour)
Here is someone who has shown great dedication and enthusiasm in promoting the welfare of STTU members by liaising with the Ministry of Education’s Human Resource Division. Vijayarani has played a key role in organising major events like conferences, annual seminars and learning journeys for the professional development of STTU’s members. She has also lent her talent to producing educational resources and managing educational projects.
Nominated by Singapore Tamil Teachers’ Union
Ministry of Health (Partner of Labour Movement)
The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been a valuable partner to the Labour Movement, in particular, the NTUC Healthcare Cluster and Healthcare Services Employees' Union (HSEU). It constantly engages the Cluster and union to improve the jobs and skills of healthcare employees. Through the Healthcare Tripartite Committee for Workforce Innovation and Productivity (HTC), the Ministry consulted the Healthcare Cluster and HSEU on the Industry Manpower Plan, which translated into the Sectoral Manpower Plan. The Ministry also engaged HSEU’s nursing representatives on the future of nursing careers. The various consultations show the strong synergy and partnership between MOH and the Labour Movement to transform the healthcare industry for the betterment of working people, the industry and the nation as a whole.
Nominated by NTUC Healthcare Cluster and Healthcare Services Employees’ Union
The Singapore Police Force (Partner of Labour Movement)
The Singapore Police Force’s Police Licencing & Regulatory Department (PLRD) has been consistent in their approach in engaging the Union of Security Employees (USE) in an open and collaborative manner for the union to provide feedback concerning Security Officers (SOs) and their employers. Following the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model in 2016, PLRD initiated a review of the current annual security agency grading exercise to be more security outcome-based and have held several rounds of engagement with stakeholders, including USE, to co-create a system which is not only fairer to the security agencies, but also results in employers being more responsible to ensure that a holistic training framework is in place for their SOs.
Nominated by Union of Security Employees
Environmental Management Association of Singapore (Partner of Labour Movement)
Environmental Management Association of Singapore (EMAS) has been pivotal in working hand-in-hand with the Labour Movement and the Government in transforming the cleaning industry. It has always shown keen interest in finding solutions to improve the wages of cleaners and enhancing the progressive standards of the industry along with tripartite partners. It is a member of the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners and have been involved in the development and revision of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) since its formation days. EMAS is also in the Cleaning Sectoral Tripartite Committee, which is behind the development of the Environmental Services Industry Transformation Map.
Nominated by Building Construction And Timber Industries Employees’ Union
