The May Day Awards this year honoured 117 outstanding individuals and companies for their contributions to the Labour Movement and in helping to better the lives of workers.
Perhaps you’ve read the citations of the award winners and know how highly regarded they are in the Labour Movement. But in case you haven’t, you can read their full citations here.
Well, we spoke to some Comrade of Labour (COL) and Medal of Commendation (MOC) winners about what makes them want to serve workers and contribute to the Labour Movement.
Not to worry, other winners in the different categories will also be featured in the weeks to come.
But for now, here’s what a few of the COL and MOC awardees had to say:
“I believe that every award needs sheer effort to gain. My main focus is to help or assist members facing difficulties.” – Raymond Ong Thiam Khoon, President, National Taxi Association (Comrade of Labour)
“In the new economy, it must be understood that union leadership today has made a paradigm shift to that of servant leadership. This is the form of leadership that replaces self-interest with service to members.” – Lakshmanan Sinnatamby, Assistant General Secretary, Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (Comrade of Labour)
“My nature has always been to help those who are in need. I serve because I believe that I can provide the assistance these members need to resolve their issues.” – Mohamed Tahir Dawood, Executive Committee Member, Singapore Bank Employees’ Union (Comrade of Labour)
“With a strong partnership with the unions and support from them, I am happy to be able to do my part to contribute to improving the lifelong employability and productivity of our employees.” – Gloria Chin, HR Director, National Environment Agency (Medal of Commendation)
“Building trust and a constructive relationship between management and union are critical to overcome challenges and achieve win-win outcomes.” – Heng Chiang How, Assistant Vice-President (Hr Projects) / Senior Industrial Relations Advisor. PSA Corporation (Medal of Commendation)
“Working together [with the Labour Movement] gives us an opportunity to connect with key partners in the relevant fields to better prepare our employees to upgrade their knowledge and skills to be the future workforce.” – Seng Joo How, CEO, CPG Facilities Management (Medal of Commendation)
