NTUC 50 MAY DAY RALLY 2011
1 The Labour Movement celebrated May Day Rally 2011 with grand fanfare to mark the 50th Anniversary of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
2 Some 8,500 people comprising union leaders and members past and present, key personnel of the NTUC Social Enterprises, staff of NTUC, representatives of the tripartite partners, government ministers including Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, and People’s Action Party (PAP) candidates filled up the Singapore Indoor Stadium to commemorate this momentous occasion.
3 This was the largest May Day Rally the Labour Movement has witnessed in recent memory. With the economy doing well, and against the backdrop of NTUC’s 50th Anniversary celebrations, the mood was upbeat and buoyant.
4 The Rally opened with a concert of vibrant and energetic dance items put together in true tripartite fashion by NTUC, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF). A march-in parade of 516 flag bearers representing the NTUC-affiliated unions and associations, NTUC Social Enterprises, related organisations, Labour Movement Communities and the tripartite partners was another special item to mark the 50th Anniversary celebrations. Participants also enjoyed a video clip that traced the formation and growth of the Labour Movement through the decades, and showed how the Labour Movement, working in concert with the tripartite partners, has steered Singapore through crises and built a better life for workers.
5 Besides the opening address by NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say and the keynote address by Guest-of-Honour, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, another key highlight of the May Day Rally was the recitation of the May Day Resolution. NTUC President John De Payva led the recitation, flanked by the tripartite leaders. The recitation of the May Day Resolution is a tradition that re-affirms the Labour Movement’s commitment to bring about a better life for the workers of Singapore, its solidarity with the international labour fraternity, and its symbiotic relationship with the PAP.
6 While May Day commemorations the world over are typically characterised by strikes, demonstrations and violence, the May Day Rally in Singapore has been a testimony to the spirit of trust and collaboration that underpins tripartism Singapore-style.
7 The atmosphere at this year’s May Day Rally was particularly electrifying, complete with pyrotechnics, confetti and cheering from the crowd. The Singapore Indoor Stadium was a sea of colours with participants decked out in ‘U & Me’ T-shirts in the five different colours of the NTUC 50 ‘U & Me’ logo. U & Me depicts the strong and indelible bond that the Labour Movement has forged with union members and the workers of Singapore. The five colours – red, magenta, blue, green and orange - symbolize the five decades of the Labour Movement.
8 In his address at the May Day Rally where he paid tribute to veteran union leaders, some of whom were present at the Rally, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say announced that the new e2i campus at Jurong Lake District, which will be opened in 2013, will be named the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability.
9 This is a befitting tribute to the late Mr C V Devan Nair, who was a founding member of NTUC and NTUC Secretary-General from 1963 to 1965 and from 1970 to 1979. A pioneering leader of Singapore’s trade union movement who demonstrated remarkable vision, courage and foresight, he advocated that wage increases must be underpinned by productivity, and was a strong proponent of adult education.
10 Together with its sister CET campus in the east, the Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability will become a one-stop hub for all workers to access skills training and upgrading as well as job opportunities. When completed in 2013, both campuses will train up to 50,000 workers annually.
