By Avelyn Ng and Ramesh Subbaraman
To mark Singapore’s 52nd year of independence, close to 2,000 guests from the Labour Movement family came together on 8 August 2017 for the NTUC National Day Observance Ceremony (NDOC) at Our Tampines Hub. Tripartite partners present included Minister for Manpower Lim Swee Say and President of the Singapore National Employers Federation Robert Yap.
Besides union leaders, also present were representatives from U Associates, U SME and U FSE - a strong sign of NTUC’s efforts to connect with professional guilds and associations, small- and medium-sized enterprises, and the freelancers and self-employed.
Besides watching performances by talents from Young NTUC and nEbO, attendees toured through three “LM Showcase Cubes” that highlighted initiatives by NTUC to help the working people in the areas of employment, productivity and daily lives.
A Constructive and Empowering LM
In his speech at the event, NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing estimated the nation’s Gross Domestic Product growth to perform better than last year’s 2 per cent. While thanking industry partners and workers for helping to achieve that, he stressed the need to not be complacent and continue the efforts to restructure the economy for the long term.
“First, we must make sure we translate all the 23 Industry Transformation Maps into tangible actions our workers can understand, like where the new job opportunities are, new growth areas and skillsets required.
“The second thing is to mobilise everyone in the country to make full use of the SkillsFuture credits and take a relevant course to upgrade themselves. It may not be something immediately relevant to their jobs now but it will help to broaden their perspectives and put them in a better position in time to come,” said SG Chan.
NTUC Shows Support for Halimah Yacob
The NDOC was also graced by former Speaker of Parliament and presidential election candidate Halimah Yacob, a former unionist who had been with the Labour Movement for 33 years from 1978 till 2011.
At the event, NTUC President Mary Liew emphasised that the Labour Movement will be standing behind Mdm Halimah in her bid for the elected presidency and noted that she had committed wholeheartedly to serving workers.
“Her compassion and care for our workers have also touched the hearts and minds of many. Even though she left the Labour Movement in 2011, she has continued to have our workers’ interests at heart.
“Thus, when she announced that she is running for the elected presidency, the Labour Movement is very excited and supportive of her decision. This is because we believe that she can bring our nation together to do good for our country and serve Singapore and Singaporeans wholeheartedly,” said Ms Liew.
She also told the media that Mdm Halimah had approached her to be one of her assentors on nomination day.
Speaking to the media at the NDOC, SG Chan noted that Mdm Halimah is a warm and dear friend of the Labour Movement and that is evident from the support shown to her at the event.
SG Chan said: “We are very proud of her achievements. She has always been a champion for the workers, especially the less privileged and she has touched the lives of many people. I wish her all the very best."
Halimah’s Candidacy
On 6 August 2017, Mdm Halimah announced her decision to contest the upcoming presidential election.
A day later, she submitted her resignation letter to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong from her posts of speaker, member of parliament and member of the People’s Action Party.
In her time with the Labour Movement, she held various positions such as director of the Women’s Development Secretariat (now known as Women and Family Unit), director of the NTUC Legal Services Department, executive secretary of the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries, and NTUC deputy secretary-general.
Speaking to the media the day she announced her decision, Mdm Halimah said: “I spent 33 years of my life in the Labour Movement. They are my backbone. I’ve gone to unions to ask for their support personally and they have said that they will support me.”
