NTUC to confer May Day Awards 2023 on 44 organisations for their outstanding role in promoting workers’ interests

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) will hold the annual May Day Awards Ceremony at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre on Monday, 22 May 2023. Through the prestigious May Day Awards, NTUC will recognise and honour distinguished and deserving individuals - including union leaders, workers, company managements and government representatives - as well as organisations, for championing our workers’ interests and rights; and contributing to the cause of the Labour Movement to improve workers’ wages, welfare and work prospects. The awardees’ efforts have been instrumental in helping our workers and companies take on challenges and seize opportunities in our ever-changing economic and socio-political world.

NTUC May Day Awards 2023 for Organisations

In the first part of our sharing of the NTUC May Day Award 2023 listing, there are 44 organisations that will be awarded under these following categories:

a) Plaque of Commendation (Star)
b) Plaque of Commendation (Gold)
c) Plaque of Commendation
d) Partner of Labour Movement

These organisations share a common dedication in promoting training and skills upgrading for workers; enhancing workers’ employability and employment; and improving employee’s welfare. The organisations also exemplify the importance of tripartism, where employers, unions, and government agencies work together to create a fair and progressive environment for every worker to grow and thrive.

Among the organisation awardees, National University Hospital will be receiving the Plaque of Commendation (Star) award, while Singapore Airlines Limited, YTL PowerSeraya Pte Limited, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and Shell Companies in Singapore will be receiving the Plaque of Commendation (Gold) award, for their consistent and long-term efforts towards promoting and supporting the Labour Movement’s outcomes.

Plaque of Commendation (Gold) awardee Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) is a notable example of how an organisation puts the welfare of healthcare workers at the forefront. TTSH considered workers’ concerns and sought buy-in from staff as it embarked on a 10-year transformation journey to improve patient care. The TTSH management has consistently worked closely with one of NTUC’s affiliated unions, Healthcare Services Employees’ Union (HSEU) to support workers, especially during the pandemic, by improving their welfare and mental well-being, and ensuring manpower demands are properly managed.

NTUC is also proud to recognise organisations that have stepped up to ensure workers are supported through different stages of their career. These efforts include setting up Company Training Committees (CTC) or embarking on Operation and Technology Roadmaps (OTR) to ensure workers progress in tandem with business transformation; and adopting age-friendly practices to retain and attract older workers.

For example, Plaque of Commendation awardees, Cominco Pte Ltd and NetLink Trust have adopted these inclusive age-friendly practices. NetLink Trust offers yearly re-employment to their employees and continue to reward older workers with annual increments and bonuses. Cominco has been awarded a few Tripartite Standards marks, including one for age-friendly practices. Partner of Labour awardee, Grenadier Press has also increased the organisation’s internal retirement age to 70, beyond Singapore’s legal requirement of 63¹ , enabling seniors to have the option to continue contributing to the labour market, if they choose so.

Plaque of Commendation awardee Sun City Maintenance formed a CTC in 2019 and have since invested in technology at the worksite to increase workers’ productivity and minimise their manual workload. Partner of Labour Movement awardee Oriental Remedies Group participated in the Traditional Chinese Medicine Industry Sectorial OTR to attract and retain TCM practitioners, on top of supporting flexible work arrangements and work-life harmony, and anti-workplace harassment policies. Both companies have shown strong commitments to bettering workers’ welfare.

For more information, please refer to Annex A on the organisation award categories and the full list of 44 organisation awardees receiving the above awards. NTUC will be releasing the list of May Day Awards 2023 for individual awardees at a later date.

¹ Ministry of Manpower (Online), “Retirement” https://www.mom.gov.sg/employment-practices/retirement