Opening Remarks by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng at the Official Opening of ReUnion - An Exhibition by NTUC

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Thank you for joining us for the launch of this milestone exhibition. It is aptly titled ReUnion. 50 years have passed, and today we mark an important reunion for all of us. To get reacquainted with our past, to reconnect with our Labour Movement, and to catch up with friends who stand in solidarity with us and our workers. 

All the way back 50 years ago in November 1969, the Labour Movement held a monumental seminar for the modernisation of the Labour Movement at the Singapore Conference Hall. Why did our pioneers, why did they get together to do this seminar? Well, we are all very familiar with how Singapore was thrusted into statehood in 1965, and with no hinterland, no resources, whether behind us or under us, and with a largely unskilled workforce, the odds of Singapore surviving, don't even talk about thriving, as an independent nation, was really against us. 

 

The workers and the unions had supported the People's Action Party into power. The PAP-led government had to act decisively to ensure that Singapore not only survived, but thrived. And it was just that simple rationale that caused our pioneers to hold this seminar. Modernise or die. 

 

In 1967, amidst all the tumultuous times of our early nationhood, the British announced that it will pull out its troops. Initially by the mid-1970s, but they brought forward the timeline to 1971. Why was this significant economically? Many of us in Singapore today do not quite know the size of the British presence in Singapore. It actually constituted 21,000 jobs back then and 14% of our GDP. Today, if you compare what we have in Singapore, if you add in the air, land, sea components of our transport ecosystem, it contributes 10% of GDP. That is how significant 14% GDP meant. So, this sudden flow out made it even more pressing for the Government of that day to do what was necessary to ensure economic growth, not in the conceptual sense but for the bread and butter of our workers,

and employment for Singaporeans. 

 

In 1968 the government took the first step to change the Employment Act. And it was passed together with the amendment of the Industrial Relations Act as well. This legislation clearly defined the management, rights of employers, standardised and regulated the terms and conditions of employment in Singapore. Conversely, this meant that the union's role, which hitherto included taking industrial actions in demand for fair pay, was now subjugated by law. Workers therefore did not quite see the need to join unions that much anymore and this was evidenced by the sharp drop in union membership from 120,000 in 1965 to 90,000 in 1969. A sharp drop of 25%. It was very significant. 

 

Now you understand why the Labour Movement says modernise or die. Around that time, unions in the West had already been asking questions of themselves, up till today actually, about existential questions on whether there was a role for unions in the modernising world. This was the time of disruption demonstrated by then US President John F Kennedy, setting the bold goal for America to reach the moon by the end of the decade, and they did so in 1969 July 20th, if you are interested in history. 

 

With technological advancements like that, will workers still need unions? Then advisor to NTUC and chairman of the seminar Mr. Devan Nair started discussing the idea of modernising the Labour Movement of Singapore, having had exposure to discussions overseas. He broached this idea with our first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, and Minister for Finance Dr Goh Keng Swee, after determining from the Labour Movement point of view, it is: do or die. The choice was clear.

 

Labour had to modernise or risk being singled out by destiny, I quote, "for eventual failure and extinction", as Mr. Devan Nair wrote in that three seminar papers all the way back in 1969. Later you can see some of these actual handwriting on display in the exhibition. The idea of this important modernisation seminar was therefore adopted to take place on November 16th 1969. Much work had to be done. Research, for example, and the establishment of business cases for some of the ideas had to be conducted. 

 

The Labour Movement alone did not have sufficient resources to do so and the Government leaned forward to help. Leaders from the labour movement and the Government including Mr Lee, Dr Goh, and Mr S Rajaratnam, then Minister for Labour, and Mr Devan Nair, amongst others, presented key ideas for the seminar over three important workshops. And you can see later for yourselves, the conference materials replicated here at the exhibition. Delegates, importantly, supported the fourteen recommendations to cement Labour's role in the new economy. The new economy being 1969.

 

Together with Government and management, unions will have co-ownership and co-responsibility in ensuring Singapore's survival. This is what tripartism mean in essence today. This exhibition, I hope, will introduce Singaporeans, the younger Singaporeans, to this key idea of tripartism, that the Labour Movement work with the government, work with employers to have co-ownership and co-responsibility for Singapore's survival and prosperity in our context today. The seminar therefore gave birth to the tripartism movement as we know it today, and also to the birth of strong social enterprises, FairPrice, Foodfare, Income to ensure that our workers have the social enterprises to take care of their welfare.  The Ong Teng Cheong Institute, our own labour training establishment, which has helped put together this exhibition today, was birthed from one of these fourteen recommendations way back from 1969. 

 

Over the past 50 years, the Labour Movement has consistently delivered the goods to our workers as Mr Devan Nair had pledged. Looking after their wages, their welfare and more and more, in today's context, the work prospects of our workers for the future. The Labour Movement, by any measure, has done well over the last 50 years. Our Government has kept its promise to the Labour Movement and our management partners, represented here today by SNEF, have also to thank for this.

 

Workers' lives in Singapore have improved. Our economy in 1965, if my memory serves me correctly, was about $300 million, not adjusted for today's dollars. $300 million is the size of our economy in 1965. Today we are close to $400 billion. The progress that has been anchored by tripartism is a model that many come to Singapore to look at. Singapore could do what we do, only because of this special trust between the three parties: Government, employers and the workers. Likewise, NTUC can do what we can do, because of the symbiotic relationship between the PAP and the NTUC. 

 

The showpieces of this exhibition, later you will see, a pair of watches that was gifted by the Singapore Union of Postal and Telecommunication Workers (SUPTW), represents this special bond between the unions and the PAP. This is the most touching story because these watches were presented to our founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mrs Lee Kuan Yew because all the way back in 1952, he represented SUPTW and fought for the welfare, for the rights of the workers. And of course, Mr Lee Kuan Yew and the union won, and this is the start of Mr Lee Kuan Yew's political career when he formed the PAP later. And in all the things that the PAP has done, with Mr Lee Kuan Yew at the heart of it all, he put workers at the heart of everything the PAP did. And through the last days of his life, some of the workers, I continue to hear wonderful stories of how Mr Lee Kuan Yew did his best in Tanjong Pagar to take care of the port workers, take care of the daily rated workers. This is the essence of our value system, together between PAP and NTUC. 

 

But we cannot be contented and forget the lessons, the hard lessons learnt 50 years ago. Although today, NTUC’s membership is strong, a few hundred thousand, the strength today is not necessarily a trajectory in the future uncertain world. It is now the belaboured point that technology is disrupting the world, that workers need to transform. We have said it so often but every day in Singapore and around us, businesses are changing and if we are not careful, somebody will steal our cheese.

 

Therefore, the labour movement has chartered the way forward, staying relevant and representative. We've created a training arm in NTUC to ensure that workers don't just have good wages today, good welfare today, but good work prospects for the future, so that we can have a sustainable thriving system that we can all ensure that we will succeed. In the Labour Movement, we must ensure better wages, better welfare, and better work prospects for our workers. To do this, we have partnered with the Government to forge the industry transformation and Industry 4.0. Like previous industry revolutions, many workers will be displaced, may be displaced. But in Singapore, through the good education system and SkillsFuture, we adopt the right mindset, can benefit from these disruptive

technologies, because Singaporeans and Singapore are best poised to leverage the technologies to transform our economy, ensure that the Singapore economy succeeds where our businesses can thrive and then we can have sustainable wages, welfare, and better work prospects. 

 

Industry 4.0 requires Workers 4.0. The Worker 4.0 in Singapore needs to be adaptive, technologically savvy and technically skilled labour. NTUC will be alongside to help our workers along this journey. We have said so and we are doing so. 

 

For the nation, DPM Heng Swee Keat had shared that the 4G government will partner Singaporeans to improve policies and programmes. This will better meet Singaporean's needs, by developing, evolving and implementing effective policies for Singaporeans, together with Singaporeans. For the Labour Movement, we will continue as we had before to work hard for our workers, together with our workers, members, union leaders and tripartite partners to improve the lives of workers. The example that is in the market today, is the almost ubiquitous Company Training Committees, the CTCs. I shared earlier that the Labour Movement aims to set up 1,000 CTCs over three years, to help more than 330,000 of our workers to adapt to the new situations. This idea was generated and born when union leaders shared that workers on the ground needed greater clarity and assurance and guidance on preparing themselves for economic disruption and transformation. And in that I do thank my Central Committee members, our union leader brothers and sisters on the ground for easing me into the Labour Movement and showing me the works and teaching me many things about Labour Movement policies and so on.

 

And I thank my SNEF partner as well for being very reasonable, fair and showing us also their concerns in this greatly changing world and challenging business environment. And of course, my sister Josephine from the Manpower Ministry for always having that steady hand to make sure that things are well resourced and that the environment for success, carefully charted and planned out beforehand. Thank you to all of you.

 

This is not quite usual of me but today is a long speech, so you have to bear with me for a few more minutes. Well, Professor Tom Elliot, chairman of one of the workshops at the modernisation seminar in 1969, shared that the Labour Movement must have a clear enunciation of its policies towards the whole issue of technology versus workers, so that an equitable balance may be struck between the natural aspirations of the workers, while satisfying life on one hand, and the needs of the organisation in a competitive technological world continue to be viable on the other hand. These are very, very important words. With better skills and better work prospects, we can help workers earn better wages in a sustainable manner. We can also better protect their welfare whether at work or socially, where our social enterprises continue to play important roles to stretch our workers' dollars.

 

I'm certain there will be rapid changes in our society and in the world to engage our ground more closely. Work with our workers to identify and crowd source for the best solutions. This will serve us well forward for the next 50 years and beyond. Today at this exhibition, we will see how our pioneers have shown us the way, all the way back from 1969. Where, faced with tumultuous challenges, they gritted their teeth, did what they needed to do, and each time they have guided us forward successfully. In the same spirit, the Labour Movement must today, continue what is unique to Singapore. In the Prime Minister's words; the secret sauce that we openly tell people, but the secret sauce that somehow cannot be replicated around the world. This is our advantage, and I hope through this exhibition, Singaporeans can be reminded to treasure this unique feature of our country: tripartism.

 

And for all of you here that are of one mind with us, move forward after this exhibition, attract more people to come so that they can understand and value tripartism and the Labour Movement in Singapore. So, I will end my speech here. I would welcome Madam President to give us her words and her views on how the Labour Movement can continue the pioneering spirits and views in the current generation and future generation of union leaders, and the need for innovation and modernising. We want to play our part as a Labour Movement in the success of Singapore, and we will do our part.