The public transport industry has seen much progress in the past few years. However, the union, management partners and the Government need to continue to work together to improve on some areas.
This was said by NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Chan Chun Sing at the National Transport Workers’ Union’s (NTWU) Ordinary Convention of Delegates on 7 July 2017. SG Chan, who also chairs NTWU’s council of advisors, was present as guest of honour.
In his speech, SG Chan said: “We need to set ourselves high standards in the transport sector. All of you here play an important role. If our transport system is not in tip-top condition, no one will believe in Singapore.
“The message we send across is very simple. If we can’t keep our roads clean and well maintained, and our trains and buses running on time, then it would give the rest of the world little reason to believe in Singapore’s capabilities.”
Bus Contracting Model
Touching on the Bus Contracting Model, SG Chan said that it is an achievement in making sure bus drivers are not at a disadvantage when they switch companies.
“However, we need to look at how our bus workers can move seamlessly from one bus company to another. This would be good for the entire industry.
“We need to study how a bus worker can have continuous health coverage regardless of the company he is working for. If a worker is no worse off regarding pay when he switches company, we may find a situation where companies keep ratcheting up benefits to the worker. This may be good for the worker in the short-term, but it may hurt the worker in the long-term as he may find it difficult to switch companies,” he said.
Under the model which started in 2016, the Government owns all buses and depots while transport operators bid for the right to operate routes.
Rail Industry
The union, management partners and Government need to lend support to rail workers as the system is now going through a transition, said SG Chan.
He said: “The public pressure they are facing now is tremendous. The rail system is rapidly expanding. As we change the train’s signalling system, there are bound to be glitches. There is no short cut for us, and we need to work together to iron out these issues as systematically as we can.”
Leadership Development
SG Chan also highlighted that NTWU and management partners need to consider leadership issues. “We need to look at how union leaders can continue to take up leadership roles even as they move from one company to another. For the Bus Contracting Model to work, it will be quite obvious that there will be movement of leaders and workers from company to company,” he said.
Training
The bus industry is seeing more new technology such as remotely piloted buses, and SG Chan urged stakeholders to think about how to help bus workers acquire skill sets to work with these new systems.
“I don’t believe we have to worry in the next five years that all bus jobs will be gone. But we do have to find out the new areas of technology in the industry so that we can help our workers to be prepared for this change, especially for those who are older and need more time to acquire the skills,” he said.
Foreign Workers
SG Chan also said that as the industry transitions, foreign employees in the bus industry cannot be left behind.
“We must make sure we are consistently engaging them in our continuity plan to transform the industry. Our transport system will not be able to work if there was a disruption in the supply of foreign workers. We have to think through this, and how we approach the help we give to local workers must be met with the same approach for our foreign workers,” he said.
