~ Senior Minister Lee among seven eminent recipients to be conferred the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award since 1963 ~
~ Record number of 180 awardees were honoured at NTUC May Day Awards 2025 ~
Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong was conferred the Distinguished Comrade of Labour – this year’s top May Day Award, at the NTUC May Day Awards 2025 ceremony today. Hosted by NTUC President K Thanaletchimi and NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng, this year’s ceremony brought together over 1,200 esteemed guests, including awardees, their families, colleagues, union leaders and tripartite partners.
Held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre, the NTUC May Day Awards 2025 honoured 180 awardees, a historic high since its inception in 1963. Reflecting the NTUC May Day 2025 theme, "For You, With You, Because You Matter", the awards recognised exceptional union leaders, tripartite partners, workers and organisations for their unwavering commitment and care in championing workers’ interests; and making meaningful impact on the Labour Movement.
A champion who cares for all workers, a staunch advocate for their interests
At the ceremony, SG Ng presented SM Lee with the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award, in recognition of his sterling contributions and decades of dedication towards improving workers’ lives and livelihoods. This highest accolade is conferred on individuals who have made unique and supreme contributions to the Labour Movement. Since the inception of the NTUC May Day Awards in 1963, there have been seven recipients of this prestigious award in total1.
Throughout many years of dedicated public service, SM Lee worked tirelessly to strengthen the tripartite partnership between NTUC and its unions, workers, businesses, and the Government. This enabled Singapore to weather economic crises, protect jobs, and create opportunities for workers. The harmonious labour-management climate fostered under his leadership helped grow Singapore’s economy and steadily improved workers’ lives.
Crises such as the 1985 recession, Asian Financial Crisis, Global Financial Crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic were when SM Lee and his team worked relentlessly to protect the economy and safeguard workers’ livelihoods. With support from workers and businesses, SM Lee led the nation through difficult but necessary measures, such as cutting CPF contributions to save costs and preserve jobs, which enabled Singapore to emerge stronger from each crisis.
A strong believer in skills upgrading and lifelong learning, SM Lee led the Government and NTUC to put in place key workforce initiatives to support continuous education and training. In 2008, he launched the Skills Redevelopment Programme, laying the foundation for today’s SkillsFuture programme and movement that empowers workers to keep up with changing employment demands and remain competitive.
SM Lee has also been a tireless advocate for lower-wage workers, introducing and supporting structural schemes such as the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) and the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to uplift their wages and work prospects. Under his leadership, wage growth for lower-income workers remained a regular element of the National Wages Council’s annual recommendations.
Beyond upgrading skills and uplifting wages, SM Lee also sought to improve workplace safety, health, and well-being, to keep both local and migrant workers safe and protected at work. Significant improvements in workplace safety and health standards were achieved, reducing workplace accident rates and improving working conditions across industries.
During his tenure as Prime Minister, NTUC benefitted from his strong support for workforce transformation initiatives, including:
• NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), to provide workers with job-matching, career guidance and skills upgrading services.
• NTUC’s Job Security Council, to support job matching and placement for displaced workers.
• NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative, to help both companies and workers to transform and upskill.
NTUC President K Thanaletchimi said, “SM Lee has been putting workers at the heart of Singapore’s progress. His leadership shaped policies that uplifted workers, protected jobs, and ensured no worker was left behind. We are grateful for his strong support for NTUC and the Labour Movement throughout the decades. It is our honour to confer the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award to him for his dedication towards improving the lives and livelihoods of our workers and supporting the Labour Movement.”
She added, “I also extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the awardees of the May Day Awards 2025. The boldness and resilience they exemplify are values that have shaped our nation. We thank them for their unwavering commitment and care towards advancing the interests of our workers. As we celebrate 60 years of nation-building, NTUC remains committed to the tripartite partnership that has served Singapore and our workers well. We will continue to champion better wages, welfare, and work prospects for our workers because #EveryWorkerMatters.”
In an interview with NTUC, SM Lee expressed his gratitude to the unions for presenting him with the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award. He said, “I am very honoured that the unions are giving me this award. It is a tremendous privilege to have worked with them. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for their cooperation and support all these years, and I hope they give the same support to my successor as well”
Please see (i) Annex A for SM Lee’s interview with NTUC; and (ii) Annex B for SM Lee’s NTUC May Day Awards 2025 Awards Citation.
Recognising outstanding individuals and organisations for their exceptional contributions to workers and the Labour Movement
At the NTUC May Day Awards 2025 ceremony, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng presented a total of 143 awards to individuals2 and 37 awards to organisations3 . Embodying this year’s theme, "For You, With You, Because You Matter," the awardees have displayed dedication and resilience in standing alongside and advocating for workers. For example, among the awardees:
a. Union leaders have been steadfast in championing workers’ interests, strengthening union representation, and deepening outreach to all sectors and types of workers. By serving as the bridge between workers and employers, they ensured that workers continue to be heard and remain at the heart of Singapore’s progress.
b. Management partners and organisations have been critical in shaping a future-ready workforce by championing fair and inclusive employment practices, investing in skills development, and strengthening labour-management relations. Working closely with unions, they drove workplace transformation efforts that improve workers’ wages and work prospects through initiatives like NTUC’s Company Training Committee (CTC).
c. Workers have taken initiative, embodying the spirit of lifelong learning and exemplifying Worker 4.04 . They actively improved their jobs through adopting and initiating productivity improvements, enhancing their employability through upskilling, and remaining adaptable to the fast-evolving work environment.
1 Past recipients of the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award were the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew (1991); the late Ong Teng Cheong, former President of Singapore and former NTUC Secretary-General (1994); Goh Chok Tong, former Prime Minister of Singapore (2001); Lim Boon Heng, former NTUC Secretary-General (2007); Stephen Lee, former President of Singapore National Employers Federation (2015); and Lim Swee Say, former Minister for Manpower and former NTUC Secretary-General (2018).
2 Refer to the list of 143 individual awardees at: https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/news/NTUC-Honours-37-Organisations-for-Contributions-to-Labour-Movement-and-Nation-Building/
3 Refer to the list of 37 organisation awardees at: https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uportal/news/143-Individuals-to-Be-Recognised-at-NTUC-May-Day-Awards-2025-for-Advancing-Workers-Interests/
4 Worker 4.0 displays the traits of Ready, Relevant and Resilient. They are Ready for new jobs, Relevant for new skills and Resilient to new ways of working. Combined, these traits will help Worker 4.0 achieve better skills, and ultimately better Wages, better Welfare and better Work prospects.
