More than 250 guests from government ministries and statutory boards, unions and management partners attended the Singapore Tripartism Forum (STF) Industrial Relations (IR) Seminar. The STF IR Seminar was jointly organised by the tripartite partners for union leaders, employer representatives and government officials to discuss and exchange views on current and emerging issues on the employment and industrial relations landscape.
Future Ready Tripartism
Themed “Future Ready Tripartism”, the seminar discussed how tripartism needs to evolve in order to stay relevant, and discussed two broad thrusts:
NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say delivered an address at the seminar where he highlighted key points that a) we are bringing in more professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) into the tripartite fold so as to better address their needs and expectations; b) the push for productivity as a tripartite effort; and c) the importance of gearing up workers and businesses to be future-ready.
After Secretary-General Lim Swee Say’s speech, the Ministry of Manpower presented on the key challenges and trends affecting companies and workforce.
The STF IR Seminar also included a closed-door dialogue session, where Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Dr Amy Khor, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say and SNEF President Dr Robert Yap responded to the various views and concerns raised by the participants. Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and National Development Lee Yi Shyan was also on the panel, which was moderated by SNEF Immediate Past President Stephen Lee. Participants at the dialogue affirmed strong and effective tripartism as key to Singapore’s continued success.
The tripartite partners also released guidelines on extending and expanding the scope of union representation of executives at the seminar. The guidelines will take effect together with the commencement of the amended Industrial Relations Act. The advance release of the guidelines is to help prepare unions and employers early and address concerns that employers and unions had about how they should adapt to proposed amendments to the Industrial Relations Act. (Please refer to ANNEX A for the guidelines).
Tripartism a key tenet of Singapore’s development and growth
Strong and effective tripartism has provided the foundation for Singapore’s industrial relations landscape and has been a key competitive advantage contributing to Singapore’s development and growth. Over the years, it has promoted a stable and harmonious climate for businesses to operate, and has created good jobs for Singaporeans.
Singapore’s model of tripartism has been characterised by strong partnership, mutual trust and cooperation between the government, employers and the labour movement. This is evident in the regular dialogues and the formation of various tripartite workgroups to help develop and implement solutions for national issues. Many of these tripartite workgroups have recommended many policy changes that benefited workers while enhancing the competitiveness and productivity of companies.
Conclusion
A strong tripartite partnership has been the hallmark of Singapore in contributing to its social and economic success. The long-standing trust and understanding that have been built over the years should continue to be sustained and further strengthened amongst the new generations of tripartite leaders. Tripartism in Singapore will continue to evolve with the times to address Singapore’s ongoing challenges and cater to the needs of its people.
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