I am very honored to be here today as we celebrate the efforts and contributions of our pioneer generation union members and leaders. Singapore celebrates her 49th birthday this year. In a short span of close to about 5 decades, we have progressed from a small trading post to an advanced and efficient nation with one of the highest standards of living in the world. This is not an easy feat. This development would not have been possible if not for our pioneer generation who worked selflessly and tirelessly to transform Singapore into a place we proudly call ‘home’. They rose to the challenge of nation-building at a time of great uncertainty. Their collective efforts and beliefs contributed significantly to the transformation and growth of our economy and industries.
Over the past 40 years, we have moved from low value-add, high labour intensive manufacturing to high value-added and technology intensive manufacturing facilities. For instance, Makino Asia has transformed from a company that is heavily reliant on foreign workers to a high value-add company with a Singaporean core today. NatSteel has also transformed itself to an innovative and technology-driven environment, with a strong growing business that is among the top global steel companies today.
However, all these developments would not have been possible without our pioneer generation. I’ll like to take this opportunity to share a story.
Brother Teo Kee Choon started as a semi-skilled operator in Leica Instruments Singapore in 1971 with a basic salary of $ 160. In the earlier years, the machines were transferred from companies overseas to Singapore’s local manufacturing facility. During this period of transition, there were a lot of issues in terms of manpower, quality and production procedures. Additionally, it was a very steep learning curve for all the workers as they were to be trained in very technical matters when most of them came from manual background. Times were tough. He was the sole-breadwinner and also had 2 young children. Brother Teo decided to take the lead and formed a union in the company to protect the welfare of the workers and to safeguard their interests. As a union leader, Brother Teo faced a lot of resistance from the company. He also had to manage varying levels of expectations from workers without compromising on their overall interests. It had not been an easy road but he was very thankful for his strong family support.
He retired in 2008 as a skilled machinist. After 37 years, he is able to attest to the productivity increase and manpower reduction which came with the intervention of automation. There is time and cost savings with higher accuracy. Company has also improved its policies with a focus on training and development of its employees. Now, a worker is able to operate 2 to 3 machines comfortably. There is also strong emphasis on safety procedures to ensure the well-being of all its employees in the facility.
I definitely did not do justice to Brother Teo’s contributions made over the years with my short sharing.
Please join me in a toast to all our pioneer generation members!
To all these members, once again, thank you!
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