The Labour Movement mourns the loss of an outstanding comrade, Mr Nithiah Nandan S/O Arumugam
21 June 2007
Media Statement
1 With a deep sense of loss, the labour movement mourns the passing of Mr Nithiah Nandan s/o Arumugam on 21 June 2007. Brother Nithiah was Vice-President of the NTUC Central Committee and Executive Secretary of the Union of Power and Gas Employees (UPAGE).
2 A unionist for more than thirty years, Brother Nithiah had dedicated much of his life to serving his fellow workers. Within the labour movement, he had established a reputation for being a champion and a fighter for workers. A man of humble beginnings, he rose up the ranks at work and as a unionist.
3 In his younger days, he had tried every odd job that came his way to make ends meet. He had worked as a fertiliser packer, construction site cleaner and even a nightclub bouncer, before he landed a contract job at a shipyard. For 15 hours each day, he was on his hands and knees scrubbing soot off ship boilers.
4 His first break came in 1966 when he was employed by the Public Utilities Board as a daily-rated general worker, earning a mere sum of $4.55 a day. He later moved to the Pasir Panjang Power Station and found his calling to help fellow workers when he helped a family friend, who was a member of the PUB Daily-Rated Employees’ Union (PUBDREU), with union work.
5 The leadership quality in him soon became apparent to those around him. Day by day, more and more workers looked to Brother Nithiah for help when they had workplace grievances. Before long, he had become their unofficial union leader and he took on the task of being a bridge between workers and management. The support given to him by his fellow workers was overwhelming when he finally stood for union elections in 1979. At the next elections in 1982, he became Deputy General Secretary, and at the following elections in 1988, he was made General Secretary of the PUBDREU.
6 Brother Nithiah became a full-time unionist in 1996 to help his fellow workers cope with the corporatisation of the electricity and gas industry. The PUBDREU and the PUB Staff Union were amalgamated to form UPAGE. He was Secretary of the protem committee and subsequently, General Secretary of UPAGE. In 1999, he was elected as Executive Secretary of the union.
7 As a union leader, he set a good example for his fellow workers by continuously upgrading his skills so that he remained relevant and productive at the workplace. His determination in skills upgrading soon became an inspiration for many workers who aspired to do better. As he upgraded himself, he became qualified for a monthly-salaried job, which then meant an end to his work at the daily-rated union.
8 However, he would not abandon his fellow daily-rated workers; he stayed on and became one of the last of the daily-rated workers to be converted to monthly-salaried staff. To him, his fellow workers came before self. Until he became a full-time unionist in 1996, he was still drawing a salary on a daily basis in the public sector but his fighting spirit and steadfast pragmatism did not dampen his enthusiasm to serve the workers.
9 Brother Nithiah’s heart to serve workers propelled him to seek election to the NTUC Central Committee. His first attempt in 1991 was unsuccessful. Undeterred, and with characteristic tenacity, he contested again in 1994 and was successfully elected. He had remained a member of the NTUC Central Committee since, and had been a Vice-President since 1997.
10 In recognition of his contributions to the labour movement, Brother Nithiah was presented the the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal) in 1997 and the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in 2001.
11 In 2002, he agreed to be nominated by the labour movement to speak up for the interests of workers, particularly low-wage workers, in Parliament as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP). When asked about his NMP appointment, he said, “I know how workers feel because I was once a daily-rated employee who used to take home about $120 a month.” He was the right person for the job.
12 His NMP appointment must have encouraged many people with humble beginnings that, in Singapore, opportunities abound for those with passion and dedication to serve. Apart from his NMP post, Brother Nithiah had also served as an NTUC representative in working and advisory committees at the national level - ranging from the Cost Review Committee, Medifund Advisory Council, and Tripartite Committee on Employment of Older Workers, to the National Wages Council.
13 Regardless of his appointment and representation, he was not afraid to speak out for policies or changes which may have been unpopular, but which he strongly believed in. He was a unionist respected by the workers, management, fellow unionists and politicians. He never spoke for himself but always in the interests of workers and the labour movement.
14 Despite being diagnosed with cancer, he continued to remain active in the labour movement until his last days, especially with regard to matters for his own union, UPAGE, which he worked hard to form in 1996. Although he could not be physically present at meetings during the past year, he kept abreast of all developments over the telephone and continued to give guidance to his fellow union leaders.
15 Brother Nithiah suffered from an aggressive form of renal cell cancer. Despite the bleak prognosis, he made every effort to fight the crippling side effects of the various treatments and his failing health. In an interview with NTUC This Week, he said during his last days, ”I don’t regret the fight against cancer. I knew from the beginning that I didn’t have a chance. But I fought hard. I fought because I owe it to my wife and children. As a union leader, I made them make sacrifices with me.”
16 Brother Nithiah was a leader and a fighter through and through. He will be missed and fondly remembered – as a comrade, friend and champion. He is an inspiration to all of us.
Lim Boon Heng
NTUC Secretary-General
(1993–2006)
John De Payva
NTUC President
Lim Swee Say
NTUC Secretary-General
*****
For media queries, please contact:
Sumathi Geoffrey Devaraj
Assistant Director
Corporate Communications Department
National Trades Union Congress
DID 6213 8194
HP 9475 7462
Email sumathigd@ntuc.org.sg
