By Ramesh Subbaraman
Mr Stephen Lee has been conferred the Distinguished Comrade of Labour Award, the top May Day Award for 2015.
In its May Day Awards 2015 Citations, NTUC described Mr Lee as a pillar of the nation’s tripartite movement since the 1970s. He has also been described as a good listener, an expert communicator and down-to-earth.
SNEF’s President for 26 years from 1988 to 2014, Mr Lee played a key role in strengthening the strong tripartite partnership, mutual trust and respect between the Government, employers and unions.
Epitome of tripartism
NTUC elaborated that Mr Lee epitomised the spirit of tripartism, always adopting a fair and balanced approach when managing major issues that had great impact on both businesses and workers.
“While he represented the business community, he always understood workers’ issues so as to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes for employers and workers. He has staunchly supported the Labour Movement and its initiatives ever since he began his tenure at SNEF in 1980,” reported the citation.
Mr Lee is also the longest serving National Wages Council member who led employers in negotiating annual wage recommendations to ensure orderly wage increases.
During economic crises, Mr Lee had worked closely with unions and tripartite partners to urge companies to focus on cost-cutting measures to save workers’ jobs and invest in upgrading their skills during tough times.
He was also a key figure in guiding companies on wage reforms and wage restructuring during the past four economic downturns in 1985, 1998, 2001 and 2009.
Supporter Of Inclusiveness
Mr Lee was also instrumental in garnering the support of employers for the recent changes to the Employment Act that now provides better protection for an additional 450,000 workers, including Professionals, Managers and Executives.
He contributed significantly in lifting the wages of low income workers, extending the retirement age and implementing re-employment of older workers.
He also backed the implementation of the Progressive Wage Model to help improve workers’ productivity and career prospects, and played a big part in setting a quantitative wage guideline to improve the wages of low-wage workers.
He understood and supported the many initiatives pushed forth by the Labour Movement as he believed they will benefit Singapore and Singaporeans ultimately.
Source: NTUC This Week
