The first day of the NTUC National Delegates’ Conference (NDC) on 15 October 2019 at the Orchid Country Club saw NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng release his
The past four years has seen NTUC work for better the wages, welfare and work prospects of all workers in Singapore.
On wages, Mr Ng touched on the Labour Movement’s contributions at the national level through the National Wages Council, and on the company level through collective bargaining.
“We continued to ensure that our members and workers received fair and reasonable wage increases. We also pushed for and participated in the updating of labour legislation so that they remain relevant to the changing profile of the workforce,” said Mr Ng.
Some key changes to the legislation in the last four years included the removal of the monthly salary cap of $4,500 in the Employment Act as well as the increase in the retirement and re-employment ages.
Mr Ng also said that the Labour Movement has been supporting companies in their productivity projects that led to gains sharing with workers through the Inclusive Growth Programme, ensured sustainable wage increase through the Progressive Wage Model.
NTUC and its tripartite partners also worked together to set up the Tripartite Advisory for Dispute Management in 2017 to provide work-related advice to workforce segments such as freelancers and self-employed workers.
According to the report, NTUC social enterprises have continued to keep daily essentials affordable for Singaporeans to meet their different life cycle needs.
Some of these included issuing more than $40 million worth of LinkPoints annually to Plus! members and union members; acquiring Kopitiam in 2018 to increase accessibility and moderate prices of cooked food; launching the Good Start Bundle in 2016 that benefitted over 43,000 families; and setting up nursing homes.
Lower-income workers have also benefitted from various U Care programmes.
The past four years have also seen the Labour Movement encourage companies to implement flexible work arrangements, family-friendly leave schemes and other progressive practices to help double-sandwiched families and enable working women to balance work and family.
The last four years also saw a growth in total membership.
“We have also expanded our outreach to different worker segments such as professionals, managers and executives , workers in small- and medium-sized enterprises, freelancers and self-employed, youths as well as migrant and domestic workers,” said Mr Ng.
He reported several breakthroughs in new union structures and the formation of new affiliations such as the National Instructions and Coaches Association and the Supply Chain Employees’ Union.
The breakthroughs allow the Labour Movement to serve workers in different employment modes or new sectors.
The latest effort to help workers grow is the company training committee (CTC) initiative.
The initiative was officially announced by Mr Ng earlier this year and will see union leaders and management partners work together to help workers upskill and upgrade to keep up with transformation.
The Labour Movement had previously set a goal of forming 1,000 CTCs that will reach 330,000 workers in the next three years.
Mr Ng also honoured NTUC Immediate Past Secretary-General Chan Chun Sing, stating Mr Chan’s “bold and decisive changes during his term as NTUC Secretary-General had strengthened the foundation for continued success in the Labour Movement.”
Mr Ng took over the reins as NTUC Secretary-General from Mr Chan in 2018.
He said: “These achievements have been made possible due to the tireless efforts of our union leaders, union members and partners over the past four years.”
Mr Ng also called union leaders the backbone of the Labour Movement, adding that they will be equipped for success through modular training for them to manage both work and training commitments.
