Singapore will be going through a major economic transition in the next few years. The national focus is to transform into an economy built on the foundation of quality growth, while ensuring that our society remains inclusive.
At the same time, Singaporeans look forward to a better Singapore where cost of living remains affordable to the common man, where gains are shared fairly with workers leading to sustained real wage increases, where Singaporeans are first when it comes to job and advancement opportunities, and where all workers are treated fairly, with dignity and respect, regardless of age, gender, race and income level. Singaporeans want better jobs, better wages and better lives for their families.
This transformation will not be easy. The Government has put in place supporting measures in the recent Budget. However, employers, unions and workers need to work together to make these changes happen.
As we go through this transformation, the Labour Movement must focus on achieving better real wages for all, with special attention on the lower-income workers. We must help to address PMEs’ (Professionals, Managers and Executives) concerns about fair opportunities at the workplace. We must also ensure that as our Singaporean workforce ages, mature workers are given every chance to be gainfully and fairly employed. Workers, especially women, must be provided with support to balance career and family commitments. At the same time, we recognise that foreign workers will always be needed to supplement our workforce. But let us ensure that the value and contribution of every foreign worker is maximised, to reduce our overall reliance on foreign labour.
In order to do this, the Labour Movement must continue to be a strong voice to effect positive change for workers. We must double up our efforts to increase overall unionisation rates and better engage with members at all levels. Through the years, we have pushed boundaries and worked tirelessly to reach out to more workers; we saw our membership grow from 680,000 to over 700,000 in 2012. But we cannot stop here. To be a stronger Labour Movement, we must step up union penetration in existing sectors and push forward in sectors where unionisation remains low. Where necessary, we may form new unions in such sectors. We do this because we believe that the unions and union membership remains the best safeguard of workers’ interests at the workplace.
The Labour Movement cannot be strong without strong unions. Strong unions must do well in growing membership, representing the interests of members at the workplace, governance, operations and leadership. Let us continue to support and learn from one another, so that every union can be a stronger union.
Strong tripartism and Labour-Management Relations have served us well through the decades in providing an effective mechanism for the Labour Movement to achieve positive outcomes for workers. Let us continue to strengthen the trust in the tripartite relationship, so as to ensure that tripartism continues to serve us well by delivering positive outcomes for both workers as well as companies as we go through the critical transition that is upon us.
I am proud to be a part of this strong Labour Movement and proud to be part of the team of union leaders serving our fellow workers and members. Together, let us press on for a better Singapore for workers.
A happy May Day to all!
