National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said Singapore became a first-world nation under Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong's leadership.

Ng paid tribute to PM Lee in his speech which opened the 2024 NTUC May Day Rally on the morning of May 1, 2024.

The 2024 May Day will be PM Lee's last one as the head of Singapore's government, before PM Lee hands over the reins to Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong on May 15.

PM Lee and his leadership advanced workers' interests

Ng said PM Lee has made remarkable contributions to the labour movement as the leader of the country.

He added that PM Lee has been a steadfast partner in advancing the interests of workers to better their wages, welfare, and work prospects, and his commitment to improve workers' lives is "admirable".

He noted several initiatives that PM Lee has shown support for, such as the Progressive Wage Model and SkillsFuture, as well as the Jobs Support Scheme and Self-employed Person Income Relief Scheme (SIRS) which were implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ng said these initiatives led to a more inclusive and equitable society, and during "challenging times" served as a beacon of hope for "many desperate workers in the darkest of times".

Ng said all of these initiatives underscored PM Lee's dedication to safeguarding workers’ interests and well-being, alongside the labour movement.

He said PM Lee's strategic leadership and unwavering support have strengthened the bond between the People's Action Party (PAP) and NTUC.

Ng remarked that having the government on the side of workers and, at the same time, on the side of employers is the "secret sauce" to tripartism — something he said many other countries are "simply not able to do".

Recounting an encounter with PM Lee in 2019, when he apparently put forth a plan to PM Lee for a Downtown South in Singapore, Ng said PM Lee agreed without hesitation, exhibiting his leadership's care for workers.

Ng said the encounter left him with a "deep impression", and joked that it was his "best negotiation performance" given that it was concluded in just 30 seconds.

He said that the labour movement owes a debt of gratitude to PM Lee, and they wished him the very best.

Ng called on the crowd present at the NTUC May Day Rally at Marina Bay Sands to give PM Lee a standing ovation.

PM Lee drew rousing applause from the audience, and several individuals raised balloons that spelled "PM Lee".

Incoming PM has labour movement's support

To DPM Wong, the soon-to-be PM, Ng said he has the labour movement's fullest support.

Ng said Wong has been a consistent and strong advocate for workers, and his journey with the union has been longstanding.

Noting that Wong and his team had previously set aside S$100 million to scale up Company Training Committees (CTCs), Ng said the CTC has had great success and benefitted workers, companies and the nation as a whole.

Ng called this "a win-win-win" and said he hopes to call on Wong to top up the CTC grant soon.

Ng: Industrial harmony is not the "natural" state of things

In his speech, Ng also stressed the importance of tripartism in Singapore, and spoke about NTUC's ongoing efforts to champion workers' interests.

Pointing to recent global events, Ng said there is increasing uncertainty in a tumultuous world, but Singapore has thankfully enjoyed industrial harmony for the past few decades.

However, he was quick to caution that industrial harmony is not the "natural" state of being. Instead, it requires careful nurturing, and give and take.

Ng said the labour movement, the government and the employers have worked hard to build trust by taking concerted action and forging win-win outcomes to transform Singapore from a third-world country to where it is today.

He stressed the importance of tripartism and said it remains key to Singapore’s success.

Ng also highlighted NTUC's efforts over the years to help youths jumpstart their careers and navigate the workplace, to champion flexible work arrangements, to strengthen workers' employability and enhance their retirement adequacy, and to push for improvements in productivity, which led to better wages.

He also said NTUC would do more to support workers, including professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).

#EveryPrimeMinisterMatters commemorative book

At the end of the 2024 NTUC May Day Rally, Ng and NTUC President K Thanaletchimi presented PM Lee with a commemorative book titled “#EveryPrimeMinisterMatters: Our Salute to Brother Lee Hsien Loong”.

NTUC authored the book to express their gratitude to PM Lee and serve as a testament to his dedication and contributions to the labour movement and Singapore's workers.

Top image by Daras Singh