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"Tripartism key in managing industrial relations: Lim Swee Say - CNA 27 April 2015
SINGAPORE: The Republic will be organising an international forum on tripartism to share the country's experience in maintaining harmonious labour relations. Scheduled for October, this is the first time such a forum will be held in the country.
It has been scheduled around the time of the Labour Movement's National Delegates' Conference in October.
Outgoing Labour Chief Lim Swee Say announced this in a wide-ranging interview on Monday (Apr 27) as he prepares to hand over his union position to fellow Cabinet colleague Mr Chan Chun Sing, and assume his new role as Manpower Minister on May 4.
Mr Lim highlighted tripartism - where the Government, unions and employers cooperate for the greater good - as one of Singapore's key achievements in managing industrial relations.
Having spent close to 20 years in the Labour Movement, he noted that the country's model of tripartism was met with skepticism overseas in the past for "not being confrontational enough". But year after year, progress for workers has been seen, and Mr Lim said this has led to a change in the way others elsewhere perceive the process.
Singapore is therefore sharing its experience on labour relations with other unionists overseas by hosting an international forum.
Even though tripartism has worked well for Singapore, Mr Lim acknowledged that there are challenges.
“Our tripartism will come under stress, not less, but probably more than tripartite partners in other countries, because we are small, because we are an export-oriented economy. So we are a lot more exposed to what is happening out there in the world. So we will come under - in fact, we have been coming under much greater stress,” said Mr Lim.
“But so far, we have been able to stand up to all these global challenges, whether it is the Asian Financial Crisis or Global Financial Crisis. So looking ahead, it is important that we must continue to move ahead, look ahead and work together,” he added.
Mr Lim said unionists saw three divides emerging in the workforce - high wage versus low wage earners, young versus old workers, and local versus foreign talent. In the interest of the labour force, he added that union leaders chose not to take sides.
Mr Lim said the Labour Movement decided that being inclusive was the right way to go, to be able to represent workers across the spectrum of society. So rather than being only part of a certain group, its goal was to bridge the divide between groups.
A push to bring all into the National Trades Union Congress was therefore made, to form an "all-collar" Labour Movement. Mr Lim said one in four workers is now unionised, and the next target would be to make it one in three.
In his final May Day message as a unionist, Mr Lim highlighted the need to sharpen focus on two fronts. The first is to help more workers pick up skills through the national SkillsFuture initiative. The second is JobsFuture - to help more businesses transform and create new jobs for tomorrow.
Mr Lim said both need to be in sync.
"If we move too slowly on JobsFuture, we will become uncompetitive, then unemployment will go up because we won't have enough jobs. If we move too slowly on SkillsFuture, we will not have enough skills in our workforce to take on the jobs that are being created - we (will) have structural unemployment."
Mr Lim said tripartism is the best way to bring both together.
In his new role as Manpower Minister, he said he will leverage his union experience and his links to the business community to turn his ministry's programmes into tripartite programmes. Mr Lim said he is looking ahead to the next five or 10 years on how he can keep building on existing programmes."
My take:
1. Singapore works because it DOES NOT condone industrial actions. Period! If you need any concrete example of this belief and the resolve to execute, just think: Mr Lee's handling of the Pilot Union dispute! THIS is the SINGLE MOST effective way to tell the employers, especially the foreign MNCs that you don't need to worry about this part of your workforce!;
2. of course it helps that the 'wages' offered by the foreign MCNs are fairly generous as it is STILL very much lower than their own home countries' wages! As for the local SMEs, I guessed they don't pay that well as the 'local talents' they have are just not at the same level of those employed by the foreign MNCs! Fair is fair! Or is it?;
3. If there are jobs aplenty, the NTUC or a Singapore Labour Movement can try to be inclusive. However, if the local labour force - workers and talents - are UNCOMPETITIVE in their own backyards vs. the FWs and FTs, I am not sure if NTUC can still insist on not taking side! A National Trade Union at the end has to represent the local workers - gold, white and blue collars.
As for JobsFuture, it is not for the labour union to influence, it is for the entrepreneurs to create. Do we know what kind of industries will continue to thrive in the next 50 years? How would the competitive landscape change in Asean, Asia and the world? How would THE CHANGES impact what kind of jobs are available in Singapore? I don't think the Trade Union will know. The government through horizon scanning exercises in 5-10 years time frame CAN get some clues!
Then the SkillsFuture can follow!
"Tripartism key in managing industrial relations: Lim Swee Say - CNA 27 April 2015
SINGAPORE: The Republic will be organising an international forum on tripartism to share the country's experience in maintaining harmonious labour relations. Scheduled for October, this is the first time such a forum will be held in the country.
It has been scheduled around the time of the Labour Movement's National Delegates' Conference in October.
Outgoing Labour Chief Lim Swee Say announced this in a wide-ranging interview on Monday (Apr 27) as he prepares to hand over his union position to fellow Cabinet colleague Mr Chan Chun Sing, and assume his new role as Manpower Minister on May 4.
Mr Lim highlighted tripartism - where the Government, unions and employers cooperate for the greater good - as one of Singapore's key achievements in managing industrial relations.
Having spent close to 20 years in the Labour Movement, he noted that the country's model of tripartism was met with skepticism overseas in the past for "not being confrontational enough". But year after year, progress for workers has been seen, and Mr Lim said this has led to a change in the way others elsewhere perceive the process.
Singapore is therefore sharing its experience on labour relations with other unionists overseas by hosting an international forum.
Even though tripartism has worked well for Singapore, Mr Lim acknowledged that there are challenges.
“Our tripartism will come under stress, not less, but probably more than tripartite partners in other countries, because we are small, because we are an export-oriented economy. So we are a lot more exposed to what is happening out there in the world. So we will come under - in fact, we have been coming under much greater stress,” said Mr Lim.
“But so far, we have been able to stand up to all these global challenges, whether it is the Asian Financial Crisis or Global Financial Crisis. So looking ahead, it is important that we must continue to move ahead, look ahead and work together,” he added.
Mr Lim said unionists saw three divides emerging in the workforce - high wage versus low wage earners, young versus old workers, and local versus foreign talent. In the interest of the labour force, he added that union leaders chose not to take sides.
Mr Lim said the Labour Movement decided that being inclusive was the right way to go, to be able to represent workers across the spectrum of society. So rather than being only part of a certain group, its goal was to bridge the divide between groups.
A push to bring all into the National Trades Union Congress was therefore made, to form an "all-collar" Labour Movement. Mr Lim said one in four workers is now unionised, and the next target would be to make it one in three.
In his final May Day message as a unionist, Mr Lim highlighted the need to sharpen focus on two fronts. The first is to help more workers pick up skills through the national SkillsFuture initiative. The second is JobsFuture - to help more businesses transform and create new jobs for tomorrow.
Mr Lim said both need to be in sync.
"If we move too slowly on JobsFuture, we will become uncompetitive, then unemployment will go up because we won't have enough jobs. If we move too slowly on SkillsFuture, we will not have enough skills in our workforce to take on the jobs that are being created - we (will) have structural unemployment."
Mr Lim said tripartism is the best way to bring both together.
In his new role as Manpower Minister, he said he will leverage his union experience and his links to the business community to turn his ministry's programmes into tripartite programmes. Mr Lim said he is looking ahead to the next five or 10 years on how he can keep building on existing programmes."
My take:
1. Singapore works because it DOES NOT condone industrial actions. Period! If you need any concrete example of this belief and the resolve to execute, just think: Mr Lee's handling of the Pilot Union dispute! THIS is the SINGLE MOST effective way to tell the employers, especially the foreign MNCs that you don't need to worry about this part of your workforce!;
2. of course it helps that the 'wages' offered by the foreign MCNs are fairly generous as it is STILL very much lower than their own home countries' wages! As for the local SMEs, I guessed they don't pay that well as the 'local talents' they have are just not at the same level of those employed by the foreign MNCs! Fair is fair! Or is it?;
3. If there are jobs aplenty, the NTUC or a Singapore Labour Movement can try to be inclusive. However, if the local labour force - workers and talents - are UNCOMPETITIVE in their own backyards vs. the FWs and FTs, I am not sure if NTUC can still insist on not taking side! A National Trade Union at the end has to represent the local workers - gold, white and blue collars.
As for JobsFuture, it is not for the labour union to influence, it is for the entrepreneurs to create. Do we know what kind of industries will continue to thrive in the next 50 years? How would the competitive landscape change in Asean, Asia and the world? How would THE CHANGES impact what kind of jobs are available in Singapore? I don't think the Trade Union will know. The government through horizon scanning exercises in 5-10 years time frame CAN get some clues!
Then the SkillsFuture can follow!
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