SINGAPORE - The labour movement and civil service will start exchanging their staff in long-term postings from the end of this year.
The move will bolster the already-strong relationship between the labour movement and the government, said labour chief Chan Chun Sing on Monday (Oct 26) morning.
It will also allow promising civil servants and union leaders to work with business leaders to further strengthen the three-way partnership between the government, unions and businesses.
"Strong tripartite partnership needs to be carefully nurtured over time through real actions," said Mr Chan of the move.
Mr Chan, who is National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general, was speaking at the opening of an international conference on tripartism organised by the NTUC.
Some 800 delegates, including foreign participants, are attending the one-day conference at the Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability in Jurong East.
The conference is the first time the NTUC, Ministry of Manpower and Singapore National Employers' Federation are holding an international meeting to showcase the Singapore model of tripartism.
It has lined up prominent international speakers such as Professor Sarosh Kuruvilla, professor of industrial relations at Cornell University, and Mr Kevin Callinan, vice-president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' executive council.
