May Day Awards: SM Lee among 180 awardees feted for championing workers

SINGAPORE - Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong was accorded the labour movement’s top May Day award on April 25 for four decades of dedication towards improving the lives and livelihoods of workers. 

National Trades Union Congress president K. Thanaletchimi presented the Distinguished Comrade of Labour award to SM Lee at the yearly May Day awards ceremony held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

NTUC said in a statement that the highest accolade is conferred on those who have made unique and supreme contributions to the labour movement. 

“In his many years of public service, he has been unwavering in his dedication to improving the lives and livelihoods of our workers and Singaporeans. Under his leadership, we were able to emerge stronger together from economic crises,” Ms Thanaletchimi said in her speech at the ceremony.

Addressing a roomful of about 1,200 guests, including awardees, their families, colleagues, union leaders and tripartite partners, she said: “Brother Hsien Loong has embodied NTUC’s principle, that every worker matters.”

She noted that it is tripartism – the three-way relationship between employers, unions and the Government – that sets Singapore apart, enabling workers to remain resilient and unified in the face of adversity.

SM Lee joins six other past recipients of the award since its inception in 1963, including his late father, founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew, former president of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) Stephen Lee and former prime minister Goh Chok Tong. The 2025 list honoured a record 180 awardees. 

NTUC deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How, who read out the top award’s citation, said NTUC benefitted from SM Lee’s strong support for a wide range of initiatives, including its Job Security Council and Company Training Committee grant to help companies transform their business and workforce.

SM Lee “led the nation to take difficult but necessary measures, such as cutting Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions to cut costs and preserve jobs”, said NTUC. 

In a March 20 interview with NTUC, SM Lee recounted the Government’s decision to cut CPF contribution rates in 1985.

“It was our first recession since independence, and a very severe one. In the end, we had no choice. We had to persuade the workers. It is very drastic, but if we do not do this, we may be in for serious trouble,” he said. He was then Minister of State for Defence and Trade and Industry.

But it is through crises that personal relationships, confidence and trust are built, noted SM Lee, and this was something his team built on for subsequent occasions during crisis and non-crisis times.

He said: “In crisis, you are dealing with serious problems. In non-crisis, the temptation is to say: ‘Nothing needs to be done. We are fine, and business is good. Why do we need to go for retraining?’

“But it is when the business is good that you have a chance to do these things.”

He added that other crises like 1997’s Asian financial crisis, the global financial crisis in 2008 and the Covid-19 pandemic did come along. “The world is in turmoil, and we do not know what storms are coming. After Covid-19, we are strengthened, and we have to be prepared for something new.”

During the NTUC interview, he fondly recalled early memories of the unions as a young boy, when trade unionists would go to his family home then in Oxley Road during election campaigns and for meetings.

“There was one holiday we went to Fraser’s Hill. Must have been 1959, and I remember Dominic Puthucheary was there − he was Janil’s father,” he said. The elder Puthucheary was a trade unionist and founding member of the PAP who later went on to join Barisan Sosialis, a party formed by left-wing PAP members. The younger Puthucheary is now Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health.

SM Lee also mentioned seeing other founding PAP members Fong Swee Suan, Samad Ismail and Lim Chin Siong in his childhood years.  

“I did not know what all this was about, but this is a trade union movement, and I believed that they were fighting for a good cause, for the welfare of the people.”

When NTUC asked about the significance of the NTUC-PAP symbiotic relationship and how it helps workers, SM Lee said it is “basically getting two for the price of one”.

“Because you join a union, you get a government. You elect the government, the government works closely with the union leadership in order to make good things happen for workers in companies, in industries and in the economy,” he said, noting that unions in other places have a political party that represents them. Australia’s Labor Party and Britain’s Labour Party are such examples.

“At the same time, we are able to do it in a way that keeps the economy growing and the employers accept that this is a good way to do things in Singapore.”

Among others who were honoured was Mr Robert Yap, former president of SNEF, who received the Distinguished Service (Star) award. 

NTUC said that during Mr Yap’s decade-long tenure, he was instrumental in supporting the formation of the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers and advocating for structured wage progression. He was also a strong advocate for professionals, managers, and executives (PMEs), shaping career mobility and fair employment policies through the joint NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce.

Mr Yap said the most challenging period was during the Covid-19 pandemic when businesses across sectors experienced sharp declines and many lost their jobs. Another challenge was advocating for the progressive increase in the retirement and re-employment ages.

“What stood out to me was how essential open dialogue and collaboration were during these challenging times,” he said.

Migrant domestic worker Tusirah Suradi received a Partner of Labour Movement award, in recognition of her dedication and passion as a volunteer at the Centre for Domestic Employees (CDE).

In its award citation, NTUC said that as a caregiver to an elderly employer, she provided support and generously shared advice and knowledge with other domestic workers on caring for older people, among other contributions.

Speaking to The Straits Times ahead of the ceremony, Ms Tusirah said the most memorable moments came during regular outreach activities with other domestic migrant workers on her days off.

She said: “Many opened up about the challenges they face such as homesickness and communication issues. I do my best to listen, offer advice and support them in finding ways to manage their situations.

“I hope more migrant domestic workers will step forward and join CDE as volunteers.”