GE2020: NTUC reaffirms support for Ng Chee Meng as labour chief

The labour movement's top leadership has reaffirmed its support for labour chief Ng Chee Meng and said he will remain secretary-general of NTUC.

In a statement yesterday, National Trades Union Congress president Mary Liew said Mr Ng will retain his position in the organisation.

"As an NTUC elected position, it is a position which stands independent of political appointments. The members of the NTUC central committee stand in unanimous support for Brother Ng Chee Meng as secretary-general of NTUC," she said.

Questions have been raised about Mr Ng's position in the labour movement after the People's Action Party team he led in Sengkang GRC lost to the Workers' Party in last Friday's election.

The NTUC central committee elects among itself the president, secretary-general and other key office-holders, after committee members are elected by union delegates at a conference once every four years.

Ms Liew said it is on the request of the central committee, and mutual agreement with the Government, that a minister is seconded to NTUC. A Cabinet minister has held the secretary-general post for the last 40 years.

She said: "Whilst the two roles have been inextricably linked, they are in fact independent of each other... As we head into more challenging times ahead, we remain resolute in our mission to help workers.

"Brother Ng Chee Meng has over the last two years pushed for many good initiatives for workers and this is work that must continue.

"We stand in solidarity as we continue this journey together."

In a Facebook post yesterday, Mr Ng said he will soon be stepping down from the Cabinet, but will continue to fulfil his elected role in NTUC.

He said: "I will continue to serve workers who have given me their trust and I remain as undeterred as the day I first joined the labour movement - to be alongside our workers and to be their voice.

"There will be tough days ahead with the Covid-19 challenges.

"Together with union leaders and my NTUC colleagues, we will stay the course to care for and do right by our workers."

Mr Ng became labour chief on May 22, 2018, taking over from Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Ms Liew, in her statement, said Mr Ng has played an instrumental role in pushing forward initiatives to help secure workers' livelihoods.

The position of labour chief has been held by a Cabinet minister for the last four decades.

Mr Lim Chee Onn - who took over the top NTUC post from Mr Devan Nair - was a People's Action Party MP when he became National Trades Union Congress secretary-general in 1979. He was appointed minister in the Prime Minister's Office in 1980.

Succeeding Mr Lim as NTUC secretary-general in 1983 was Mr Ong Teng Cheong, who continued as labour chief when he became deputy prime minister in 1985. He stepped down in 1993 to contest the presidential election, and was president until 1999.

The next three labour chiefs - Mr Lim Boon Heng (1993-2006), Mr Lim Swee Say (2007-2015) and Mr Chan Chun Sing (2015-2018) - were also ministers.

Mr Ng Chee Meng was minister for education (schools) and second minister for transport when he and Dr Koh Poh Koon - who is currently Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry - were co-opted into NTUC in April 2018 as deputy secretaries-general. Mr Ng was elected to the top post on May 22, 2018, taking over from Mr Chan, who became Trade and Industry Minister.

Last October, at NTUC's National Delegates' Conference, held once every four years, union delegates elected a 21-member central committee, and Mr Ng and NTUC president Mary Liew were chosen as leaders.

Dr Koh, who was elected as an MP for Tampines GRC last Friday, and Ms Cham Hui Fong, a former Nominated MP, are deputy secretaries-general. Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How, an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, was co-opted last year as a third deputy secretary-general.

He had championed workers' training through the setting up of company training committees, where union leaders and company management work together to plan and operationalise training for workers.

He also launched the NTUC Job Security Council this year, to match retrenched workers and those at risk of losing their jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic to opportunities in other companies.

About 12,000 workers have been matched to new roles, said Ms Liew. "Time and again, Mr Ng has shown his heart in caring for workers and proven his mettle," she added.

In a statement yesterday, Singapore National Employers Federation president Robert Yap said he looks forward to continuing to work with the NTUC led by Mr Ng, and the Government.

He said: "I am confident that the tripartite partnership in Singapore remains strong with Brother Ng Chee Meng as the secretary-general of NTUC."

Mr Yap said he, Mr Ng and Manpower Minister Josephine Teo had several discussions in June last year while they were in Geneva for the International Labour Conference.

The three of them were advisers to the Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers, which last August recommended raising the retirement and re-employment ages by three years over the next decade.

Said Mr Yap: "We had to discuss even on weekends as Mr Ng wanted to ensure more older workers could benefit from any changes.

"From the employers' perspective, there were concerns about timing and flexibility. We finally reached tripartite consensus after a few rounds of robust discussions. The episode showed that he would fight to maximise the benefits for workers but still address the concerns of employers."

Healthcare Services Employees' Union president and former Nominated MP K. Thanaletchimi said since both the PAP and NTUC have a symbiotic relationship, the Government will continue to give importance to workers, even if the labour chief is not a minister.

She saw no reason why NTUC's status will be reduced, adding: "Bear in mind that two deputy secretaries-general (Senior Ministers of State Koh Poh Koon and Heng Chee How) are in the Government, and we have labour MPs who can speak openly in Parliament."

Still, the situation will be a "true litmus test" of the symbiotic relationship and tripartism, added Ms Thanaletchimi, who is also an NTUC vice-president.

Political observer Felix Tan, an associate lecturer at SIM Global Education, said Mr Ng's network would still be valuable within the tripartite arrangement. But he said NTUC's move may send a confusing signal to Singaporeans as it raises questions about why, for the past 40 years, a Cabinet minister - instead of others within NTUC - needed to be secretary-general.

Captain Kenneth Lai, president of the Air Line Pilots Association - Singapore, which is a union not affiliated with NTUC, said he appreciated how Mr Ng listened to his association's feedback about the severe impact of Covid-19 on the aviation cluster, which was later addressed in the Budget.

He added that Mr Ng's continued enthusiasm since losing the election shows he is genuine.