The Covid-19 pandemic's impact on jobs would have been worse if not for the strong three-way partnership between the Government, unions and employers, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo said in her May Day message yesterday.

The tripartite partnership allowed the swift implementation of measures to cut costs and save jobs, she added.

In particular, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) exemplified the value of "constructive unionism" as it had in past crises, calling on employers and workers to rally together to sustain businesses and save jobs, said Mrs Teo.

"Where employers have exhausted ways of cutting business costs in other areas, the unions worked with employers on necessary measures to manage excess manpower, including wage cuts necessary to avoid retrenchments," she said.

"Employers, too, helped to preserve jobs and maintain a strong Singaporean core even if they had to restructure."

Mrs Teo said NTUC also launched the NTUC Care Fund (Covid-19) to provide one-off $300 financial assistance to distressed union members. For self-employed persons, NTUC launched a training fund to provide them with an allowance while they underwent skills courses. It also administered the Self-Employed Person Income Relief Scheme.

"These initiatives, together with NTUC's ability to work closely with unions, workers, employers and the Government to implement changes quickly, helped cushion the impact of the crisis," she added.

Singapore is fortunate that this "strong spirit of tripartism" complemented the Government's efforts to cushion the impact of the pandemic, she said.

"We have seen how it was not straightforward for countries to get tripartite consensus on crisis measures," said the minister.

"For instance, in France, unions called for a nationwide strike to denounce the French government's pandemic response, disrupting essential services for many citizens."

Going forward, Mrs Teo said the Government must always seek to be pro-worker and pro-business at the same time, to strengthen Singapore's tripartism.

It is also in everyone's interest to identify opportunities that will help both businesses and workers emerge stronger from the crisis, such as expanding the coverage of the Progressive Wage Model for more essential workers, she added.

NTUC, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, has continued to champion workers' causes through updated approaches, said Mrs Teo.

For example, its Job Security Council leverages the labour movement's networks to help those displaced from work to find new jobs quickly. NTUC's company training committees have also helped bridge reskilling efforts for workers and business transformation plans, she added.

"Together with employers and the Government, NTUC is building a more resilient workforce that is ready for the future," she said.