SINGAPORE - Minister of State for Home Affairs, and Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan will be joining the labour movement and will relinquish his current political appointments.

He will replace Senior Minister of State for Transport Chee Hong Tat, who is currently the deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, in a move that takes effect on June 13.

Mr Tan will also be appointed as Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday (June 6), as part of the latest changes to the Cabinet.

PM Lee said he had made the decision to second Mr Tan, 51, to the labour movement after discussing the matter with NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng.

In a statement on Monday, NTUC said that PM Lee had written to its president, Ms Mary Liew, last Thursday to request that Mr Chee be released from his role so that he can return full-time to government service.

He had also requested that the NTUC Central Committee consider accepting Mr Tan into the labour movement.

Last Friday, the NTUC Central Committee met and accepted PM Lee's request, the statement added.

In his letter to Ms Liew, PM Lee had said: "Brother Desmond brings with him many years of public service experience across the ministries, People's Association and the Singapore Armed Forces. I am confident that he will contribute significantly to NTUC's efforts to help prepare our businesses and workers as we emerge from the pandemic."

In her reply, Ms Liew noted the longstanding symbiotic relationship between the People’s Action Party (PAP) and NTUC had served Singapore and its workers well. She added: “We appreciate PM’s offer to second Brother Desmond Tan to NTUC to further Labour Movement’s work.”

NTUC said that it is slated to officially appoint Mr Tan to his post at a later date.

Mr Tan entered politics in 2020 when he was elected during the general election as part of the five-member PAP team contesting Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.

In a Facebook post on Monday, Mr Tan said he was excited to join NTUC and serve the Labour Movement. “It has played such a significant role in shaping our economy over the decades, and has looked after our workers through good times and bad. I have much to learn from leaders past and present, and will do my very best for every worker.”

NTUC said that Mr Tan is an advisor to the Supply Chain Employees’ Union and has also partnered with the Union of Security Employees (USE) in his capacity as Minister of State for Home Affairs.

General secretary USE and NTUC Central Committee member Raymond Chin told The Straits Times that Mr Tan has been very supportive of the union, and of the tripartite efforts for the private security industry.

“When we initiated an exercise to raise awareness against abuse of security officers, he was quick to support and even helped launch it with us. His background and knowledge of the industry will definitely be a plus as we push on in our industry transformation efforts,” said Mr Chin.

“He has shown that he has a heart for workers so I am confident he will be a good fit for the Labour Movement.”

As part of the reshuffle, Mr Chee will be appointed Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, as well as continue in the Ministry of Transport.

On Monday, NTUC praised Mr Chee for his work in uplifting workers and said it looked forward to working with him in his new capacity.

It cited, among others, his chairmanship of NTUC’s Training Executive Committee, where he oversaw Company Training Committees and the Job Security Council, as well as efforts to help businesses transform their workplaces.

He also strongly supported the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union and the Singapore Organisation of Seamen for the vaccination of workers in the maritime sector, so as to minimise disruption to the global supply chain during the Covid-19 pandemic, NTUC added.

Mr Chee said in a Facebook post: “I will never forget my time at NTUC, it has been enriching and heart-warming to see how our Labour Movement champions for workers and improve their chances of having better welfare, better wages and better work prospects.

He added: “In areas where I have fallen short, I thank Sisters and Brothers for being very generous and patient with me, and for giving me time to learn and do better.”

Mr Ng thanked Mr Chee for his work in NTUC, and said in a Facebook post that he looked forward to welcoming Mr Tan to the Labour Movement soon.