New agreement inked to help 200 of SMRT’s contractors tap technologies, improve safety
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(Seated, from left) NTUC assistant secretary-general and NTWU executive secretary Yeo Wan Ling, SMRT Group CEO Ngien Hoon Ping and NTWU president Sazali Safiie at the memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony. The signing was witnessed by NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng (standing, left) and SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming.
PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
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- SMRT and the labour movement have partnered to upskill 20,000 workers from 200 SMRT contractors over three years.
- The partnership aims to enhance workforce capabilities, embrace technology like AI, and strengthen transport safety and reliability.
- NTUC will help contractors, especially SMEs, access training resources for better skills, career progression and wage increments.
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SINGAPORE – A new partnership between public transport operator SMRT and the labour movement was launched on Oct 31 to upskill workers, which could in turn improve the safety and reliability of the bus and rail systems.
Around 20,000 workers from about 200 of SMRT’s contractors will benefit from opportunities to embrace technology, be equipped with new skills, improve productivity, and strengthen transport safety and reliability over the next three years.
The agreement between the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) and SMRT has been billed as a first of its kind for the transport sector here.
Both organisations said they will continue exploring emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) through this partnership to ensure that workers can benefit from better wages and work prospects as the sector undergoes transformation.
Speaking at the signing ceremony at SMRT’s Bishan Depot on Oct 31, the operator’s chairman Seah Moon Ming said it wants to help its contractors use data to further strengthen safety outcomes, such as through AI and digitalisation.
Mr Seah said: “By empowering them to adopt new technologies and raise standards, we can further enhance the safety and overall performance of Singapore’s public transport.”
Noting that many contractors – which are small- and medium-sized enterprises – face challenges accessing training resources, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said this partnership will “elevate the whole ecosystem” so that contractors can upskill their workers more easily in areas such as AI and automation.
More details about the areas workers will receive upskilling in will be provided later.
Speaking to the media, NTWU executive secretary Yeo Wan Ling said these SMEs are often “under-served” and face constraints in getting funds to upskill workers.
With this partnership, Ms Yeo, who is also an MP for Punggol GRC and NTUC assistant secretary-general, hopes that these developments will allow the transport sector to become more productive and innovative.
Among the contractors that will benefit from this is NSL OilChem Waste Management, which maintains wastewater treatment plants for SMRT’s buses, and handles toxic industrial waste collection on SMRT’s bus and rail premises.
Mr Jeffrey Fung, the firm’s executive director, told reporters that he welcomes the structured upskilling from this initiative as it would further improve safety and operational performance.
Similarly, Mr Joshua Tan, director of TNT Surveillance, said his firm looks forward to further collaboration with SMRT to strengthen safety as a whole.
The company maintains the bus telematics systems on SMRT’s buses, which involves sending digital information from sensors on the vehicle to the bus driver’s dashboard.
