National Trades Union Congress

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NTUC
National Trades Union Congress
Founded 1961
Members 500,000
Country Singapore
Affiliation ITUC
Key people John De Payva, President
Lim Swee Say, Secretary-General
Office location Singapore
Website www.ntuc.org.sg

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), also known as the Singapore National Trades Union Congress (SNTUC), is the sole national trade union centre in Singapore. As of September 2007, it has 63 Trade Unions and 6 Affiliates.

NTUC was created in 1961 when the labour movement, which had backed the People's Action Party (PAP) in its successful drive for self-government, split into the pro-PAP NTUC and the leftist Singapore Association of Trade Unions (SATU). The SATU collapsed in 1963 following the government's detention of its leaders during Operation Coldstore, leaving NTUC as the sole trade union centre. Presently, over 98% of union members are in unions affiliated with the NTUC.

Relations between PAP and NTUC are very close, and have often resulted in members holding office in both organizations at the same time. Ong Teng Cheong, the first directly elected President of Singapore, was both the NTUC secretary general, and the Deputy Prime Minister (from 1985), until his presidential election. Lim Boon Heng, the previous secretary general, is also a Member of Parliament, and the Chairman of the People's Action Party. As of January 5, 2007, Lim Swee Say, the deputy Secretary General, has replaced Lim Boon Heng. [1]

Contents

[edit] Trade Unions in Singapore

Trade unions in Singapore are run along democratic lines, and membership is voluntary. Major decisions on industrial actions are taken only with majority support expressed through secret ballot.

There are three tiers of union leadership, all elected via secret ballot. Workers in a company elect their branch leaders. The next layer is the executive committee of a union. Officials from the executive committee are drawn from the branches. At the national level, there is the Central Committee of the NTUC. The 21-member Central Committee is elected every four years.

[edit] NTUC Executive Committee

At union headquarters level, key branch officials represent their branches at Union Headquarters as delegates. They have a right to vote or stand as candidates in elections to the Union Executive Committee which is responsible for the effective operation of the union.

Affiliated unions are represented at the NTUC Delegates Conference, the supreme authority of the labour movement. The Delegates Conference is held once in two years. During this conference, delegates review the work of the NTUC and map out future directions for the labour movement.

[edit] The NTUC Central Committee

At the national level, once in four years, the union delegates elect a 21-member NTUC Central Committee to oversee the work of the labour movement. The Central Committee members elect among themselves the Secretary-General, the President, the Secretary for Financial Affairs (Treasurer) and Vice Presidents. The Central Committee appoints other principal office bearers.

Union leadership includes Members of Parliament. These Members of Parliament are subject to elections, just as the other grassroots unionists are. Many other Members of Parliament, including Cabinet Ministers, serve as union advisors.

[edit] The NTUC & Tripartism

What started off as a symbiotic relationship between the NTUC and the PAP has developed into a tripartite alliance after the labour movement chose, in 1969, to adopt a cooperative, rather than a confrontational policy towards employers.

Union leaders and employers serve on key institutions such as the National Wages Council, the Economic Development Board, the Central Provident Fund and the Singapore Productivity and Standards Board.

Government and employer representatives also serve on the boards of the cooperatives, business ventures and other organizations in the NTUC family.

[edit] The NTUC Family

Apart from the 63 Trade Unions and 6 Affiliates, the NTUC Family in Singapore also includes 9 privatized Co-operatives and 6 Related Organizations that share an affliation to NTUC.

[edit] NTUC Co-operatives

The stated objectives of NTUC Co-operatives are:

  • to help stabilize prices of basic commodities and services
  • to strengthen and protect the purchasing power of workers
  • to allow union leaders to gain management experience, and to understand the problems faced by management, thus helping to promote better labour-management relations

The list of Co-operatives include:

  • NTUC FairPrice
  • NTUC Income
  • NTUC ChildCare
  • NTUC Choice Homes
  • NTUC Foodfare
  • NTUC HealthCare
  • NTUC Thrift
  • NTUC ElderCare
  • NTUC Media

[edit] Related Organisations

The list of Related Organisations include:

  • NTUC Club
  • NTUC LearningHub
  • NTUC Link
  • Singapore Labour Foundation (SLF)
  • Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies (OTC-ILS)
  • Consumers' Association of Singapore (CASE)

Additionally, the NTUC has an Administration and Research Unit (ARU) to carry out work related to and supporting Industrial Relations. Within the ARU, the Secretary-General functions as the Director-General. The Director-General is assisted by Divisional Directors, each of whom is in charge of a cluster of departments.

[edit] Union Membership

As of September 2007, the total Union Membership figure in Singapore stands at around 500,000. There are two main groups of members: Ordinary Branch (OB) members are directly represented by the unions/affiliates and enjoy direct collective bargaining rights, while General Branch (GB) members, who work in non-unionised companies, cannot be represented directly but are given workplace advice and whose employment issues are still handled professionally. NTUC also works with co-operatives like NTUC FairPrice and NTUC Link, as well as partners like NTUC Club and NTUC HealthCare to provide a range of core and lifestyle benefits for all of its members.

Since 2002, executives are also permitted to join the NTUC membership base, which was traditionally composed of rank-and-file employees. Apart from lifestyle benefits, they also enjoy some representation (if they are employed in unionised companies).

[edit] Young NTUC

Established in 2005, Young NTUC is the youth wing of Singapore's National Trades Union Congress. Aimed at attracting younger workers into unions, Young NTUC is part of the organisation's efforts to project a more vibrant, modern and youthful image and, at the same time, remain relevant and representative of the workforce.

With a base of about 150,000 young members, Young NTUC is, by far, the largest youth movement in Singapore, as compared to Young PAP and the People's Association's Youth Movement. It enables younger members and unionists to participate and be actively involved in the various levels and activities of the labour movement, sharing ideas, views and concerns with their peers, as well as senior leaders of NTUC and affiliated unions.

[edit] Notes and references

[edit] External links

Organized Labour Portal