NTUC May Day Message 2025 by NTUC President K Thanaletchimi and NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng
As Singapore marks 60 years of independence, we reflect on our journey of nation building, from a small trading port to a global financial hub. Our nation’s success is built on the resilience and determination of our workers.
As the champion of workers’ interests, the NTUC will always stand by you, to advocate for better wages, better welfare and better work prospects. As global events reshape our world in these uncertain times, Singapore is not immune especially to the impact of intensifying global trade tensions. NTUC is closely monitoring the tariff situation and its impact on workers. As part of the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, NTUC will continue to work together with our tripartite partners to support workers, overcome challenges and seize new opportunities.
For you, with you - #EveryWorkerMatters
For youths, NTUC helps youths transition from school to work with the NTUC Starter Membership, offering tailored programmes like networking events, learning journeys, financial workshops, and career mentorship. In 2024, NTUC introduced the NTUC Starter Awards, a bond-free scholarship and leadership programme to support youths in their education and leadership skills development. At the same time, NTUC also launched the Care Fund (Youth Enable) to assist youths with their educational needs during tough times.
For Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs), our NTUC Executive Mentorship Programme and the new Company Mentorship Circle (CMC) will support you through mentorship and guidance on career progression. We are kickstarting this initiative with three unions, specifically the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries, Healthcare Services Employees’ Union and ST Engineering Staff Union. These unions cover various worker segments, allowing the CMC to benefit both PMEs and rank-and-file workers.
For older workers, NTUC has long advocated for you to stay in the workforce as valued contributors for as long as you choose. The Tripartite Workgroup on Older Workers in 2018 answered NTUC’s call for restoring CPF contribution rates for older workers to boost your retirement adequacy, and higher retirement and re-employment ages so that you can choose to continue working. In 2025, NTUC will advocate for you in the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment to give you upskilling opportunities and workplace support for better job security and career resilience.
Taking action for you
For working caregivers, NTUC understands your concerns. That is why we worked with our tripartite partners to formulate the Tripartite Guidelines on Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (TG-FWAR), ensuring that your employers are obliged to fairly consider your requests to work flexibly. This will help you balance personal and professional responsibilities and support you in remaining in or re-entering the workforce.
For platform workers, you now have the right to be represented and stronger protections under the Platform Workers Act. NTUC has secured this so that you can have better welfare, work conditions and financial support for retirement and housing needs. Singapore is among the first in the world to recognise platform workers as a distinct group of workers in need of employee-like protections like CPF and work injury compensation. With the right to represent you, our associations can better advocate for your earnings, welfare and work conditions.
For all our workers, especially our PMEs, we have pushed for the Workplace Fairness Act to ensure that you have fair opportunities and a level playing field amidst foreign competition. Under the Complementarity Assessment Framework, NTUC awards the Strategic Economic Priorities Bonus to firms that implement local workforce training, to ensure that Employment Pass holders are complementary to local workforce development. We will continue to promote mindset change and tackle unfair practices holistically.
Caring for you
Through our NTUC-U Care Fund initiatives, NTUC supports youth education, caregivers, and lower-income families, setting aside and disbursing $3.8 million to ease financial burdens. Recently, we have launched a new programme, setting aside $5.3 million over 3 years, to support two groups of lower-income caregivers: caregivers with children with special needs and single caregivers with young children and elderly dependents.
Walking alongside to uplift you
In 2024, NTUC and our affiliated unions made good strides in advancing our mission to help workers earn a better living and live a better life, underpinned by our renewed workers’ compact.
Our Training and Placement Ecosystem drives workforce transformation, leveraging technology to advance careers. In a first-of-its-kind tripartite partnership, NTUC synergised our Company Training Committee (CTC) initiative with SkillsFuture Singapore’s ‘SkillsFuture Queen Bee’ programme. More workers across a broader ecosystem of suppliers will be upskilled, while businesses enjoy productivity gains. NTUC will continue to expand this model to enhance workers’ skillsets and enable them to take on higher-value job roles. This creates win-win outcomes for businesses, workers, and the Government.
Tripartism
NTUC’s strong tripartite partnerships with the Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore National Employers Federation, reinforce Singapore’s stability and resilience and ensure shared economic and social progress.
NTUC will continue to work with our tripartite partners to advance workers’ interests, including our representation for workers’ voices, for example, through the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development to explore new ways to level up Human Capital professionals and strengthen Human Capital capabilities.
Symbiotic partnership with the government
NTUC’s deep-rooted symbiotic relationship with the Government continues to uplift workers, ensuring sustainable progress for Singapore. This bond built on shared goals and mutual trust and respect from 60 years ago, has remained strong over the years. Our partnership remains so that Singaporeans stay united, and Singapore continues to progress despite uncertainties.
This May Day and as we celebrate SG60, let us unite to build a brighter future together.
Happy May Day! For You, With You.
Because You Matter.
