NTUC President K Thanaletchimi: Jobs, rights and growth remain key pillars for social cohesion and worker resilience.
Singapore’s Labour Movement is in step with global calls to rebuild social cohesion by strengthening the links between jobs, rights and growth, said NTUC President K Thanaletchimi on 9 June 2025 at the International Labour Conference (ILC).
Speaking at the 113th session of the ILC in Geneva, Ms Thanaletchimi noted that the International Labour Organization (ILO) Director-General’s latest report reflected the same principles that have shaped Singapore’s workforce journey over the past six decades.
“The ILO Director-General's report resonated deeply with Singapore's journey, highlighting that our foundation of peace and progress has consistently relied on the same three core pillars of Jobs, Rights, and Growth,” she said.
The report flagged growing global discontent among workers who feel unheard, insecure, and left behind amidst economic and political upheavals. It called for renewed efforts to reconnect economic policy with the needs of workers, with a focus on decent work and social justice.
Ms Thanaletchimi credited Singapore’s success to its longstanding tripartite model, where the Government, employers and unions work collaboratively. She reaffirmed NTUC’s commitment to building an inclusive, fair, and forward-looking workforce—particularly as economies navigate uncertainty.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng echoes Ms Thana’s sentiment on tripartism.
In his speech, Dr Tan said that Singapore’s belief in achieving win-win-win solutions underpins the tripartite model.
He said: “We place paramount value on the partnership between unions, employers, and the Government, and the trust that makes it work.
“The trust, painstakingly built over decades, is what allows us to have difficult conversations, find common ground, and move forward in a way that is good for workers, employers, and Singapore.”
The Singapore delegation to the conference included representatives from the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore National Employers Federation, and NTUC. Among the NTUC representatives were Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Wan Ling, Director of Unions Sylvia Choo, and leaders from various NTUC-affiliated unions.
Highlighting efforts to future-proof workers, Ms Thanaletchimi said Singapore had responded swiftly to global trade disruptions and sectoral risks—such as those impacting electronics and maritime industries—by establishing the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce.
NTUC, she added, had ramped up efforts to equip workers with new skills and supported initiatives for portable employment benefits.
“Job security today must be matched by job mobility tomorrow,” she stressed, pointing to the need for agility in a transforming labour market.
A key legislative milestone is the Platform Workers Act, passed in September 2024. The law grants platform workers—such as delivery riders and private-hire drivers—mandatory work injury compensation, CPF contributions, and legal representation frameworks.
In January 2025, NTUC-affiliated associations were formally recognised as the representative bodies for this growing segment of the workforce. NTUC had been advocating for these workers since before 2010 through associations such as the National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association and the National Delivery Champions Association.
“These workers often face challenges such as poor working conditions, misclassification and exclusion from existing labour laws and social protections.
“NTUC hopes that these discussions will result in a robust convention, supplemented by a recommendation, to effectively safeguard the rights of this new emerging group of vulnerable workers,” said Ms Thanaletchimi, referencing the ILO’s double discussion on setting international labour standards for platform work.
She also highlighted the Workplace Fairness Act, enacted in January 2025, as a landmark achievement. The law prohibits unfair treatment across a wide range of protected characteristics, including nationality, age, sex, pregnancy, caregiving status, race, religion, disability, and mental health.
Ms Thanaletchimi thanked Singapore’s tripartite partners for their collaborative approach, which has helped ensure fair treatment across the workforce.
Ms Thanaletchimi said NTUC continues to support workers through collaborative initiatives with employers as Singapore looked toward long-term workforce growth.
As part of long-term workforce development, NTUC has formed over 3,000 union-led Company Training Committees across industries. These have enabled more than 400 transformation projects, directly benefiting over 7,400 workers through improved wages, career progression and resilience.
She noted that such partnerships illustrate NTUC’s core belief: that economic growth must translate into better outcomes for workers.
Ms Thanaletchimi also emphasised NTUC’s readiness to partner with the ILO, ASEAN and other global stakeholders in shaping a future of work that is fair, inclusive, and sustainable.
“Together, let us advocate for a world where decent work uplifts communities, where workers’ voices help shape equitable digital and green transitions, and where no one is left behind—because Every Worker Matters,” she said.
Held in Geneva from 2 to 13 June 2025, the ILC brought together delegates from ILO member states to deliberate on pressing labour challenges, including ensuring decent work in the platform economy and facilitating the transition of workers from informal to formal employment.
The ILO is a United Nations agency that brings together governments, employers, and workers from 187 member states to set labour standards, develop policies, and devise programmes promoting decent work for all workers.
