Speech by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng at May Day Rally 2026

Senior Minister Brother Lee Hsien Loong,

Cabinet Ministers,

NTUC President K. Thanaletchimi and fellow Central Committee Members,

SNEF President Brother Tan Hee Teck and Tripartite Partners,

PAP Comrades,

Sisters and Brothers.

INTRODUCTION

Good morning, Happy May Day!

It’s just wonderful to be able to be here this morning to be with all of you – to celebrate our workers, and to celebrate our unique Labour Movement.

And each time I come up stage, when I see this sea of red – it gives me tremendous joy. What a wonderful Labour Movement, and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart, I am so happy to be here with you today.

And to those tuning in online, Happy May Day too!

But sisters and brothers, as we celebrate, let us also take this moment to reflect – on this May Day, what we must protect, and what we must strengthen.

The ongoing Middle East conflict is causing significant economic disruption and pressure on businesses – and on jobs.

1. In Europe, fuel shortages not seen in Singapore, are causing thousands of flight cancellations.

    

2. Yet at the same time, airlines are grappling with strikes as unions express unhappiness over pay, over work conditions.

    

3. And just last week, major tech companies like Meta announced global layoffs, and Microsoft signalling buy-outs in the US – moves that could affect up to 23,000 roles, even as both firms said that they will invest heavily in Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    

4. Situations like these cause real uncertainty and unease for workers – both blue and white collar alike.

And in Singapore, we are not immune to these challenges.

But I am thankful that our tripartism – built upon decades of trust – gives us that unique edge:

1. To work through challenges,

    

2. To seize new opportunities together.

This tripartite trust is not borne of just one day, but of years and decades of hard-won trust, putting our heads, our hands, our hearts together to forge this trust.

And in the world that we live in today, this matters more than ever.

So today, on this May Day, I would like to do three things.

1. First, celebrate. Celebrate how far we have come together.

    

2. Second, speak honestly about the challenges ahead.

    

3. And third, share how we can deepen our tripartite partnership to stand with workers through the challenges and opportunities ahead.

CELEBRATION: DREAM, DARE, DO – DELIVERED

Sisters and brothers, let us take a moment to remember how far we have come.

If you recall back to 2019, at the National Delegates' Conference, we set a clear direction: Dream. Dare. Do.

1. At that point in time, we had about 960,000 members and we set a big, audacious goal to reach 1.5 million members by 2030.

    

2. And we committed very importantly, even before 2020, to innovate, build a culture of innovation in NTUC, to review our: (i) union model, (ii) membership model, and (iii) training model.

After we had those declarations, a few months later, COVID-19 hit. It would have been very easy to put those ambitions aside; amidst all the many things we did. But we pressed on.

Our membership today has grown to 1.4 million – well on track to meet our target of 1.5 million by 2030.

More importantly, it is not about that number, but how we have expanded our union model to represent more workers in new workspaces:

1. Embracing platform brothers and sisters at a time of vulnerability,

    

2. And building new value for our PMEs through mentorship and career guidance.

And we have invested in our younger generation of leaders.

1. Through NTUC Youth, we have grown our Starter Awards across eight IHLs, across the ITEs, Polytechnics, and reaching into the universities – supporting close to 140 awardees.

    

2. These are not just scholarships – they are platforms for our youths to step up.

    

3. One of our pioneer Starter Awardees, Jayden, is now part of our Youths Champions Project. He is leading a team to examine how we can improve internship experiences for young people entering the workforce.

    

4. Not from the NTUC Secretary-General perspective, but from their own perspective of how things can be improved.

    

5. Jayden, an awardee, now a team leader – championing for opportunities in the youth space, from the ground up.

    

6. Well done, Jayden!

    

7. Through these programmes, we give youths like Jayden real ground opportunities to lead, to advocate, and very importantly, start equipping themselves with life skills to be better prepared for the transition from schoolhouse to workplace.

We have also transformed our training model through our Company Training Committees (CTCs).

1. From our first CTC in 2019,

    

2. We now have more than 3,800 CTCs benefiting over 300,000 workers with training,

    

3. And through our CTC grant, impacting real-life wages and career development.

    

4. Through all the different things we do in skills training, wage increases, job redesign, and structured career pathways, we have made that difference.

Are we happy? Not yet. We will do more.

Sisters and brothers, none of this happened by chance.

Behind every number that I have shared, it is our people – you – who made it happen.

We can say this with confidence: We have Dreamt, we have Dared, and we have Done, and –

You have Delivered. Give yourself a big round of applause.

Thank you to:

1. Our union leaders,

    

2. And my NTUC staff and enterprise colleagues for working tirelessly for workers and their families.

Every one of you is driven by our common belief that indeed, Every Worker Matters.

Thank you for being the backbone of our Labour Movement.

And to:

1. Our tripartite partners, SNEF and MOM,

    

2. Our symbiotic partner, the PAP,

    

3. And other partners of the Labour Movement,

    

4. Thank you for working together through challenges to forge win-win-win outcomes.

Sometimes it is easy to forget as we go about our daily hustle and bustle. But, sisters and brothers, what we do matters.

1. This May Day, take a quiet moment to celebrate,

    

2. Refresh our spirit,

    

3. Renew our journey,

    

4. And press on because there is much work to be done!

THE WORLD HAS CHANGED

Even as we celebrate, we must be clear-eyed.

The world around us has shifted and has become more unstable than ever – and our workers, blue and white collars, are feeling it.

Besides the geopolitical issues we are facing, Singapore faces two structural shifts – AI technology disruption, and a super-aged society.

And they are hitting at the same time with geopolitical fragmentation, technology disruption, and associated rising cost pressures.

While our economy remains resilient, there are dark clouds on the horizon.

1. Some young graduates are finding it harder to secure jobs after school.

    

2. Retrenchments, especially among PMEs, have picked up.

    

3. And in NTUC's survey, nearly 1 in 5 workers said job security was their top concern.

AI disruption will not be short-term or cyclical.

1. It will reshape jobs across every sector – including PME roles like doctors, lawyers, and accountants.

    

2. And it risks hollowing out the first rung of the career ladder – taking away not only jobs, but opportunities for our younger workers to build critical foundational skills to launch their careers.

Add in global instabilities, and workers of all collars are exposed to twin pressures – less job security, and higher cost of living.

FROM CRISIS TO OPPORTUNITY

But sisters and brothers – in the Chinese language, the word for crisis is 危机 – incorporating both ideas of Danger, and Opportunity.

This moment, disruptive as it is, anxious as we are, will also open doors of opportunities.

It is similar to what tripartite partners have faced and overcome before.

Time and again, we have come together to stand by our workers when it mattered:

1. During the National Computerisation Plan in the 1980s, amidst a very significant recession,

    

2. Implementing the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR) during the Global Financial Crisis,

    

3. And recently, forming the NTUC Job Security Council during COVID-19, where we helped many workers who were out of jobs overnight.

The AI era will demand the same – if not more – for tripartite collaboration.

The question is: How? How can we stand by our workers when the disruption will be both deep and extensive?

To do this at speed and scale, I suggest that we must anchor ourselves on three Cs:

1. Commitment,

    

2. Capabilities,

    

3. And importantly, Collective Action.

COMMITMENT

First – Commitment.

Our tripartite commitment to workers has always been steadfast and steady.

But with the changing world, we must renew and strengthen this commitment to our workers, including new segments of workers – PMES, and the youths

We all have heard:

1. How our youths are stepping into a job market that is more uncertain than before;

    

2. How both blue and white collar workers are upskilling – but may not always be confident it will lead to good jobs.

    

3. How our small and medium enterprise (SME) business partners may want to transform – but struggle to access the support and the know-how they may need.

No single partner can close these gaps alone.

So, I am happy that on May Day, tripartite partners are coming together to form the Tripartite Jobs Council (TJC).

It is our way – Singapore’s way – to make a strong statement of commitment to our workers – both blue and white collars – that we will stand alongside (them) in the era of AI where tripartism will come forth again to support and enable them in the journey ahead!

We will bring the resources and reach of Government, employers and the Labour Movement under one roof –

1. To scale our impact on the ground,

    

2. And stand with our workers where it matters most.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our tripartite partners – the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

1. Thank you, Brother See Leng and Brother Hee Teck, for embracing NTUC’s proposal to set up the Tripartite Jobs Council.

    

2. Thank you for the commitment that we will come together under the Tripartite Jobs Council to support our workers and enterprises in their AI journey ahead.

    

3. This will be the first step for tripartism in the AI era.

CAPABILITIES

The Tripartite Jobs Council is not just another entity, it will be backed by real capabilities. This is the second C.

1. The Tripartite Jobs Council is not starting from scratch.

    

2. Each tripartite partner brings proven strengths.

    

3. The key now is to bring them together, and go even bigger, better, and faster.

Building Up Workers

Today, we have different initiatives to build up our workers to be AI-Ready

On the Government's side, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG) have built up a comprehensive skills and jobs ecosystem.

Their merger into the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA) will tighten the links between skills and jobs, for better worker outcomes.

Within our Labour Movement and NTUC, 

1. NTUC LearningHub has been rolling out AI training pathways tailored to different roles and sectors.

    

2. And starting today, union members will receive funding support for AI tool subscriptions – so you can experiment, learn, and apply AI confidently at work!

But here is the challenge we all share: for all the good work we do, many of our workers still wonder – what must I do to truly be AI-Ready?

The Tripartite Jobs Council will help close that gap –

Better Businesses, Better Jobs

Each tripartite partner also brings capabilities to build better businesses and better jobs.

At NTUC, we have the CTCs. Let me show you what CTCs is like in practice, to a NTUC-SME partner we have influenced over time.

1. Five years ago, when we first made contact with Certact Engineering, they were making common metal parts.

    

2. Today, with our CTC and the Advanced Manufacturing Employees Union (AMEU), they have transited to make high-value plastics. Moving with our Operations & Technology Roadmap’s advice, they have moved into a higher-end manufacturing.

    

3. And as a result, revenue has grown nine times, their staff strength has grown from 40 to almost 200, and they are expanding overseas as a company too!

    

4. Ellis previously briefed me that there are only three companies in Singapore that can do plastic do advanced plastics moulding to support semiconductor industries. Two are American, and the last one is Certact Engineering, a Singaporean homegrown company doing advanced manufacturing work that is unique to us.

Thank you, Sister Ellis for dreaming together with us. Thank you for your faith and trust in us. All the very best ahead! But we are not stopping there.

We want to expand our CTCs to uplift more workers, including professionals.

1. We are partnering GP+ Co-operative to support General Practitioners (GPs) like Dr Aziz to understand and use new technologies like AI, upskill their workforce and improve productivity in their clinics.

    

2. Through this nascent partnership, NTUC and our unions will stand together with GP doctors not only as healthcare professionals, but as small business owners navigating the era of AI change.

    

3. And we are supporting accountants too.

    

4. Through our CTC partnerships, firms like SIN Assurance are adopting AI tools to reduce manual work, freeing their staff to focus on higher-value, analytical work.

    

5. While I was looking for them earlier, I realised that they are doing well enough now that on May Day, they are on holiday.

    

6. A small firm empowered with better productivity, better business, better wages for their workers. And over a long weekend, better welfare for their workers as well. This is what we want!

We are also strengthening our CTCs to drive AI transformation.

1. Through AI Transformation Blueprints – developed with AI Singapore – we are helping companies assess their readiness, identify gaps, and implement AI solutions.

    

2. And we are partnering with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Huawei as Lead Multipliers to bring world class organisations and their solutions and networks into our CTC framework. so that our businesses and SMEs can be empowered further.

    

3. Let's move the CTCs into an even stronger position so that we can impact businesses and our workers.

Last year, we formed six new Cluster CTCs.

1. The idea is to take an ecosystem approach beyond company by company.

    

2. Use Queen Bee companies to trigger transformation across their networks of SMEs and the workers under them.

    

3. Together, these partnerships have the potential to benefit workers in more than 600 SMEs.

On the Government's side, the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package supports companies in:

1. Job redesign,

    

2. Capability development,

    

3. And workforce transformation.

On the ground, SNEF as an anchor programme partner of the Enterprise Workforce Transformation Package provides a one-stop, holistic solution comprising:

1. Guidance,

    

2. Support,

    

3. And complimentary enterprise diagnostics for companies throughout their transformation journey.

    

4. Similar capabilities across partners.

Now, the Tripartite Jobs Council will bring all these together under one roof – broadening our outreach so we can scale transformation across more businesses and sectors.

As Brother Lim Swee Say would say, 1+1+1 is greater than 3! Not logical mathematically, but with aspiration, we will dream, dare, and work towards.

Better Job Matching

The other area of capability that can benefit from convergence is in better job matching.

 NTUC's e2i today has 27 touchpoints providing career guidance islandwide.

And e2i has been augmenting its services with AI-powered career coaching and personalised job matching.

Alongside, WSG has various career transition support programmes to help our workers.

SNEF is also helping our workers move into new roles through the administration of various Career Conversion Programmes. They have supported more than 2,000 workers in this good work.

Imagine and dream of the possibilities if these efforts were integrated and designed around every worker’s needs in this age of disruption.

We would be able to do a lot more to come alongside and to support, whether you are a younger worker or an older worker, in critical career transitions. That is the goal of TJC.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

This brings me to the third C – Collective Action.

The Tripartite Jobs Council is our form of Collective Action to:

1. Amplify our outreach,

    

2. Quicken the pace of implementation,

    

3. And improve outcomes for our workers and importantly, our businesses.

 What does all this mean for our workers and businesses?

If you are a young graduate stepping into an uncertain job market, we will help:

1. Connect your education to real opportunities.

    

2. Guide you not just into your first job, but through the career pivots that will come.

If you are a mid-career PME or senior worker anxious about AI disruption:

1. We will partner you. Partner the companies to transform in a way that ups your value, not replace you.

    

2. We will help you transition into roles that value you and the skillsets you bring.

If you are a rank-and-file blue collar worker, we will make sure that:

1. You will have pathways to upskilling and better work prospects,

    

2. And that your wages will grow with productivity gains.

And if you are our NTUC partner and business – especially an SME – trying your hardest to transform but unsure where to start – the Tripartite Jobs Council can come alongside you and provide the support you need.

I’m super excited about the Tripartite Jobs Council and I think you can see it in my energy today. I hope all of you are too because this is the next round of what we can do for tripartism in the AI era!

ONE LAST C – “CARE”

Sisters and brothers – why does this matter so deeply?

Because history teaches us that when there’s a great disruption, like the previous industrial revolution, indeed great opportunities were abound, but some workers can be left behind during the transition.

Trust can break down.

Societies can fracture.

We must not let this happen in Singapore.

That brings me to one more C – the most important one, in my mind.

Care.

Commitment, Capabilities, Collective Action – and most importantly, Care. The why we do what we do.

Care is at the heart of our Labour Movement.

1. It is the “why” over 65 years we have stood together with workers.

    

2. Our Care-in-action means providing not only all the things in the Tripartite Jobs Council, but also that extra support.

This May Day, NTUC and FairPrice Group are delivering $5 million in savings on essentials, with union members getting more through FairPrice Group in-app deals.

On top of that, our Labour Movement will commit a total of close to $37 million this year, to provide workers and their families with practical help for their everyday needs.

We have also recently launched the NTUC Community Fund with the goal of raising $500 million to support children and seniors over the next five years.

Most importantly, our Care-in-action means:

1. Being alongside workers, blue or white collars, in the AI age, and

    

2. Ensuring that in this age of disruption, no worker will have to journey alone. We will be alongside you.

RALLY CALL

Sisters and brothers, let me now conclude.

Overtime, we have fostered an innovation culture in NTUC. All of you know the 3Ds of – Dream, Dare, Do.

1. Through COVID and beyond, we embraced big dreams. We have dared, and you have delivered.

But now, the AI era demands that we do so again:

1. Bigger,

    

2. Better,

    

3. Together.

Let us take collective action through the Tripartite Jobs Council,

1. With strengthened collective capabilities;

    

2. With unshakeable collective commitment;

    

3. To ensure that the Labour Movement will continue to better lives and livelihoods in our unique tripartite approach.

Sisters and brothers – I have made a long speech, and I have one question for you this morning: Are you with me?

Then let us Dream, let us Dare, let us Do – and Deliver once again, so that we will be able to celebrate May Day each year with conviction, with the knowledge that there are better lives and livelihoods!

1. For our workers!

    

2. For our families!

    

3. For our beloved Singapore!

Majulah NTUC!

Majulah PAP!

Majulah Singapura!

Happy May Day, everybody! And thank you for your wonderful labour and work for our Labour Movement and workers. Thank you!