'ong teng cheong labour leadership institute' owned by lim swee say will train you into tip top talents to compete with foreigners.
$50m to train unionists and grow NTUC membership
New NTUC50 fund will benefit workers and strengthen unions: PM
By Cai Haoxiang
A $50 MILLION fund will be set up by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to grow the membership base of the labour movement and train its leaders.
For the fund, NTUC needs to raise $12.5 million, and the Government will contribute $37.5 million.
The money will be used to fund two key initiatives: growing the NTUC's current membership base of more than 600,000 to one million members by 2015; and leadership development - bringing in younger leaders, giving greater responsibilities to promising ones, and ensuring that retiring leaders pass on their knowledge.
By strengthening and renewing the NTUC, the NTUC50 Development Fund will ultimately benefit Singapore's workers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told 8,500 unionists, and employer and government representatives at the May Day Rally yesterday.
'We will invest in the NTUC, keep it young, keep it strong, keep it relevant and effective. That is an investment for the future. This is also a symbol of the Government's full support for the union movement and Singapore workers,' he said.
'Our future depends on strong unions, forward-looking, dynamic, who will continue to improve workers' lives... new leaders who can build on what the labour leaders have achieved, who will work with employers and the Government to rally workers to tackle challenges,' Mr Lee added.
He said the idea for the fund came about in his discussions with labour chief Lim Swee Say.
Current initiatives to grow the labour movement include reaching out to teenagers, senior citizens, young couples with families and working adults.
For example, Young NTUC, as cited by Mr Lim yesterday, goes 'from caring for the environment to running for the environment, from performances to free hugs, from volunteering to celebrating the National Day Parade'.
Last month, Cabinet minister Lim Boon Heng, who oversees the labour movement's 12 social enterprises, also announced expansion plans so that the enterprises - familiar names like grocery giant NTUC FairPrice and childcare provider NTUC First Campus - can continue to keep goods and services affordable for Singaporeans.
Currently, the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi) provides leadership training for unionists via certificate and diploma programmes and dialogue sessions with veteran unionists.
Unionists welcomed the fund yesterday but said details on what the money will be used for are still being worked out.
'It is not a one-off, but an amount to be used over a period of time,' said NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
OTCi director S. Thiagarajan said more funding will be 'very timely' and could help fund e-learning programmes for a younger, IT-savvy generation.
'The trade union movement is an important part of Singapore's social fabric and nation-building... The new generation of leaders may not know our history and guiding values... like tripartism, symbiotic relationship, and doing what is in the long-term interests of workers,' he said.
[email protected]
FUTURE BUILT ON STRONG UNIONS
'Our future depends on strong unions, forward-looking, dynamic, who will continue to improve workers' lives... new leaders who can build on what the labour leaders have achieved, who will work with employers and the Government to rally workers to tackle challenges.'
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
$50m to train unionists and grow NTUC membership
New NTUC50 fund will benefit workers and strengthen unions: PM
By Cai Haoxiang
A $50 MILLION fund will be set up by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to grow the membership base of the labour movement and train its leaders.
For the fund, NTUC needs to raise $12.5 million, and the Government will contribute $37.5 million.
The money will be used to fund two key initiatives: growing the NTUC's current membership base of more than 600,000 to one million members by 2015; and leadership development - bringing in younger leaders, giving greater responsibilities to promising ones, and ensuring that retiring leaders pass on their knowledge.
By strengthening and renewing the NTUC, the NTUC50 Development Fund will ultimately benefit Singapore's workers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong told 8,500 unionists, and employer and government representatives at the May Day Rally yesterday.
'We will invest in the NTUC, keep it young, keep it strong, keep it relevant and effective. That is an investment for the future. This is also a symbol of the Government's full support for the union movement and Singapore workers,' he said.
'Our future depends on strong unions, forward-looking, dynamic, who will continue to improve workers' lives... new leaders who can build on what the labour leaders have achieved, who will work with employers and the Government to rally workers to tackle challenges,' Mr Lee added.
He said the idea for the fund came about in his discussions with labour chief Lim Swee Say.
Current initiatives to grow the labour movement include reaching out to teenagers, senior citizens, young couples with families and working adults.
For example, Young NTUC, as cited by Mr Lim yesterday, goes 'from caring for the environment to running for the environment, from performances to free hugs, from volunteering to celebrating the National Day Parade'.
Last month, Cabinet minister Lim Boon Heng, who oversees the labour movement's 12 social enterprises, also announced expansion plans so that the enterprises - familiar names like grocery giant NTUC FairPrice and childcare provider NTUC First Campus - can continue to keep goods and services affordable for Singaporeans.
Currently, the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute (OTCi) provides leadership training for unionists via certificate and diploma programmes and dialogue sessions with veteran unionists.
Unionists welcomed the fund yesterday but said details on what the money will be used for are still being worked out.
'It is not a one-off, but an amount to be used over a period of time,' said NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob.
OTCi director S. Thiagarajan said more funding will be 'very timely' and could help fund e-learning programmes for a younger, IT-savvy generation.
'The trade union movement is an important part of Singapore's social fabric and nation-building... The new generation of leaders may not know our history and guiding values... like tripartism, symbiotic relationship, and doing what is in the long-term interests of workers,' he said.
[email protected]
FUTURE BUILT ON STRONG UNIONS
'Our future depends on strong unions, forward-looking, dynamic, who will continue to improve workers' lives... new leaders who can build on what the labour leaders have achieved, who will work with employers and the Government to rally workers to tackle challenges.'
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong
