samudra

Facing the Future with
Hope and Confidence
In his May Day message, Mr Lim Boon Heng, NTUC Secretary-General, called on workers to face the future with
hope and confidence. Samudra highlights excerpts of his message in a reader-friendly question and answer
style.
4 Samudra April + May 2005“
Are the good times back for good?
“It is prudent to be cautious. The twin driving forces of global competition and
technological change will continue to reshape the world economy and our
own. To weather the changes, we have to keep a close eye on our cost
competitiveness. There will be fewer shocks if we stay competitive.”
How do we build confidence and not worried about unemployment
knowing that we can find another job easily?
“By continuing to acquire relevant skills. That is why the Skills Development
Fund and Lifelong Learning Fund are important. That is why the NTUC set up
the NTUC Education and Training Fund, and
drives the Skills Redevelopment Programme.
To encourage workers to take charge of their
own careers, to develop the habit of lifelong
learning, we are encouraging individual training
accounts, that we call SkillSave.”
What’s important when there’s uncertainty?
“A good safety net is important. That is why we encourage workers to save for
the rainy day. It is not easy, but the little sums we set aside monthly will be very
useful if we become unemployed. There is some money to fall back on, to tide
us over the period. And we also want to ease workers of worry over healthcare,
should they fall ill when they are unemployed. So we urge all workers to cover
themselves with Medishield. We want employers to convert the medical benefits
they provide into a portable system.”
Will the future be tough and bleak?
“Yes, we face competition from countries with seemingly inexhaustible supplies
of cheap labour, but it is not a hopeless situation. Looking back at our own
experience, as a country develops, wages will rise. It will be the same for those
countries that have emerged. As such, there will be sectors where we will be
competitive and these will provide jobs for Singaporeans.
So on this May Day, let us remember that so long as we are adaptable and do the
right things, we can shape a future with more opportunities for better jobs, and
our workers can face the future with hope and confidence.”
Over the years, the NTUC has been a responsible voice
for workers, and a strong member in our partnership. I
would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the
NTUC and our union leaders for their outstanding
contributions to Singapore’s economic development.
- Mr Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, at the
May Day Dinner