Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the NTUC Lets March Leaders Assembly

Bro Ng Chee Meng, Secretary-General, NTUC

Bro Heng Chee How, Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC

Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development

NTUC Central Committee

Sisters and brothers

Ladies and gentlemen,

First, let me wish all our wonderful sisters and the brothers who are supporting our sisters a very Happy International Women's Day (IWD).

Being here really rekindled all the old memories of my work in NTUC and, more importantly, the many friends that I have made and with whom I still keep close contact.

For women all over the world, IWD is indeed an important occasion to celebrate their achievements, take stock of how far they have progressed, and chart pathways of what more they could do for the future. Indeed, success did not come easy for women in many countries. They had to toil and work hard to secure even basic rights.

In the US, for example, women had the right to vote only years after men were given the right to do so.  In many countries, too, women workers continue to be discriminated against in jobs and wages, and had to work in conditions that compromised their health and safety. With little support in their own countries, many women workers had to turn to international forums, such as the International Labour Organisation, to seek improvements resulting in the passing of a number of conventions to help provide safe and fair working conditions for women.

In some countries, women are not allowed to hold leadership positions in their unions, even in sectors which are predominantly dominated by women, because of cultural norms and social taboos. Hence, women workers have no platforms to articulate their concerns which impeded their progress, and society suffers as a result.

By contrast, the state of our women in Singapore is generally a lot better. The employment rate of women aged 15 to 64 years is 65.7 per cent in June 2018, which is comparable to many developed countries. Although women are still found predominantly in the traditional sectors such as nursing, teaching, preschool education and manufacturing, the situation is changing with more now in science and technology based employment. This is also a reflection of the shift in women’s education as more now study mathematics, science and technology related subjects. The Straits Times reported on 8 March, that more women are now joining tech start-ups as data analytics or to manage software teams.  A lot of women are also social entrepreneurs who hire other disabled and under-privileged women. There are now more women even in the uniformed services, which show that women have broadened their horizons and do not just look at traditional occupations or jobs that they are comfortable with.

Indeed, because of the shortage of talents in Singapore, companies don’t have the luxury to look at gender but have to evaluate candidates based on their qualifications and experience. Our effective macroeconomic policies that generate good economic growth and full employment, have boosted women’s employment opportunities. In many countries where the economy is performing badly coupled with increasing unemployment, women suffer the most. With greater access to education and the labour market, our younger women will continue to do well and progress in their careers.

For older women with little retirement savings, the CPF top up of up to $1000 for Singaporeans aged 50 to 64 which was recently announced, will bring some relief as 60% of those who will benefit are women.

Women form a significant proportion of union members. Out of a membership of  950,000 union members, 45% are women. The NTUC’s Women’s Wing is the largest group in Singapore, a very significant achievement that should be celebrated in terms of the group’s influence and impact. This is a healthy sign as it shows that female workers have found the unions relevant to their needs, and continue to support the unions.

Unions have benefited our women workers in so many different ways. At the policy level, Members of Parliament have raised pertinent issues such as longer paid maternity and child care leave and effective work life programmes to help workers, particularly women, to better balance work and family.

Women workers also benefit from the hundreds of collective agreements a year, covering pay and workplace benefits, that unions negotiate, which provide for equal protection regardless of gender. When one examines the collective agreements, one would realise that the agreement sees no gender discrimination. There is no specific clause targeted to cover only one gender. At work, the presence of unions has provided women with a greater sense of security and stability, as it ensured that they are treated fairly and with dignity. Workers are not only looking to earn their keep and take care of their needs. They also want to work in an environment that protects their dignity as well as allow them to achieve their self-actualisation goals. This applies to women as well.

Women trade union leaders have played a critical role alongside their male counterparts in making our workplace a fairer and just place for all workers. Out of 6060 union leaders, 33% of them are women and this is a huge number with significant impact. We have to understand that it’s not easy for women to hold leadership positions, as they have to juggle work and family, and also set aside time for their union work. Based on my experience in the past, persuading women to take part in elections can be a daunting task due to the many responsibilities that we women have to juggle. So, I salute them for their commitment and dedication in helping to make our workplace a better place for all workers.

Young women interested in holding leadership positions need role models to emulate. So, let me now share with you the stories of two of our women leaders’ worthy of such emulation. One role model is none other than sister Mary Liew, President of NTUC. I have known Mary for a long time and have seen her dedication and service to the workers and the labour movement. Sister Mary was able to break the glass ceiling and rose to become the first female General Secretary of the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union, a sector which is still largely dominated by male officers, and to become the second female President of NTUC in 58 years of its existence. She is also a board member of the International Transport Workers’ Federation, a global trade union federation representing seafarers from all over the world, and is Singapore’s and workers voices on the International Labour Organisation. We are proud of her achievements.

The other unionist that I would like to mention is Sister Noor Shyma Abdul Latiff, the Deputy General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees, the largest public sector union in Singapore. I have known Sister Shyma, who became a union leader in 1979, for many years too and her commitment and dedication to workers and the union are remarkable. Sister Shyma played a pivotal role in ensuring fair treatment for public sector employees through successful negotiations with the management partners in ministries and statutory boards.

There are many more dedicated women leaders that I can cite but time is too limited for me to mention all of them. The role of union leaders is usually not much understood or appreciated. But it is important that we share such stories with young activists to inspire and motivate them, because the labour movement is a crucial pillar of our society. When we look at the labour movement, it is not just the structure or the system. We should also look at the people behind it and highlight our union leaders, both men and women.

As we delve into the future of work, we will face major disruptions fueled largely by technology.  Our workers must be prepared for such changes. Adapting alone will not be sufficient. We need to innovate and create new solutions. This presents tremendous opportunities for women too. There will be increasing numbers of women PMEs in the workforce and the unions’ biggest challenge will be to reach out to them and engage them meaningfully.

I see balancing work and family as one key challenge and it will remain as a challenge. Unions have worked hard to encourage employers to adopt telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements, and I hope that unionised companies will provide the lead in such progressive work practices.  There should be a report card to highlight these flexible work practices and how they have benefitted and accommodate not only just women but also the older workers as well as those who face disabilities.  We are one of the most internet connected countries in the world, so there should be little difficulty in allowing women to work from home, if this does not compromise efficiency or productivity. It is also important for families to better share the caregiving responsibilities, at home as government responses and employers’ initiatives alone will not solve the problem. This is obviously a global challenge, as the ILO recently pointed out that progress towards gender parity at work has barely nudged for the past quarter century, and will speed up only when men take up more caregiving tasks.

The second challenge will be to ensure that there is a steady pipeline of young women leaders to take up the leadership mantle. We need more women to come forward to serve at the different levels - branch (company), union executive committees and the NTUC Central Committee. I understand the challenges that women face in wanting to take up union leadership positions but we have to walk the talk. If we truly believe that it’s important for women to be at the table so that their voices can be heard, then we have to make some sacrifices.  It would also be helpful if there is a policy or system to encourage the growth and development of women particularly in leadership positions.

In conclusion, women in Singapore have come a long way and unions have played an important part in improving their lives. We have always used the common example of the stool with the three legs. If one of the legs is broken, there is no way Singapore can develop and progress. The union represents one of the three legs of a stool that keeps our economy and society stable. It has performed the role remarkably well especially in representing and advancing the welfare of women workers. Let me once again wish all our women Happy International Women’s Day.

Thank you.