15 November 2003

Welcome Address by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Acting Minister for Education and Chairman, Board of Governors, Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies at the Institute's Graduation Ceremony at the Orchid Country Club at 9.35am on 15 Nov 2003

On behalf of the Board of Governors it is my pleasure to welcome all of you to this year's Ong Teng Cheong Institute of Labour Studies Graduation Ceremony.

2 Creating jobs has always been an important priority of the Government. In recent times, this goal has become much more significant. This is due to the weak economic environment and the resulting increase in unemployment over the last two years.

3 We are therefore fortunate to have as Guest-of-Honour this year, Acting Minister for Manpower Dr Ng Eng Hen. The Ministry of Manpower is spearheading several initiatives to transform the Singapore's workforce capabilities, reform wage systems for a more competitive economy and strengthen our ability to create jobs. So we are very glad that Dr Ng Eng Hen is able to join us and address us today.

4 The OTC Institute's Graduation Ceremony is held each year to recognize the efforts of those who have undertaken the Advanced Certificate in Industrial Relations and the Diploma in Employment Relations. It is a happy occasion for our graduands and for us at the Institute.

5 I offer my hearty congratulations to the graduands. You have worked hard and spent countless hours to get your qualification. I know it is not easy since all of you hold full-time jobs and have family commitments.

6 Some of you in fact work on the night shift and rush off for work immediately after classes. There are others who sacrifice overtime work for studies. We know instances when children tag along for classes in the evenings because they are unable to make babysitting or childminding arrangements. And of course besides the classes, you have your reading and projects to do which eat into precious family and free time.

7 Each of you in your own way has made sacrifices. Some have made exceptional sacrifices. Let me share the example of one unionist, Jawiah Bte Rahmat from the National University Hospital Employees Union, who is currently finishing her Diploma. Jawiah is a mother of three children, sole bread-winner and a union delegate. Despite being diagnosed with a chronic illness, she makes her best attempt not to miss class. On occasions she has been warded so she misses class. However, when she is out of hospital and even on medical leave, she turns up in the evenings and is involved in presentations and projects. Once she fainted in class before an exam. It was only after being reassured that separate arrangements will be made for her to sit the paper did she agree to go home. Her course mates suggested to her that she defer her studies until she recuperates. Jawiah does not want to defer the course. She is determined to get her diploma.

8 I admire Jawiah's tenacity against the odds. She does not yield to adversity. I am sure I express everyone's sentiments in hoping that Jawiah will have a good recovery.

9 One of the main goals of the Institute is to provide opportunities for unionists to upgrade themselves. The Diploma and the ACIR will help all our graduands as unionists. About a third who complete the Diploma also proceed to pursue a degree.

10 Many of you will continue to remain within the labour movement after your studies and take on greater leadership responsibilities. In fact, many of the NTUC Central Committee members are graduands of the Institute's Diploma course including NTUC President Mr John De Payva, NTUC Vice-Presidents Mr Cyrille Tan and Mr Nithiah Nandan.

11 Some of you who complete the Diploma may over time move on to new jobs. I understand we have with us here today Mr Noel Khng, one-time President of the Singapore Shell Employees Union. He was in the pioneer batch of unionists who graduated from the Diploma class in 1992. Mr Noel Khng is here to present the Shell Book Prize in his capacity as Shell's Employee Relations Manager.

12 At one time, knowledge of labour laws and negotiation skills were the primary tools that union leaders needed for dealing with management. But this is no longer enough. As companies take a more strategic perspective of human resource management, and as the workforce gets better educated, new demands are being placed on our union leaders. The Institute is alive to these evolving demands.

13 This year we started two new certificate series - one on human resource management and the other on leadership - to complement the existing certificate series in industrial relations. These programmes will be developed further in the coming year.

14 Besides the new certificate courses, new short courses have also been planned. There is a major drive by the tripartite partners to restructure wages for greater competitiveness. In 2004, unionists can look forward to workshops on how wage restructuring is done. These will be supported by sessions on financial analysis for performance-related pay systems as well as courses on individual performance management and appraisal systems.

15 The Institute will run such courses in Mandarin or any other language if there is sufficient demand, just like the Mandarin ICIR started this year. In July we launched free talks in the evenings and the response was good, attracting on average 100 participants. We will continue with these talks next year. If unions are keen, the Institute is also prepared to run its courses in the evenings.

16 We have been reaching out not only to unions but also HR practitioners and management staff through courses and customized workshops for companies. In the last two years, over 1250 management staff from 129 organisations attended various IR and HR courses organized by the Institute. The SMRT, PUB, Philips, PSA, Cold Storage, Raffles International and HDB are some of the organisations which have used the Institute for customized courses. The Institute will expand this outreach to employers. I encourage unions and companies to work with the Institute to institutionalize and strengthen industrial relations at the workplace level.

17 Whilst training will continue to be our core function, the Institute will strengthen its research capabilities in the coming year. The employment scene is fast changing. New forms of employment such as contract work, part-time work and outsourcing are fast emerging. They have implications for the stability of income and employment for workers. There is scope for research on such trends, and on the appropriate social safety net to protect workers in this new situation. The Institute will collaborate with academics from local tertiary institutions and the NTUC in its research activities in the coming year.

18 In concluding, I wish to record our appreciation to all who have in one way or other contributed to the success of the Institute over the last year.

19 I once again congratulate all graduands from the Advanced Certificate in Industrial Relations and the Diploma in Employment Relations courses for their achievement.