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SINGAPORE - Last week's illegal strike by SMRT's China bus drivers occurred because the public transport operator's management, the unions and the workers "did not work closely enough", labour chief Lim Swee Say said yesterday.
In his first comments on the illegal strike, which saw 171 workers protesting over salary increases and living conditions, the Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said the labour dispute "shouldn't have happened" and "could have been avoided".
NTUC is thus reaching out to SMRT's management to persuade them "to adopt a more enlightened approach to embrace the union as a partner", he added.
Mr Lim, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Labour Movement Workplan Seminar, cited the example of SMRT's rival SBS Transit where nine in 10 of its China bus drivers are union members. Only one in 10 of SMRT's China bus drivers are union members, according to union sources.
SBS Transit's management "recognised the constructive role of the union", while union leaders "played the role of looking after the interests of the drivers", said Mr Lim.
"And as a result … they work very closely as one team, it's a win-win outcome. In terms of how workers are being treated and respected, how management are responsive, how they work together, I think it's a kind of model that we ought to see more and more in Singapore."
Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said NTUC "is in closer contact" with SMRT's China drivers to "encourage them" to join the union. "Right or wrong, they have been given the impression that either there is no need to join the union, or (they have) no right to join the union," he added.
Mr Lim said the labour movement was "very encouraged" by an advisory on grievance-handling procedures issued by the Singapore National Employers Federation on Wednesday, but felt that there should be greater recognition of the role played by unions.
He said he hoped companies could accept unions as a partner "in a more positive way instead of resisting or limiting the role of unions".
NTUC, meanwhile, is currently "taking stock of the various ways" the labour movement can further strengthen their engagement of foreign workers who are union members here. NTUC currently represents 125,000 foreign workers - about 18 per cent of all members - who are spread across a variety of industries such as transport, food and beverage, and manufacturing.
TODAY
In his first comments on the illegal strike, which saw 171 workers protesting over salary increases and living conditions, the Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said the labour dispute "shouldn't have happened" and "could have been avoided".
NTUC is thus reaching out to SMRT's management to persuade them "to adopt a more enlightened approach to embrace the union as a partner", he added.
Mr Lim, who was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Labour Movement Workplan Seminar, cited the example of SMRT's rival SBS Transit where nine in 10 of its China bus drivers are union members. Only one in 10 of SMRT's China bus drivers are union members, according to union sources.
SBS Transit's management "recognised the constructive role of the union", while union leaders "played the role of looking after the interests of the drivers", said Mr Lim.
"And as a result … they work very closely as one team, it's a win-win outcome. In terms of how workers are being treated and respected, how management are responsive, how they work together, I think it's a kind of model that we ought to see more and more in Singapore."
Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said NTUC "is in closer contact" with SMRT's China drivers to "encourage them" to join the union. "Right or wrong, they have been given the impression that either there is no need to join the union, or (they have) no right to join the union," he added.
Mr Lim said the labour movement was "very encouraged" by an advisory on grievance-handling procedures issued by the Singapore National Employers Federation on Wednesday, but felt that there should be greater recognition of the role played by unions.
He said he hoped companies could accept unions as a partner "in a more positive way instead of resisting or limiting the role of unions".
NTUC, meanwhile, is currently "taking stock of the various ways" the labour movement can further strengthen their engagement of foreign workers who are union members here. NTUC currently represents 125,000 foreign workers - about 18 per cent of all members - who are spread across a variety of industries such as transport, food and beverage, and manufacturing.
TODAY
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