WELCOME SPEECH BY

 MR STEPHEN LEE, CHAIRMAN OF TRIPARTITE ALLIANCE LIMITED

TRIPARTITE COLLECTIVE LAUNCH EVENT, 6 MAY 2022

 

 

1. Tripartite leaders from MOM, NTUC and SNEF;                                                     
   Special guests Mr Peter Seah, Chairman, NWC, and               
   Mr Lim Boon Heng, Chairman, Temasek Holdings;
   Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
   
   
2. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Tripartite Collective Official Launch and Inaugural Event.
   
   
3. In August last year, Dr Tan, Minister for Manpower, announced the set-up of Tripartite Collective which is a membership-based organization. The Collective is a joint effort by the tripartite partners – MOM, NTUC and SNEF.
   
   
4. The purpose of the Tripartite Collective is to strengthen the spirit of tripartism in the community by fostering trust and socializing stakeholders to the values and benefits of tripartism. It will bring together past, present and future tripartite leaders and members from the extended network of the academic, legal and media communities to discuss views and ideas on tripartism to build a better workplace for all of us. Through these exchanges, we hope that members will gain knowledge and a shared understanding of issues faced by employers and employees, learn from past practices, strengthen relationships and develop capabilities to further tripartism to the wider community.  
   
   
5. Today is the first of such exchanges, and it is my honour to give the opening address amidst many esteemed guests.
   
   
6. The theme for today’s event is Tripartism in the New World: Navigating Challenges Past, Present and Future. Labour law reforms and the modernisation of the labour movement in the 1960s helped build the foundation of tripartism based on a collaborative rather than a confrontational approach in Singapore.
   
   
7. Through the many years, tripartite partners have made significant differences to our employment landscape, through reviewing employment legislation, issuing of tripartite guidelines and advisories, as well as managing disputes and collective bargaining with a view to better industrial harmony. No matter the challenges, we have always shared the common purpose of improving workers’ lives and employers’ competitiveness. While issues have changed over the years, our principles have been consistent throughout the trials and tribulations from the past till today.
   
   
8. Today’s event will examine how tripartism has worked in the past and how it can work in the future. Through the sharing, we hope that you can take away learnings from the past, that will help you have better ideas for future challenges.
   
   
9. Beyond today, the Tripartite Collective will organize more exchanges and dialogues exclusive to our members and share new research insights with the wider community. When we sent out invitations for this inaugural event, we included a poll to seek your views on tripartism and how the Tripartite Collective can add value to you as members. We thank those who have responded and will take in your feedback as we plan our future events.
   
   
10. The Tripartite Collective is a collaborative effort. This year, we are honoured to have the support of Temasek Foundation. We have also worked with Stewardship Asia Centre under the Temasek Trust, on a new joint research piece that will be presented very shortly. We further invited many learned panellists who will share their experience and impart their wisdom this morning. And lastly, I would like to extend my special thanks to our members for joining us today.
    
    
11. The future employment landscape will always be fraught with challenges but will also have its rewards and opportunities for those who stand ready. We hope that the Tripartite Collective will support you in this exciting journey.
    
    
12. Now, let us move on to today’s programme. Thank you once again, and welcome to the Tripartite Collective.