May Day Rally 2023: The Labour Movement Celebrates

Some 1,400 Labour Movement leaders, workers and tripartite partners gathered to celebrate May Day on 1 May 2023 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre.

The May Day Rally was graced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong as special guest and keynote speaker.

The rally was hosted by NTUC President Mary Liew, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and NTUC Central Committee Members.

Click here for the full story on DPM Lawrence Wong’s speech.

Refreshing NTUC’s compact with workers

During his speech, Mr Ng outlined key focus areas following insights and feedback from NTUC’s #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations.

The focus areas include scaling up current initiatives, such as Company Training Committees to bring about real impact to both workers and companies, doing better for underserved segments such as youth, and setting in place a Culture of Innovation within the Labour Movement to better serve members’ evolving needs.

Since its launch in August last year, NTUC’s #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations have reached out to more than 40,000 people through 130 in-person engagements and a roving physical exhibition.

Click here for the full story on NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng’s speech.

May Day Rally

The May Day Rally was the first time since 2019 that it was held in a full physical setting.

During the rally, NTUC reaffirmed its commitment to champion workers’ interests and refresh its compact with workers.

The event also highlighted the importance of tripartism to address the challenges faced by the workforce.

In his 2023 May Day message, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singapore is ‘cautiously optimistic’ about economic prospects amidst a volatile global environment.

He added that a strong collaboration between tripartite partners remains a key role.

Mr Lee also cited how NTUC worked closely with employers and workers during the pandemic to implement wage-cutting measures to sustain businesses and save jobs.

Click here for the NTUC Labour Movement Annual 2023.