On May 20, 2024, the Lien Fellows Speaker Series featured Mr Desmond Tan, Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office and Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC), and one of the distinguished Lien Fellows, as its esteemed speaker. As a hallmark event initiated by the Lien Ying Chow Legacy Fellowship, the series has, since its inception in 2014, served as a beacon of knowledge dissemination and exchange. The event, held at the Auditorium, Gaia, focused on the pivotal role of Tripartism in Singapore, a model of collaboration that has underpinned the nation’s economic and social success for nearly six decades. Moderated by Dr Ang Hak Seng, Adjunct Professor and Member of the Academic Board at Nanyang Centre for Public Administration, the session attracted a diverse audience including students and researchers from Nanyang Technological University, as well as international delegates from Thailand and Kazakhstan. In his discourse, Mr Tan underscored the fundamental partnership among the NTUC, Ministry of Manpower, and Singapore National Employers Federation. This tripartite alliance has created a synergistic environment that benefits workers, businesses, and the nation as a whole, fostering industrial harmony and a stable investment climate. Highlighting the NTUC’s proactive initiatives, Mr Tan elaborated on the Training and Placement ecosystem and the Company Training Committees (CTC) which are crucial for job redesign and skills upgrading. These efforts aim to build a resilient workforce, ensuring that various worker groups, including youths, professionals, managers, executives (PMEs), and platform workers, are well-equipped to meet future challenges. Moreover, the engaging Q&A session further enriched the discussion, delving into pertinent issues such as the impact of technology disruption, aging population, and income inequality on tripartism. Mr Tan elucidated on the pros and cons of hiring foreign workers, emphasized the significance of fair representation and dispute resolution by NTUC, and shed light on government educational grants and guidelines shaping business behaviour. These comprehensive insights provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the multifaceted dynamics influencing Singapore's labour landscape, reinforcing the significance of collaboration and adaptation in navigating future challenges. Overall, the insightful session left a lasting impact on the attendees, inspiring them to apply these learnings in their respective fields and communities, thereby catalysing meaningful societal change. Read More