Gerald Giam on Platform Workers Bill
In Parliament on Monday (Sep 9), a lengthy exchange ensued during the debate on the Platform Workers Bill after MP Gerald Giam questioned the independence of Singapore’s labour movement. Focusing on this for half of his speech, he noted the “near total monopoly” that the NTUC has over the labour movement and NTUC’s symbiotic relationship with the People's Action Party (PAP). He asked if unions can fully advocate for workers’ rights when those interests may conflict with the Government’s policies or the PAP’s political agenda. MP Christopher de Souza rose to interrupt him midway, saying his speech was an “opportunistic manoeuvre” to attack NTUC and had nothing to do with the Bill at hand. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah also asked Mr Giam to clarify his position on whether unions have to be independent of political parties. She said in many democracies, unions and political parties actually have a close relationship. Mr Giam responded that the Workers’ Party (WP) supports the tripartite dialogue between employers, unions and the government of the day, but not an explicit alignment with any political party as unions should be independent and non-partisan. He added that the WP supported the Bill. After his speech, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng reminded Mr Giam to stick to the relevant topic during Parliamentary debates. This prompted Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh to remind the House that during a previous Budget debate, Mr Christopher de Souza had spoken not on the Budget but to advise the PAP to make a decision on the 4G leadership. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How later rose to defend union leaders, saying “they are not stooges” and that NTUC has “decades of track record” in delivering for workers. Mr Giam asked if he should assume that if the PAP were to ever lose power, NTUC would become an instrument of opposition. Ms Indranee’s response was that trade unions “have a mind of their own” and elect their own leaders who will act in a way they think best for the unions and their workers.
In Parliament on Monday (Sep 9), a lengthy exchange ensued during the debate on the Platform Workers Bill after MP Gerald Giam questioned the independence of Singapore’s labour movement. Focusing on this for half of his speech, he noted the “near total monopoly” that the NTUC has over the labour movement and NTUC’s symbiotic relationship with the People's Action Party (PAP). He asked if unions can fully advocate for workers’ rights when those interests may conflict with the Government’s policies or the PAP’s political agenda. MP Christopher de Souza rose to interrupt him midway, saying his speech was an “opportunistic manoeuvre” to attack NTUC and had nothing to do with the Bill at hand. Leader of the House Indranee Rajah also asked Mr Giam to clarify his position on whether unions have to be independent of political parties. She said in many democracies, unions and political parties actually have a close relationship. Mr Giam responded that the Workers’ Party (WP) supports the tripartite dialogue between employers, unions and the government of the day, but not an explicit alignment with any political party as unions should be independent and non-partisan. He added that the WP supported the Bill. After his speech, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng reminded Mr Giam to stick to the relevant topic during Parliamentary debates. This prompted Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh to remind the House that during a previous Budget debate, Mr Christopher de Souza had spoken not on the Budget but to advise the PAP to make a decision on the 4G leadership. NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How later rose to defend union leaders, saying “they are not stooges” and that NTUC has “decades of track record” in delivering for workers. Mr Giam asked if he should assume that if the PAP were to ever lose power, NTUC would become an instrument of opposition. Ms Indranee’s response was that trade unions “have a mind of their own” and elect their own leaders who will act in a way they think best for the unions and their workers.
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