为工人和工会争取福利一直是新加坡政府的关注。内阁资政李光耀指出，政府必须争取经济成长和使国家不断发展，才能使劳动群众和工会受惠。
他说，如果工人没有分享到国家经济增长的果实，经济成长是毫无意义的。而这层分享不仅是提高工资，也包括建设更美好家园、更好的学校和医院，较为公平的竞争环境。整体而言，是打造良好的环境让国人在新加坡成家与生儿育女。
李资政昨天应邀在全国职工总会50周年晚宴上演讲时，强调政府对促进工会与工人的福利的重视，并说：“我祝愿你们（职总）在接下来许多年为工人和他们的工会努力，在平等的基础上与政府和雇主合作。在首50年的职工运动里，你协助为我们的工人创造新工作与提升技能，使他们过上更好的生活，在另一个50年也能如此。”
他提到职工运动如今的挑战是跟上经济转型的快速步伐，协助年轻与年长者，专业和一般职业的员工获待遇更好的工作与较高的工资，以及在未来享有更高的生活水平。
职总会长德培华在演讲时也说，多年来如果没有工会成员、政治领导人、团体机构与许多人付出努力、展现坚定决心与远见，职总既无法实现改善工人福利及改善他们生活的目标，也无法通过劳资政三方合作来争取三赢。
李资政早年在从政之前担任许多工会的法律顾问，代表工会同资方谈判为工人争取福利。他说，自己在担任总理之后，依然同工会保持合作关系，这是因为他认识到照顾工人和他们的工会的福利，是很重要的。
李资政很高兴在他卸下总理的职务后，接下来的两位总理——吴作栋资政和李显龙总理都延续相同的政策，即采取亲工人、亲工会的政策，转变了雇员对雇主的敌视态度，转变成为彼此公平协商互惠互利。
他说，全国工资理事会与政府、工会及雇主协作的这个独特的制度，使劳资政三方受惠。由于工业关系融洽，增强了信心，从而促使外来投资增加。而当雇主取得比预期好的盈利，就会与雇员分享。
除此之外，政府在八十年代安排工会领袖进入一些主要法定机构的董事局，让他们从工会和工人的角度提出回馈，协助有关机构修订公共政策。
而在1969年举行的现代化研讨会促使职工运动转型，扩大工会的范围，把经济、社会与工人的消闲生活包括在内。职总也设立了合作社及其他机构，为一般工人群众提供服务。
李资政说：“我们的工会领袖和成员都是变革促进者，与旧时的英国与欧洲的工会不同的是，他们接受新科技和新的工作方式。”
工会领袖协助工人克服因为电脑的日益广泛使用，和其他新科技出现所带来的失业风险。“他们与政府合作，为工人开办电脑课。因为这样，工人不会因为电脑而害怕自己变得多余，或担心减薪。相反的，懂得操作电脑协助工人提高生产力和增加工资。”
李资政昨晚应邀为职总50周年特刊U & Me : Fifty Years of the labour Movement in Singapore（你和我：新加坡职工运动50年）主持推介仪式。李总理和两位资政还接受这本特刊的对谈访问，分享他们对新加坡职工运动发展的看法。
配合成立50年，职总在宴会上肯定50个个人和组织在不同年代里，为工运所作的贡献，包括政治领袖、已过世和仍健在的工运领袖，以及那些积极促进劳资政合作的个人和组织。
李资政、纳丹总统、李总理、吴资政、已故副总理吴庆瑞、已故总统和职总秘书长蒂凡那是获肯定的其中一些领导人。
约3500人包括过去与现在的工会领袖和成员、劳资政的代表及多位部长出席在滨海湾金沙宴客厅举行的50周年庆祝会。除了总统、李总理和两位资政之外，与会的有副总理张志贤、人力部长颜金勇、国家发展部长马宝山、总理公署部长林文兴和外交部长杨荣文等。
－《联合早报》2011年5月14日
"MM Lee urges NTUC to help workers secure better jobs & wages - CNA 13 May 2011
SINGAPORE : Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew has challenged Singapore's trade union movement to keep up with the fast pace of economic transformation.
Speaking at NTUC's 50th anniversary celebrations and dinner on Friday night, Mr Lee also urged unionists to help workers secure better jobs, better wages and a better life for the years ahead.
The minister mentor said: "In government, I have never forgotten that it is in the interest of the workers and their unions that we must strive for growth and development.
"In other words, growth is meaningless unless it is shared by the workers - shared not only directly in wage increases but indirectly in better homes, better schools, better hospitals, better playing fields and, generally, a healthier environment for families to bring up their children."
MM Lee said he was glad that since stepping down as prime minister, successive leaders - first Mr Goh Chok Tong and now Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - have adopted pro-worker and pro-trade union policies.
"One thing that has changed, said Mr Lee, is the attitude of antagonism by employees towards their employers. What's in place now is a system of fair bargaining."
This has also led to cooperation in the National Wages Council.
Mr Lee said: "This is a unique system which has served us well. It has stopped unions from being adversaries - to squeeze employers out of business.
"Instead, they have teamed up with the government and employers in a tripartite system which has brought benefits to workers, the government and employers because industrial peace creates confidence and increases foreign investments. Whenever employers make above average rates of return on capital, profits are shared."
He added: "You have helped to create jobs and upgrade skills for our workers to live a better life in the first 50 years of the labour movement. Your challenge now is keep up with the fast pace of economic transformation, and help our workers - young and old, professionals and rank-and-file - to secure better jobs, better pays and live a better life for many more years to come." "
Singapore does has a very unique labour, employers and government relationship. It is how it should be, where the government facilitates fair treatment between the employers and the employees. Where the employees are treated fairly as the providers of their labor to make the businesses ticked and the employers being treated fairly as the providers of capital that funded the businesses.
What is fair is always debatable since everyone has different needs and wants and expectations. In either extremes, things will not last for a longer time. So, it must be balanced so that when either sides find it untenable, differences are voiced and consultation ensued with the objectives of creating a greater good for the majority and with disadvantages, if any, kept to the minimal for the minority!
Lessons for me are:
1. for this relationship to survive and flourish, there MUST be mutual trust between the parties. And this trust must be built with frequent dialogues of high quality where both sides listened to each other, back with concrete evidence of each points of view, and be open and willing to strike a balance without going into a confrontational stage;
2. the most effective way to remove mistrust and suspicion that wealth created are unfairly distributed, the employers must be mindful of sticking to the formulae of 'low to reasonable fixed pay' and a 'self-funding variable portion that demonstrate balanced distribution of it'. Of course, the providers of capital will need to make a decent return too;
3. ultimately, and unfortunately, if the workers perceived the distribution of wealth created is too lopsidedly in the favour of the employers, they being the majority, can create unfavourable situation for the employers and lead to conflict and loss of proper functioning of a business, and a loss of jobs due to poor businesses. We have not come to this stage. At the same time, as mentioned by MM Lee that the employees are more antagonistic towards the employers (due to already perceived or real bigger gap of income and wealth distribution?), we must guard against this.
This unique tripartite relationship can only be sustained if ALL strive to be true partners that listened to each other and adopt a problem solving approach that focused on creating a greater good for the majority in a sustainable manner.
By CNA
