The Business Times Singapore, October 24, 2008, Friday

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The Business Times Singapore

October 24, 2008, Friday

SECTION: SINGAPORE

HEADLINE: Tripartite movement must tackle new labour landscape

BYLINE: Teh Shi Ning

BODY:

SINGAPORE'S tripartite movement has weathered crises, but its sustainability may be challenged by volatility and demographic shifts.

At the Singapore Human Capital Summit conference yesterday, Heng Chee How, deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), said aligning interests will be difficult, given 'greater economic volatility and shorter reaction times', and that 'preparedness of all three parties for the ageing scenario' will be crucial.

Manpower Ministry permanent secretary Leo Yip and Singapore National Employers Federation president Stephen Lee also spoke on the relevance, in Singapore's changing manpower landscape, of tripartism, which Dr Harry Katz, dean of Cornell University's Industrial and Labour Relations School, said has re-emerged in other countries with a broader agenda than wage inflation control.

Following a comment from the floor that the workforce was shifting not just in age but also in its rising proportion of foreigners, Mr Heng said the labour movement's continued credibility will depend on how inclusive its membership is - both in numbers and in terms of professions, ages and nationalities. Workforce diversity was also raised at a separate seminar, where Workforce Development Agency CEO Ong Ye Kung compared Singapore's human capital strategy to that of a well-run firm. Citing meritocracy, leadership grooming and stakeholding via home ownership as parallels, Mr Ong added: 'Singapore Inc has also succeeded with its willingness to attract foreign talent.'

LOAD-DATE: October 23, 2008