Labour movement and civil service to start long-term staff exchange

The labour movement and civil service will start exchanging their staff in long-term postings from the end of this year.

The move will bolster the already-strong relationship between the labour movement and the government, said labour chief Chan Chun Sing yesterday morning.

Promising civil servants and union leaders will also be given the opportunity to work with business leaders to further strengthen the three-way partnership between the government, unions and businesses.

Said Mr Chan of the move: "Strong tripartite partnership needs to be carefully nurtured over time through real actions."

Mr Chan, who is the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general, was speaking at the opening of an international conference on tripartism.

Some 800 delegates, including foreign participants, are attending the one-day conference at the Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability in Jurong East.

The conference is the first time NTUC, the Ministry of Manpower and the Singapore National Employers Federation are holding an international meeting to showcase the Singapore model of tripartism.

Prominent international speakers lined up include Sarosh Kuruvilla, professor of industrial relations at Cornell University, and Kevin Callinan, vice-president of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' executive council.

tohyc@sph.com.sg

Get MyPaper for more stories.