The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Central Committee stands in “unanimous support” for former Member of Parliament (MP) Ng Chee Meng as its secretary-general, said the President of NTUC Mary Liew on Tuesday (14 July).
During the General Election (GE) on 10 July, the People’s Action Party (PAP) team lost with 47.87 per cent of the vote against the Workers’ Party (WP)’s 52.13 per cent in Sengkang GRC. The PAP team was comprised of Mr Ng, Lam Pin Min, Amrin Amin, and Raymond Lye.
This means that Mr Ng will not retain his position in Cabinet as he has not been elected as an MP.
Following that, Ms Liew said in a statement earlier today that Mr Ng’s position in NTUC stands “independent of political appointments” as it is an NTUC elected position.
“The members of the NTUC central committee stand in unanimous support for Brother Ng Chee Meng as secretary-general of NTUC,” she stated.
Over the last 40 years, the position of the NTUC secretary-general has also been a member of the Cabinet. According to Ms Liew, it is upon the NTUC Central Committee’s request and mutual agreement with the Government that a minister is seconded to NTUC.
“Whilst the two roles have been inextricably linked, they are in fact independent of each other.
“As we head into more challenging times ahead, we remain resolute in our mission to help workers. Brother Ng Chee Meng has over the last two years pushed for many good initiatives for workers and this is work that must continue,” she said.
Mr Ng was elected as NTUC’s labour chief on 22 May 2018, after his predecessor, Chan Chun Sing, resigned due to a Cabinet reshuffle.
Ms Liew noted that Mr Ng has played an “instrumental role” in various initiatives to help secure workers’ livelihoods.
“To date, some 12,000 workers have been matched to new roles. Time and again, he has shown his heart in caring for workers and proven his mettle,” she remarked.
