Union leaders have given their endorsement for a Cheaper, Better,
Faster or C-B-F strategy to drive Singapore's economy into the next
phase of growth.
But even as the unionists pledged their support at the NTUC Ordinary Delegates Conference, there were also concerns.
They were worried about how it would translate on the ground and impact workers.
Saifulbahri Ismail with this report :
High on the list of concerns was how companies might interpret what cheaper, better and faster means.
Cheaper shouldn't mean cutting wages and benefits, downsizing and employing more foreign workers to keep labout costs down.
Better and faster shouldn't mean shedding older and low-skilled workers in favour of younger and more skilled ones.
Also, in the race to be cheaper, better, and faster, workplace safety shouldn't be compromised.
Making his closing remarks at the conference, Secretary-General of NTUC
Lim Swee Say addressed these concerns by re-iterating the key
principles of the CBF concept.
It's about improving productivity, broadening capabilities, and having flexibility :
"It's very important that the management has the same understanding of
the CBF because the CBF economy is not about downsizing the workforce,
it's not just about applying them to manufacturing sector, it's not
about just including the younger workers, better educated workers, but
instead it should be inclusive for all workers young and old."
Mr Lim said the pace of transforming the Singapore economy would have to be led by the private sector.
This, as the labour movement works towards helping put on track the CBF economy in the next two years.
Mr Lim would like to see some early success by targeting individual companies :
"Over the next two years, the labour movement, our focus will be in
terms of creating a series of early success towards the CBF. What this
means is that where they will be working in the manufacturing sector,
services sector, some big companies, some small companies, some could
be in the export-oriented sector, some could be more domestic bound.
So, in all these sectors, we want to create early success to
demonstrate how the CBF concept can be implemented on the ground."
To ensure companies have the same interpretation of the CBF strategy,
NTUC will work closely with the Singapore National Employers'
Federation or SNEF in the months ahead.
--938Live