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Synopsis :

In this forum organised by the National University of Singapore Students' Union, Minister for Communications and Labour Ong Teng Cheong speaks about labour management relations in the 1980s. He first traces the development of labour management relations from the 1940s when employers exploited workers to maximise their profits. There was industrial unrest and strikes led to the loss of man days. In 1959 Singapore achieved internal self-government and the People's Action Party had to deal with mass unemployment. The government embarked on an active employment policy based on large scale industrialisation to absorb jobless people.The Industrial Relations Act was introduced in 1960 to provide a framework for prevention and settlement of industrial disputes. Eventually, the non-communist National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)  helped to start a healthy trade union movement. In 1969, it organised a modernising seminar to establish workers' cooperatives and promote tripartism to achieve higher productivity. Industrial unrest gave way to industrial peace. The economy grew rapidly and unemployment disappeared. Today, there is full employment. Mr. Ong says that in the 1980s, companies must find ways to increase productivity by looking into automation, mechanisation and computerisation.There is a need to produce high quality products with less manpower to meet competition from newly industrialising countries. During the decade, labour management relations will be affected by the emergence of a better educated workforce with higher aspirations. The key to higher productivity lies in increased cooperation between workers, management and unions.