1. I refer to Mr Edmund Khoo Kim Hock's letter, "Future not so rosy for working-class S'poreans", dated 4 June 2007, and would like to share the labour movement's perspective on the issue.
2. Mr Khoo referred to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report that ranked cities according to their relative economic size, and he concluded that working Singaporeans will have a hard time. But, in fact, there was no mention in the PwC report about the wages or well being of workers.
3. The labour movement has always been concerned about our workers' interests, welfare and future. We believe that Singapore's future is ours to make. How well we do depends on our own collective efforts and determination to succeed.
4. On the part of the labour movement, our concerns for workers' future translate into pragmatic initiatives to give workers better opportunities, better jobs, and better wages. An important lesson our former NTUC Secretary-General Lim Boon Heng has given us is that the best welfare for workers is jobs.
5. We are thus relentless in finding ways to create more jobs and keep unemployment down. We are retraining and re-skilling workers, and redesigning and upgrading existing jobs. With each new skill, and with every new job, we give our workers the opportunity to improve themselves and strive for a brighter future.
6. We recognise that some working-class Singaporeans, especially those in the lower income and older age groups, will need more assistance to progress along with the rest of society. We have not forgotten them. Together with our tripartite partners, we are helping them to stand on their own feet through initiatives like the Workfare Income Supplement - the fourth pillar of our social safety net.
7. We are also working closely with employers to restructure wages and harness the value of older workers, so that our economy will stay strong, nimble and competitive.
8. If we continue to sustain our efforts and work hard together in tripartite partnership, we can create a brighter future for all workers in Singapore.

Cham Hui Fong (Ms)
Director
Industrial Relations Department
National Trades Union Congress