We are making real progress for workers': Tan See Leng says in May Day message

Workers in Singapore have made progress and this has come about through the close partnership between the Government, unions and employers that is the bedrock of Singapore's economic progress, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.

- Sharon Salim

"We are making real progress for workers — especially those with lower incomes," he said in his May Day message on April 29.

He noted that workers' real wages at the 20th percentile grew by 5.8 per cent — a figure that is faster than the median worker's at 3.56 per cent. "This reflects years of steady effort through the Progressive Wage Model, Workfare and joint efforts with unions and employers to raise standards in a sustainable way," he said.

He added that Singapore is "among the first in the world" to provide protection for platform workers. Under the Platform Workers Act, cabbies, ride-hailing drivers and freelance delivery workers now have better legal protection.