SINGAPORE: Metro operator SMRT Corp, the National Trades Union Congress and National Transport Workers’ Union have signed a memorandum of understanding to help contractors’ employees develop their skills in the public transport sector.
SMRT said it recognises that many contractors and their workers have limited access to growth and training opportunities. As a response, it intends to engage with more than 200 SMEs and 20 000 workers within its contractor network and the public transport ecosystem to help them embrace technology, enhance workforce capabilities and strengthen transport safety and reliability over the next three years.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said the initiative ‘reflects our broader effort to uplift industries through transformation and capability-building’ and would ‘ultimately lead to better safety and reliability for commuters — and better wages, skills and jobs for our workers’.
NTWU Executive Secretary Yeo Wan Ling said ‘SMEs and their workers are an unseen but essential backbone of our public transport ecosystem. From daily operations to maintenance, they keep Singapore moving. NTWU and SMRT have built a strong relationship over the years, and today’s collaboration deepens our commitment to building safer, more progressive and more inclusive workplaces for our SME workers in the public transport sector.’
