Many of the rights and freedoms we enjoy as workers in Singapore today are hard-won victories of the labour movement. The eight hour work week, the weekend, paid parental leave, and even securing Labour Day as a public holiday, are the result of decades of struggle and sacrifice by workers who stood together, knew their power, and used it to improve the lives of their fellow people.
In a letter to kopitiam workers from 1978, the Committee for the Commemoration of Labours’ Day by All Singapore Coffee Shop Employees urged:
“We cannot sit back and wait. To live and to improve our livelihood, we must rely on our own unity. […] Therefore, on the approach of May 1st, […] we must stop work one day and strive for the complete materialisation of [better conditions]. Strive for improvement of our livelihood. […] Commemorate May 1st Labours’ Day. Stop work for one day.”
This 1st May, Labour Day, is for all of us who work hard to keep this city running to come together, united around our shared aspirations for a society where everyone has decent, safe working conditions, living wages, and don’t have to hustle so hard to meet our basic needs for housing, healthcare, food and education. A society that honours the value of our bus drivers, construction workers, healthcare workers, cleaners, domestic workers, retail workers, F&B workers, delivery riders, tech workers, social workers, caregivers, teachers, hawkers, students, PMETs and all others whose labour we depend on to build our communities and our economy.
A society based on justice and equality is one where workers – whether blue collar or white collar – can truly reap the fruits of their labour, where we can lead fulfilling lives with adequate time for rest, and to pursue our passions and interests; where we have the opportunity to enjoy family and community life; and the right to retire without fear of being driven to poverty. It is also, crucially, one where we have strong social safety nets to look after our most vulnerable people.
So this labour day, let all of us who share these aspirations gather at Hong Lim Park to honour the struggle of workers who came before us, confront the hardships that the working class faces in Singapore today, and commit to building the brighter, freer future we want.
Workers across Singapore create all the immense value we see in our country. Yet, despite the fact that we in Singapore work some of the longest hours in the world, thousands of workers can barely afford to put hot meals on the table, secure housing or see a doctor when they or their loved ones are sick. Many more are afraid to take leave from work when they’re unwell, to speak up about abuse and discrimination, or ask for fairer wages and working conditions. Hardly anyone feels able to retire in Singapore, and widening inequality turns workers against each other. When we, the workers of Singapore, are divided, employers and the ruling elite benefit because they can continue to exploit us. But when workers come together in solidarity, we can win the world we dream of, where everyone is taken care of.
Join us at Hong Lim Park on 1 May from 3-7pm for a powerful lineup of live bands and comedians, cheer along to rousing speeches from working class heroes, sing songs of liberation and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow workers as we demand a better, fairer Singapore. Are you in?
This Labour Day, let’s fill Hong Lim Park with our bodies, our dreams, our demands, our solidarity. Come, let’s stand up for each other, and be counted.
Notes for attendees
1. Wear red! Let’s turn Hong Lim Park into a sea of red this Labour Day! (Don’t forget to preorder your Labour Day Rally ’23 T-shirts here!)
2. Under the Public Order Act, it is only legal for Singaporeans and PRs to enter Speakers’ Corner @ Hong Lim Park during a public assembly.
3. There will be photos, videos and livestreaming of the event. While it is perfectly legal for all Singaporeans and PRs to participate in a Hong Lim Park rally, if you would like to be discreet about your attendance, you can consider wearing a hat, sunglasses, scarf, mask or use other creative attire.
4. Bring a water bottle, pack a picnic/some snacks, as well as a picnic mat to share with friends 🙂
5. This is a rain or shine event! Bring raincoats/umbrellas in case the skies decide to join in the protest 😉
6. Bring your friends!
The People’s 15 Demands for Labour Day
1. STOP the 2% GST Hike and INTRODUCE a 2% wealth tax on the richest 1% in Singapore.
2. Implement a minimum wage for ALL workers that reflects decent living standards:
> $2000 basic per month for full-timers
> $15 per hour for part-timers workers
> $18 per hour for casual workers (higher rate to make up for uncertainty in hours and availability of work)
> $6 per trip minimum fare guarantee for delivery riders,
> $1000 per month for migrant domestic workers (along with abolishing levy), as a first step
3. Ensure ALL workers have enough rest including:
> The right to sit for workers in retail, F&B and other sectors where workers stand for long hours
> the right not to respond to calls/messages/emails after work hours
> Mandatory 1 rest day per week for migrant domestic workers via including them in the Employment Act
> 14 days paid sick leave without needing to provide MC
> Take strict action against companies which require workers find a replacement before allowing them to take sick leave
> Strict cut-off at 20-hour shifts for healthcare workers, as a first step, with a view to move towards 12-hour shifts
> Paid lunch breaks for all workers working a full day’s shift
> 12 hours protected rest time a day for domestic and eldercare workers
4. Provide all workers the right and the financial security to look for suitable work:
> Provide weekly unemployment benefits for all retrenched workers till they find their next job
> Guarantee all workers the right to freely transfer employers
5. Introduce workplace fairness laws that protect all workers from all forms of discrimination and abuse, and abolish current laws that enable abuse and bondage of workers
6. Give workers direct power to make decisions about occupational health and safety matters
7. Allow all workers the right to unionise, and allow labour and trade unions to function independently and freely, so as to strengthen the effectiveness of labour laws and protections
8. Extend overtime pay to all workers earning 4.5k a month or less
9. Introduce education on local labour laws and international labour standards into upper secondary school civic education or social studies syllabus
10. Expand the Silver Support Scheme to ensure that all seniors aged 65 and above will have at least $1,500 per month in retirement income
11. Make essential foods like milk powder, rice and oil affordable for all through price controls and other measures
12. Make quality healthcare affordable and accessible for all:
> Put more public funds towards expanding healthcare services
> Ensure that everyone, regardless of residential status or income, can get the treatment they need at the time they need it
13. Care for the vulnerable and bring stability to families by making COMCARE payments faster, larger and for longer periods
14. Make sure that those who need welfare and social support schemes don’t have to jump through hoops or endure humiliation. No one should be denied access to necessary welfare on the basis of nationality, employment status, family size, the income of relatives, or other factors.
15. Ensure that everyone has access to decent, safe and affordable housing:
> Take seriously the progressive proposals made by independent experts, civil society groups and opposition parties to address the current housing crisis
> End housing discrimination against singles, divorced people, ethnic minorities and other groups
> Build and increase access to bigger, high quality, subsidised public rental housing flats
> Improve living conditions in worker dormitories
Programme flow
15:00 | Placard-making and Booth activities
15:50 | Rally Songs: Goek Choo & Band
16:00 | Welcome Speech
16:10 | Speech: Uncle Peter, a 51-year-old food delivery
rider who has seen the ups and downs of the industry since the Ubereats days. Peter believes in the importance of introducing a minimum fare guarantee of $6 per trip for riders.
16:20 | Performance: Subhas, a mutual aid organiser and rapper. He will be performing UTOPIA at the Labour Day rally, a song about migrant justice in Singapore.
16:40 | Speech: Erah, a mother of 4 children, started volunteering in her public rental flat community
10 years ago doing food distribution. Erah is determined
to help build a society where no one needs to go to sleep hungry or turn to desperate measures to provide milk and essentials for their children.
16:50 | Performance: Opposition Party, formed in 1986, is Singapore’s first punk band, known for their raw energy influenced by UK hardcore/punk. Over the years, their sound has evolved to incorporate thrash-metal. With a history of touring internationally and sharing stages with notable acts, Opposition Party continues to unleash their fierce brand of music, against all odds.
17:10 | Speech: Staffan, a Registered Nurse who uses his blog and podcast as an avenue to express the many issues nurses go through. These include extremely long shift hours and staff abuse. He hopes for there to be more dialogue between staff and management to improve these matters.
17:35 | Speech: Uncle Chua, an ex-bus driver who sued SBS over the struggles that drivers face with rest days
and overtime pay.
17:45 | Performance: Hustler Hiran, a 26-year-old hip hop artist whose verses speak in equal measure about
the realities and hopes of working class life today.
18:05 | Speech: Swan has been working in the F&B Industry for 7 years since she was 14-years-old. Low pay, unpaid overtime wages, stealing of tips, and being required to stand unnecessarily for long hours made her realize that these are some of the many ways employers exploit workers. Swan believes that change in the F&B industry is both necessary and possible.
18:10 | Performance: RENE & Band. Rene is an independent artist from Singapore. Her songwriting encompasses themes such as societal commentary, self-reflection, and personal relationships. Respect, growth and integrity are the most important values to her as an artist.
18:30 | Performance: Opus Renegade, an independent artist whose lyrics move us to reflect on the world and ourselves.
18:40 | Speech: Kumarr, a community worker and researcher. He believes that workers of all colours, skills, genders, and incomes have more in common with each other than their bosses.
18:55 | Performance: Full Pledge Munkees (FPM), one of the pioneers skapunk in Singapore, formed in 1999 .They have toured in countries such as Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia. FPM will be releasing their new album titled “XVI” this June.
19:10 | Closing
Booths
Function 8
With their seminars, talks, workshops, discussions and reflections, Function8 hopes to restart the process of critical thinking, rejuvenate the staleness of a society based on economic expediency and reclaim the human dignity and freedom which is the basis of humanity.
Transformative Justice Collective
Transformative Justice Collective is a collective founded on the principles of transformative justice, and committed to seeking the reform of Singapore’s criminal punishment system, starting with the abolition of the death penalty.
SG Climate Rally
SG Climate Rally was born from the understanding that we face a climate emergency, and that individual action alone is insufficient to tackle it. SGCR stands for climate justice and push for a just transition; seeking to uplift communities and work with those in power to achieve fair, ambitious climate policy to safeguard our future.
SG Riders
SG riders is a group dedicated to speaking up on behalf of all delivery riders in Singapore. They are one of the many groups fighting to protect the rights of gig workers in these troubled economic times, and believe in a fair, just and safe workplace for all.
We Support Us (rental flat communities)
*Free refreshments will be available for first 100 people who attend!
Workers Make Possible
Workers Make Possible aims to build worker power in Singapore. For Workers, by Workers.
Migrant Mutual Aid
Migrant Mutual Aid is a platform to facilitate the redistribution of resources from Singaporeans to the migrant community.
Migrant Death Map
The Migrant Worker Death Map is a visual, geographical representation of migrant worker deaths, and extends a broader analysis of precarity, violence and disregard for migrant life in Singapore. View the interactive map and full website at: http://www.migrantdeathmap.sg.
First Aid booth
A first aid booth will be available for people in need of assistance during emergency situations.
Placard-making booth
There will also be a crafty booth to make placards and posters.
There will also be songs, chanting and more!
workersmakepossible.wordpress.com 