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The Branch Officials Recognition Award (BORA) 2012 ceremony saw a record number of 83 branch officials from 51 unions being recognised for their exemplary service to the Labour Movement.
Held on 6 July 2012, and organised by the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute, this year’s BORA was also special as it marked the highest number of awardees so far since BORA was incepted nearly 10 years ago in 2001.
In highlighting the branch officials’ efforts, Guest-of-Honour NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Ong Ye Kung said: “When you hold your major events, scholarship events, major social outings for your members to serve them, to make sure that their membership is worthwhile, value for money, who does the work? Most of the time, it is with the help, hands, legs and brains of the branch officials.
“When you want to bring in new talent to succeed existing leaders (and) groom them, where do we find this talent? We go and scour and search the branches. And all the sacrifice of time and energy talking with management, nagging management, counselling members, solving all kinds of members problems, where does it happen? It happens in the branches.”
Acknowledging the important role played by branches in tripartism, DSG Ong hailed branch officials for tapping on tripartism to help workers lead better lives.
“Branch officials, when workers have a problem, you’re the first people they go to. And through branches, you solve problems for employers.
“Only when the problems cannot be resolved then you surface it up, and you go to MOM (Ministry of Manpower), and then at MOM you play your part to resolve it.
“So tripartism basically means we have a system anchored by our branches to resolve day-to-day issues between unions and employers in as low key, as peaceful a manner as possible.
“And branch officials, all of you should know that you are collectively upholding tripartism in Singapore and ensuring that we have the right industrial relations climate to continue to bring in investments, create jobs, let workers have better lives.”