Medal of Honour conferred on DPM Tharman at May Day Awards 2017

DEPUTY Prime Minister (DPM) Tharman Shanmugaratnam has been conferred the Medal of Honour by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) at the May Day Awards 2017 ceremony on May 13, in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the labour movement.

The Medal of Honour is widely known to be the highest of the May Day Awards.

From deepening tripartism to driving national initiatives to better the lives of workers, Mr Tharman has spearheaded several national schemes to support workers. As the chairman of the Economic Strategies Committee in 2009, he advocated the shift from quantity to quality growth in Singapore.

Mr Tharman, who is also the coordinating minister for economic and social policies, worked towards propelling tripartism in the key councils he chaired, such as the SkillsFuture Council and the National Productivity Council. He has also placed a high emphasis on ensuring that workers benefit from economic transformation. According to unionists, Mr Tharman has always been known to be unassuming and approachable.

Over the years, Mr Tharman has reinforced labour-management relations, and also contributed significantly to building a fair and inclusive workplace and society.