NTUC appoints Desmond Choo, Melvin Yong as assistant secretaries-general

THE National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Central Committee has endorsed the appointment of two of its directors as assistant secretaries-general (ASG) effective April 1, NTUC's secretary-general Chan Chun Sing said in a press statement on Friday.

The two directors are Desmond Choo Pey Ching and Melvin Yong Yik Chye. Mr Choo is also a member of parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC, while Mr Yong is MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

"The new appointments are part of NTUC's ongoing staff and leadership development to groom and strengthen the NTUC leadership team. It is also to recognise their contributions to the labour movement," said Mr Chan, who is also minister in the Prime Minister's Office.

According to NTUC, Mr Choo first joined the labour movement in May 2010. He left for the private sector in 2013, where he worked at Kestrel Capital, the investment holding company of billionaire investor Peter Lim, before rejoining NTUC in 2015.

Mr Choo currently serves as director to NTUC's Youth Development Unit, and executive secretary of NTUC's youth wing, Young NTUC. Among other things, he seeks to empower youths and women so that they may balance between their personal and career goals.

In his role as director of Industry Transformation and Productivity at NTUC, Mr Choo also focuses on helping workers capture new job opportunities.

Within the labour movement, Mr Choo is executive secretary at the Union of Telecoms Employees of Singapore, an NTUC-affiliated union that represent employees of Mainboard-listed Singtel.

Separately, Mr Yong who has been with NTUC since 2015, is director of Tripartism in the Industrial Relations Department; and director of the Workplace Safety & Health Secretariat.

He is also executive secretary at the National Transport Workers' Union, and the United Workers of Electronics & Electrical Industries.

At the national level, Mr Yong is a member of the National Wages Council; the Workplace Safety & Health Council; as well as the Chinese Development Assistance Council's Family and Worker Support Committee.

Commenting on his latest appointment, Mr Yong said: "There is still a lot of work that we need do to help our working people given the ever changing economic landscape and technological disruptions to businesses and jobs. I look forward to strengthening the labour movement's relationship with our tripartite partners and other partners to continuously advance the interest of our workers and businesses."

Both Mr Choo and Mr Yong will continue to serve in their current portfolios.

And come April this year, the total number of ASGs in NTUC's Central Committee will be increased to five members. The other three are former Nominated MP Cham Hui Fong as well as MPs Patrick Tay and Zainal Sapari.

Along with deputy secretary-general Heng Chee How, they assist Mr Chan in implementing decisions of NTUC's Central Committee, the highest decision-making body in the labour movement.

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes