Dear Sembawang residents and Singaporeans,
May Day is a day to honour working people and affirm their dignity and dreams.
But let us take a hard look at what “May Days” has become in Singapore under the PAP.
They have been emptied of their meaning.
In Singapore, the PAP continues to put Singaporean workers at risk – through its unfettered import of foreign labour.
It pursues policies that create job insecurity and drive wages down … to a point that Singaporean workers can no longer earn a living wage.
The NTUC is aligned with the PAP … and as a labour movement, it offers no real protection for our workers.
It is simply a supermarket brand.
So, today, I want to dedicate my Labour Day message to the workers of Sembawang and Singapore.
Since Singaporean workers have no one to speak up for them – the SDP will take up this mantle.
This is the SDP’s Labour Day dedication to all Singaporean workers and those in Sembawang.
And our message to Sembawang is, “It’s Time For Change.”
Don’t let the PAP crush our workers’ rights.
Vote them out!
Now – A shout out to all our gig and platform workers – delivery riders, drivers, security guards, cleaners, waiters and waitresses, cashiers and all other part-time and casual workers. (Are you here?)
Singapore has 70,000 gig workers and over 250,000 part-time workers in total.
And what do you get in return for your hard work?
Precarious jobs, unstable incomes, little protection and even less respect.
Many of you work long hours just to cover basic costs, yet you’re not treated as equals in the labour system.
You deserve better.
The SDP will push for full employment protections for all workers – regardless of employment type.
And we will ensure that the costs of these protections are not unfairly pushed onto consumers.
The platforms that profit must pay their fair share.
A shout out to those whose labour is unpaid. Our homemakers, caregivers – who are also mothers, daughters and wives. (Are you here?)
You built this nation quietly, in the background, without recognition or reward.
Over the years – you’ve raised children, cared for elders, and held families together.
In Singapore, women spend twice as much time as men on unpaid care work — about 16 hours per week on housework, and an additional 18 hours caring for their children.
And caregiving of seniors amounts to an average of 33 hours of care work each week.
That’s a lot of unpaid work!
We will fight for flexible work arrangements, paid family leave, and comprehensive caregiver support…. because all work deserves to be valued – paid or unpaid.
A shout out to our PMETs. (Are you here?)
You are told to work smarter, upskill endlessly, and hustle harder.
But your promotions are uncertain, job security is fragile, and burnout is now normalised.
Singapore is one of the most overworked countries in the world – in 2023, the average worker clocked 2,330 hours a year, far exceeding global norms.
Yet many PMETs are stuck in jobs where rewards don’t match effort.
More importantly, every day our PMETs face job security risks at the hands of foreign labour.
The SDP stands for fair hiring and stronger protections for Singaporean PMETs.
And we believe work-life balance is something Singapore should strive for.
A shout to our civil servants. (Are you here?)
You are the ones keeping Singapore running, often without praise, while PAP ministers and their line managers claim credit for the work you do.
The SDP will never hide behind your efforts. SDP MPs will be your partners.
We will build a bridge between you and the people – so you can serve effectively, with pride and integrity.
So if you are a civil servant and voter in Sembawang – stand tall and do not fear.
Your vote is secret. Vote SDP.
A shout to our fresh graduates. (Are you here?)
You did everything that was asked of you — studied hard, followed the rules, and paid your dues.
But where are the jobs?
Fresh graduate employment is in decline.
In 2024, only 80% of fresh graduates in Singapore secured full-time employment within six months.
And there has been a constant decline thereafter in the employment rate.
Instead of opportunity, our fresh graduates are told to lower their expectations and compete harder with cheap, foreign labour.
And what’s available to you?
Even after you have graduated, extended low-paying or unpaid internships are becoming the norm.
The PAP tells you, these internships are a necessary “stepping stone” just to land an entry-level job.
Vote for the SDP, we will do better for you!
To all those struggling with unemployment and the recently retired. (Are you here?)
Whether you’re a mid-career worker retrenched – unable to compete with cheap labour from abroad –
Or just recently retired and are in short-term contracts at lower pay – but yet find that even the short-term contracts are not honoured –
The SDP will fight for you.
The SDP believes in protecting Singaporean livelihoods at every stage: we fight for fair retrenchment practices, and ensure older workers are respected with fair, secure re-employment terms – not exploited through short-term contracts.
It’s time we put Singaporeans back at the centre of our economy.
We believe Singapore has the talent – what’s missing is a government and a labour movement that believes in backing its own people.
That’s why the SDP is fighting for a Singaporean Worker-First Policy – where employers must prioritise hiring locals and only look overseas if necessary.
We’ll also push for fair employment laws: equal pay for equal work, a living wage for all, and strong protection against unfair dismissal.
This is how we build an economy that works for Singaporeans.
Singaporeans deserve a labour movement that truly fights for workers – not one that answers to the ruling party.
NTUC is not that movement.
It is deeply entangled with the PAP, and has become an extension of it.
The NTUC does not speak up for the protection of workers’ rights nor does it advocate to limit foreign labour.
That’s why the SDP will push for workers to have the full freedom to form and lead their own unions without fear or interference.
And we will seek to disentangle NTUC from PAP.
It should remain independent with a clear goal of protecting the workers’ interests.
The practice of using NTUC as a reward for losing PAP candidates or a platform for PAP political hopefuls must also be ended.
And we can end this by voting the PAP out.
So – in the spirit of May Day, let us reclaim what it really means to honour Singaporeans workers.
Let us say loudly: no more million-dollar ministers who look down on the people.
No more blank cheques for the PAP.
This coming Saturday, 3 May.
It’s Time For Change.
Vote SDP, Vote SDP MPs in Parliament.
The time is now.
Thank you.