Jamus Lim and Gerald Giam appear at Speakers Corner event for worker safety

SINGAPORE: Workers’ Party Members of Parliament Jamus Lim (Sengkang GRC) and Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC) attended a Labor Day rally at Speakers’ Corner in Hong Lim Park, organized by Workers Make Possible.

The event was intended to highlight workers’ fight for their safety, their health, their families and their future, according to the group.

Assoc Prof Lim took to Facebook today (May 2) and compared the demonstration at Hong Lim Park to the larger one organized by the National Trades Union Congress, where Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave his final May Day speech.

Referring to the May Day demonstration, he opined: “Despite its size, I felt that the demonstration was incomplete. It’s important to hear the perspectives of all parties, and that includes the voices of workers (community health professionals, delivery drivers, and food and beverage servers) who may feel marginalized by the current system.

“Only by getting a holistic view of the labor market here can we truly say that it works for all Singaporeans, not just one segment (even if it is a majority segment),” wrote MP Sengkang.

He posted a photo of himself with Giam while wearing a yellow safety vest, noting that the theme of the demonstration at Hong Lim Park was safety.

Associate Professor Lim surmised that the vests had been handed out “perhaps inspired by the yellow vest movement”, a populist, grassroots movement that began in France in 2018 in response to high living costs and rising car prices. oil and fuels.

“While the use of vests was intended to symbolize the ubiquity of the working class in France, I felt that focusing here on improving our social safety net was more appropriate, given the many gaps that still exist,” the parliamentarian added.

He also noted how the WP has “championed common sense policies in this regard”, including a workers’ dismissal insurance scheme, which the party boss and opposition leader addressed once again in his May Day message this year.

The WP has also called for a minimum wage, as well as adequate retirement through higher CPF rates.

“There has been some movement on these fronts in recent years, but we will continue to push for sustained reforms in this regard,” he wrote. /ITSG

Read also: Workers’ Party May Day Statement: Change is on the horizon