Remarks by Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow at the Public Transport Workers Appreciation 10th Anniversary Celebrations

Opening

1.           Good morning everyone!

a.           Hello to all of you, our union leaders, CEOs of our public transport operators, and the Public Transport Council.

2.           Super happy to be here. This is the 10th year that we are doing this appreciation event for our public transport workers.

a.           Something we do annually to show appreciation to each and every one of you – but ten years feel especially celebratory!

b.           We are doing this (event) in the public area because we want everybody to be able to see how appreciative we are for the many thousands of transport workers who are spread out across Singapore – driving buses, manning our MRT stations, working in our depots.

c.           So whenever we can come together like this – whether it is workers, operators, unions and families – we want to make it a special occasion for you.

3.           I will keep my remarks short.

4.           Today is a day for all of you. It is about you.

a.           In transport, all of us work together as one team. Nobody in public transport works by themselves.

b.           On the tracks and in the workshops, our maintenance crews watch out for one another and keep each other safe.

c.           On the roads, no one is alone – even though the bus captain looks alone, he is always in touch with the OCC (Ops Control Centre).

d.           And I've seen drivers wave to each other as they pass by on their own routes.

e.           Everyone counts on someone else in the team.

5.           Over the last year and a half, I visited quite a number of our bus and train depots around Singapore – from Sengkang and Gali Batu and to Bukit Panjang and Bulim.

a.           I have met quite a few of you already – I see some familiar faces in the crowd and of course, many of your colleagues who are not here today. I had the chance to personally thank all of you for your hard work and sacrifices.

b.           When I was there, I can feel your team spirit.

c.           We work hard, and when we do well, we can see it on your faces. We celebrate together as one team.

6.           During one of these visits, one of you asked me – to celebrate, can we have a durian party?

a.           I thought about it very long and hard – actually I don’t eat durian! But I said, okay, I will join in and I will also belanjah one of them.

c.           Glad we could make it happen – so you can go back and tell your colleagues, if we continue to do well and break records, I promise you we will have more durian parties.

7.           This year, we have actually been doing very well.

a.           Bus networks have been growing and expanding; the standards of our bus services have been improving

b.           On MRT, our rail reliability – three million MKBF – we hit a new record. First time ever in our history that we have hit this number.

c.           The credit belongs to all of you. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart.

8.           I also want to thank a very important part of the team. These are your families and loved ones. Very happy to see quite a few of you in the audience today.

a.           They are the people many of us work hard for. To bring bread home, and to come home to take care of our families.

b.           Our families are at the same time also our biggest supporters.

i.            Transport workers, in particular, work early shifts and late nights.

ii.           Only our families understand it when we come home tired. They are the ones who cheer us on.

c.           So a big thank you to all our families and loved ones for your support and encouragement. Thank you very much.

9.           Transport workers are the quiet heroes who go unseen every day.

a.           When buses and trains run smoothly, people rarely notice. Nobody writes to the newspapers to say their bus or train arrived on time again today!

b.           On some days, we do encounter commuters who may be stressed, rushing, or frustrated by something at home.

c.           And, whenever there is a delay or disruption in our services, our transport workers are the ones that face the public.

10.        I understand this. I just wanted to say to all of you – that what matters most, is that at the end of every shift, you know that you have put in your best to do your job and get thousands of Singaporeans home safely.

a.           As long as you have done that and you have done your best, don’t worry, we will take care of you, and we will make sure that we are there to have your back.

11.        Amongst us, even as you do your job every day, we have some special ones who go the extra mile to look out for commuters in need.

a.           I think this is what sets our transport workers in Singapore apart – the heart that you bring to the job.

b.           Today, I am very happy that we will be recognising about 20 public transport workers for their outstanding contributions, going beyond the call of duty.

c.           Of course, there are many more of us.

i.            Over 1,450 transport heroes were commended at the Transport Gold awards last week.

ii.           Beyond that, Singaporeans do write to me to tell me stories of how a public transport worker made their day better.

d.           You represent the thousands of colleagues doing us proud on the ground every day.

Conclusion

12.        Our public transport sector is a growing sector.

13.        We are building more buses and trains. Means many more jobs, means that there is job security.

a.           But we also want to make sure that we take care of you in terms of upgrading your skills, so that you qualify for better pay.

b.           Recently I announced that we are investing more in our bus and rail academies – scholarships, training, work-study programmes, or new qualifications

c.           We, the Government, and the PTOs (Public Transport Operators) are committed to supporting all of you in your careers.

d.           And we are very glad to work with NTWU leaders who have led this effort.

14.        Let me conclude. Singaporeans are proud of our public transport system, and our public transport workers too.

a.           Sometimes, just a simple smile for our bus captains, or a simple "thank you" to our MRT station staff, makes all the difference to their days.

b.           My commitment to our transport workers is that we will take good care of you, so that you can continue to take good care of all our commuters.

c.           Thank you once again for keeping Singapore moving every day. Enjoy today’s carnival! Thank you very much!