Strikes and other forms of labour unrest were common in 1950s Singapore. The year 1955 saw 57 cases of labour unrest involving bus company workers, including the Hock Lee bus workers’ strike and riot. That same year, bus workers of the Singapore Traction Company ...
When the Emergency was declared in 1948, the communist-linked Singapore Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) went underground. The Singapore Trades Union Congress (STUC), with the support of the colonial government, was formed in 1951 as a federation of trade unions ...
On 30 April 1955, about 1,300 port workers employed by the Singapore Harbour Board Staff Association (SHBSA) went on strike for better wages and working conditions. The strikers included tally clerks, stenographers, storekeepers and accountants. The strike ended ...
With the port being the cornerstone of Singapore’s economy, the Singapore Harbour Board Staff Association (SHBSA) – which on 18 October 1946 became the first union to be officially registered under the 1940 Trade Unions Ordinance – has played a pivotal role in ...
The Straits Times strike arose from a dispute over the terms of reinstatement of a dismissed worker. The strike was considered illegal as no prior notice was given as required by law. The Straits Times management subsequently dismissed the workers who took part ...
After the split in the People’s Action Party (PAP) that led to its left wing setting up the Barisan Socialis, the Singapore Trades Union Congress (TUC) also split into two rival factions: the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore Association of ...
The Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system is a rail network that is the backbone of Singapore’s public transport system. Officially launched in 1988, the MRT system currently comprises four main lines: North-South, East-West, North-East and Circle. Additional lines are ...
The Bukit Timah Railway Station (BTRS) was originally constructed to serve as one of five railway stations along the Singapore-Kranji Railway. Together with the Alexandra and Tanglin Halt stations, BTSR was later used to service the suburban areas of Singapore. ...
The Pan Island Expressway (PIE) is Singapore’s oldest and longest expressway. Built between 1964 and 1981, it spans the length of the island, connecting Tuas in the west and Changi Airport in the east. The PIE was initially 35 km long, but it now spans 42.8 km ...
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport in Singapore. First established in September 1995, it is responsible for planning, operating and maintaining Singapore’s land transport infrastructure and systems.
Govindasamy Kandasamy (b. 23 May 1921, Province Wellesley, Penang–d. 20 March 1999, Singapore), better known as G. Kandasamy, was a veteran union leader, politician and community leader. He founded the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees (AUPE) in 1959 and served ...
Samsui women, also known as hong tou jin (红头巾; Mandarin for “red headscarf”) after their trademark red headgear, were female immigrants mainly from the Sanshui (“Samsui” in Cantonese; meaning “three waters”) district of Canton (Guangdong today) province in southern ...
R. A. Hamid (b. 1922/23, Kerala, India–d. 9 February 1982, Singapore) was a union activist noted for championing issues concerning seamen’s welfare. During the labour unrests of the 1960s, he participated in settling the dispute between the Singapore Harbour Board ...
Chengara Veetil Devan Nair (b. 5 August 1923, Jasin, near Malacca, Malaysia –d. 7 December 2005, Canada ), better known as just Devan Nair, was Singapore’s third president and first Indian president.
Dismissed workers of the Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company went on strike from 25 April 1955. Joined by supporters and Chinese middle school students, these strikers picketed the bus depot and disrupted bus services. Police were called in to disperse the crowds ...
The Singapore Glass Manufacturers Co Ltd was a leading manufacturer of glassware, plastics and cardboard in Singapore. Its factory, popularly known as the Singapore Glass Factory, stood on Henderson Road, and was a famous landmark in Bukit Merah for many years. ...
Jamit Singh (b. 1929, Ipoh, Malaysia–d. 10 December 1994, Ipoh, Malaysia) was a well-known trade unionist in Singapore. He inspired and united the port workers in colonial Singapore against the Singapore Harbour Board, and won several concessions for them in 1955. ...
George Lien Ying Chow (b. 2 August 1906, Guangdong, China–d. 6 August 2004, Singapore) was an entrepreneur, banker and philanthropist. He is best known as the founder of Overseas Union Bank (OUB), one of Southeast Asia’s largest banks before it was acquired by ...
The sampan, known as kolek in Malay, is a small wooden boat, skiff or canoe-like coastal craft typically propelled by oars. Also known as the Chinese shoe-boat, it is a common native craft that sometimes comes with a sail, and is used for fishing and short range ...
Ong Teng Cheong (b. 22 January 1936, Singapore–d. 8 February 2002, Singapore) was the fifth president of Singapore and the first to be elected into office. He was sworn in as president on 1 September 1993. An architect by training, Ong served as a People’s Action ...