Lunar New Year 2025: Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and NTUC show appreciation to Changi Airport workers

For the first time since becoming Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong joined the Labour Movement for its annual Lunar New Year visit.

This year’s visit was held on Lunar New Year’s Eve on 28 January 2025 at Changi Airport Terminal 3.

The visit is an annual tradition during the Lunar New Year period for the Labour Movement to show appreciation to essential workers who keep the economy going as the rest of Singapore celebrates the festivities.

Mr Wong, NTUC President K Thanaletchimi, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong, representatives from the NTUC Central Committee, union leaders and management representatives from the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) and Changi Airport Group (CAG) engaged some 150 workers as part of the visit.

They were joined by Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Transport Dr Amy Khor and tripartite partners including union and association leaders from the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation (A&A) Cluster, the National Taxi Association (NTA) and the National Private Hire Vehicle Association (NPHVA).

CAG Chief Executive Officer Yam Kum Weng hosted the visit.

At the visit, Mr Wong distributed gift bags to airport workers across various job roles such as ground handling agents and customer service officers. Each gift bag contained a pair of mandarin oranges, a red packet from NTUC, and a special gift from the Prime Minister.

He also exchanged festive greetings with taxi and private hire vehicle drivers at the Terminal 3 airport departure and arrival.

Appreciating workers during the Lunar New Year holidays

Mr Ng expressed his appreciation for workers.

He said: “Lunar New Year is a time for family, and while many of us gather with our loved ones, our airport workers, taxi drivers and private hire vehicle drivers are working hard to keep our Changi Air Hub running. We are grateful for their dedication and passion, as they work tirelessly throughout this festive season.”

CAG Duty Terminal Manager Goh Wei Long said that he does not mind working over the festive period. He added that as he works shifts, he is used to working during the holidays.

"This period is also the busy period as we have more passengers travelling through the airport. I feel honoured to have the Prime Minister visiting the airport staff who are working tirelessly to keep the airport running," said Mr Goh.

Supporting the aviation sector amidst growth and increasing demand

Mr Ng added that as global passenger traffic is expected to double over the next two decades, the sector’s rising demand will create good job opportunities for aviation workers.

“NTUC is working closely with our tripartite partners, including CAAS, CAG and companies in the aviation sector, to attract more workers to join the sector. We will support our workers in their training and upskilling so that they can secure good jobs within the sectors amidst these momentous developments,” he added.

To meet this increasing demand for the Changi Air Hub, the OneAviation Careers Hub (OACH) – a tripartite initiative involving NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) and CAAS – was launched in 2022.

OACH has been supporting the growth in the sector through end-to-end job facilitation, career and training guidance, and recruitment support for employers.

Since its launch, OACH has assisted 3,800 locals with their career and training needs, and more than 1,400 job seekers have successfully found employment in the aerospace and aviation sectors.

Aircraft engineers, technicians, customer service agents, and equipment operators are among the roles most actively hiring in the OACH job portal. They are expected to remain in great demand as the Changi Air Hub develops further.

NTUC has been partnering with companies in the aviation sector through the Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant to enhance the productivity of these job roles and redesign them to provide a clear career progression and skills development pathways.

For example, SATS Ltd has partnered with NTUC and SATS Workers’ Union (SATSWU) to leverage the CTC Grant to redesign the Customer Service Agent role and enhance their career progression opportunities.

NTUC LearningHub has also provided more than 38,000 training places to the 56,000 workers in the aerospace and aviation sector to date, through the NTUC Training and Placement Ecosystem.

NTUC said that it is working closely with tripartite partners to support workers in the aviation sector, in key areas such as training and upskilling, adoption of new technologies and practices, and workplace safety and health.

It added: “These efforts will bolster the wages, welfare and work prospects of our aviation workers, as they progress in their careers and take on higher-value job roles within the sector. This will in turn ensure the sustainable, long-term growth of our aviation workforce, and with it, Singapore’s reputation as a leading global aviation hub.”