NTUC expresses disappointment over timing of Yahoo and Ninja Van retrenchment exercises

Companies should be considerate about the timing of such exercises, given they took place so close to May Day, said the national labour movement.

Singapore's National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has expressed dismay at the timing of the recent retrenchment exercises conducted at Yahoo and Ninja Van, which were reported on 29 April 2024 and 30 April 2024 respectively.

Noting that these took place just before May Day (1 May 2024), a day meant to celebrate the contributions of workers towards Singapore’s economy, NTUC added that both companies are not unionised.

In a statement, the national labour movement stated: "We understand that companies do need to undergo restructuring exercises from time to time, but they should be considerate about the timing of such exercises and to avoid doing exercises during such periods."

As to the workers impacted during these exercises, NTUC said that its affiliated unions, namely, Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) and Supply Chain Employees’ Union Singapore (SCEU) will be reaching out to General Branch members to provide support for such workers.

With the statement shared on the eve of Labour Day, NTUC emphasised on companies to ensure openness, transparency, and consultation with unions and workers.

It also highlighted the principles outlined in the Fair Retrenchment Framework (24 July 2020) and the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment.

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