GENEVA (ILO News) – The ILO Director-General, Mr. Juan Somavia, received today the instrument of ratification of the Tripartite Consultation (International Labour Standards) Convention, 1976 (No. 144), from Mr. TAN York Chor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations in Geneva, on behalf of the Government of Singapore.

The ILO Director-General, in receiving the instrument of ratification stated: “I welcome the ratification of this important governance instrument by the Government of Singapore which underpins practices in the area of tripartism and social dialogue in respect of international labour standards and labour legislation. I am even more pleased that in the case of Singapore, the tripartite consultation also covers broader social and economic issues in the country. With this ratification, the Government of Singapore has demonstrated its public commitment to pursue its efforts in this regard and to share its experiences with other countries.”

Mr. TAN York Chor, Permanent Representative of Singapore to the United Nations in Geneva, stated: “Singapore is pleased to ratify this important Convention as tripartite consultation and collaboration have long been put into practice to benefit businesses, workers and our nation. As our Manpower Minister Mr. GAN Kim Yong said in his June 2010 International Labour Conference speech, ratification of this Convention is a significant milestone for Singapore, as it institutionalises our tradition of strong tripartite partnership, which has been tried and tested over the years, particularly in times of adversity. We strongly believe that this is a valuable asset that has helped, and will continue to help Singapore to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth in the years ahead.”

In January 2010, a Study Visit was undertaken by the ILO to Singapore to examine and review tripartism in practice. The visit provided the ILO with a unique opportunity to see how dynamic, effective, pragmatic, operational, and functional social dialogue and tripartite consultation were in Singapore. The report of the visit highlighted that there were a variety of means that the tripartite partners have used in Singapore over the years to find common solutions, creating win-win-win situations through tripartite consultation and consensus. With more than 40 years of experience of tripartism, each of the social partners in Singapore has vested trust and respect in each other, and all of the actors operate on the basis of good faith.

The last ratification of ILO Conventions by the Government of Singapore was in 2005 on the Minimum Age Convention, 1973. The ratification of Convention No. 144 follows on from the Study Visit to the country undertaken in January of this year which examined the law and practice in the country concerning tripartism and its functioning as set out in the report of that mission. This ratification brings to 21 the number of ILO Conventions ratified by Singapore and in force in the country.

A side event organized during the 99^th Session of the International Labour Conference in June 2010, in which Barbados, Belgium and Singapore were invited as speakers, demonstrated the keen interest of ILO tripartite constituents in sharing best practices, particularly in times of crisis where strong and functioning tripartism can help cushion the impact of crises and find solutions acceptable to workers, employers, governments and society at large.

With the ratification by Singapore of Convention No. 144, 126 ILO member States have now ratified this Convention.