Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong And NTUC Leaders Visit SMRT Bishan Depot On Lunar New Year Eve To Thank Workers

~ The annual visit is a tradition led by NTUC to show appreciation to our workers
for working during the Lunar New Year festivities ~

Prime Minister (PM) and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong joined Labour Movement leaders at the SMRT Bishan Depot on the eve of Lunar New Year (LNY) to express appreciation to public transport workers for their tireless contributions throughout the year, especially during this festive season. SMRT is a unionised company under National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU).

PM Wong and NTUC Leaders Appreciating Workers Who Keep Singapore Moving

PM Wong was accompanied by NTUC President K Thanaletchimi and NTUC Secretary-General (SG) Ng Chee Meng, as they visited workers at the SMRT Bishan Depot. They were also joined by Acting Minister for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Finance Jeffrey Siow, alongside key union leaders from the NTWU, including President Sazali Bin Safiie, General Secretary Mak Mun Whai, and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and NTWU Executive Secretary Yeo Wan Ling, as well as management representatives from SMRT Corporation.

During the visit, PM Wong engaged with over 180 public transport workers and distributed LNY gift bags to workers across diverse job roles, such as train captains, station managers, maintenance technicians and engineers. Each gift bag contained a pair of mandarin oranges and a red packet from NTUC, along with a small gift from PM Wong. The visit was hosted by SMRT Chairman Seah Moon Ming, SMRT Group Chief Executive Officer Ngien Hoon Ping, and their team. The visit concluded with a festive Lo Hei, where PM Wong joined workers, NTUC and NTWU leaders, and SMRT management in tossing the traditional yusheng.

NTUC SG Ng Chee Meng said, "Lunar New Year is a time of reunion when family and friends come together. For our public transport workers, it also means being on duty and keeping Singapore moving, so others can be with their loved ones. Our workers’ sacrifice deserves our appreciation and respect. Even amid changes brought about by technology, our workers continue to adapt with professionalism and embrace continuous learning to take on new or different roles. NTUC is here to support them through this training and transformation journey, so that they can enjoy better wages, welfare and work prospects."

Support For Our Public Transport Workers

The Bishan Depot is also home to SMRT’s Depot 4.0 initiative, launched in November 2025. This transformative project turned Singapore’s oldest train depot into a smart maintenance facility, doubling train overhaul capacity from two to four trains a month. This is done through a combination of automation, artificial intelligence and data analytics. SMRT's technical officers were involved from the beginning, with some of them visiting the workshops in Qingdao, China to see which technologies would fit their needs. From the beginning, NTWU’s union leaders actively participated in the Depot 4.0 initiative. Now, most of the heavy lifting is done by the machines, and workers can do their work in a smoother, faster and more ergonomic way.

To support the growth of Singapore’s public transport sector, NTUC, NTWU, and SMRT launched a sector-first Queen Bee partnership in October 2025. Under this partnership, SMRT was appointed as a Queen Bee to lead efforts in uplifting SMRT’s contractors and their workers across the public transport ecosystem. Through this initiative, approximately 20,000 workers across SMRT’s over 200 SME contractors will benefit from wage increments, clearer career progression pathways, and safer workplaces.

Looking ahead, NTUC and tripartite partners will continue to support public transport workers through the implementation of upskilling programmes aligned with automated transformation, as well as by supporting SME workers under the endorsed Queen Bee partnership with SMRT. These efforts will further strengthen skills development, enable structured career progression, enhance workplace safety and overall rail reliability, and improve wage outcomes for workers at SMRT.

NTUC Also Appreciates Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers at Changi Airport

In a separate Lunar New Year’s Eve visit that was held before the visit to SMRT Bishan Depot, NTUC also extended our appreciation to taxi and private hire vehicle drivers. NTUC ASG Yeo Wan Ling, Advisor to the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and the National Taxi Association (NTA), and Minister of State for Transport Baey Yam Keng were at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 to thank the drivers for their continued service.

These workers keep Singapore connected throughout the festive period, ferrying families, travellers and visitors to their destinations. Gift bags containing mandarin oranges and red packets from NTUC were distributed at the airport's taxi and private hire vehicle holding areas, and the visit concluded with a Lo Hei.