Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 11. May 23 1977
News From Malaysia And Singapore — Metalbox Strike
News From Malaysia And Singapore
Metalbox Strike
The Singapore Metal Box Workers' Union (SMBWU) Is presently on strike in protest against the company's unjust dismissal of 19 female operators and 3 watchmen. Its 360 striking members had been camping outside the company's gate since 4 April.
The SMBWU is one of the very few active independent unions left in Singapore that is not affiliated to the Government controlled National Trade Union Congress (NTUC). For the past few years, the SMBWU has been struggling against all odds to represent and protect the interest of its workers.
Its recent dispute had been brought to the attention of the Ministry of Labour. Although strikes are very rare in Singapore, the Ministry of Labour adopted an indifferent attitude to the Metal Box Workers' plight and gave no assurance that it would help the workers to resolve their dispute. It also gave the workers the lame excuse of not being in a position to intervene" regarding the conduct of the company's personnel officer "as it was not a negotiable matter."
The officials of SMBWU also approached Phey Yew Kok, the President of NTUC and General-Secretary of Pioneer Industries Employees' Union (PIEU) on two occasions, one before the strike and the other on the second day of the strike. On both occasions their request was turned down.
In addition, the PIEU openly tried to break' up the strike by calling upon the other 120 non-striking workers (temporary and new workers) to dissociate from SMBWU and join PIEU.
Under such circumstances, the SMBWU has no alternative but to call upon its paternal organisation, the International Metal-workers Federation (IMF) in Geneva for support.
The IMF responded and requested its Australian affiliate union, the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union of Australia, to investigate into the Metal Box case.
Thus the President of the Amalgamated Metal Workers Union of Australia,. Mr. R. H. Scott flew into Singapore and called upon the Metal Box workers on April 11. "to convey fraternal greetings" and to assure the workers that they had "the fullest support of his union in their action."
This gesture of international solidarity immediately incurred the wrath of Devan Nair, the Gen-Secretary of NTUC. In an attempt to save the embarrasment of NTUC for not helping the Metal Box workers and also to side-track the real issues of the striking workers by focussing on the presence of a foreigner, Devan lashed out at Mr. Scott and accused him of "blatantly Interfering in an industrial dispute in Singapore."
At the same time, Devan childishly complained that he felt slighted that Mr. Scott did not pay him a courtesy call as a leader of NTUC.
The SMBWU was condemned by Devan Nair "for bypassing the sympathy and goodwill of other trade unions in Singapore and for shamelessly soliciting foreign interference in their dispute with the management of Metal Box."
The Singapore Government, too, reacted with contempt at the presence of a person representing an international organisation giving solidarity messages to striking workers. The officials of SMBWU were summoned to the office of the Registrar of Trade Unions on the April 11 afternoon and told to supply information on the speech of Mr. Scott earlier that day.
With such strong reactions from the Singapore Govt, and the NTUC. it would not be surprising that the S'pore Govt, would spare no effort to crush the SMBWU once and for all and stifle whatever independent voice the Singapore workers have to prevent further exposure of the plight of the Singaporean workers to the international labour movement. Already there are indications that the Govt. - backed PIEU is working openly to smash the SMBWU.
Ref: Straits Times 11-13 April, 77
Four big names in Japanese business namely Mitsubishi, Marubeni, Nippon Kokan Co. Ltd., and Toyo Menka had submitted a Joint proposal to Thailand to build a US$2.4 billion pipeline and oil refinery in South Thailand.
The proposed pipeline will span from Phuket to Sural Thani, thus cutting down the distance of the oil tankers' Journey plying between Middle East and Japan.
Refinery and oil storage facilities will be constructed at Surat Thani which is about 330 miles south of Bangkok.
The pipeline as planned will carry oil from the Middle East for transfer to Japan by supertankers. Japan is heavily dependent on Middle East oil. The country imports 80% of her energy consumption.
Further, a large natural gas deposit was found last year in the Gulf of Thailand to Suttahip by two oil companies - Texas Pacific Thailand and Union Oil Company of Thailand. Plans are underway to run a pipeline connecting Texas Pacific's deposit to Union oil's deposit and then to Suttahip and Bangkok.
Given the scale of the proposals, it would be expected for Japan and the United States to keep a watchful eye on the political developments in the region for the practical purpose of safe-guarding their enormous investment in the oil infrastructure.
The implementation of the oil pipe proposal will be extremely complex and without doubt the military regime in Bangkok will further intensify its armed moves against the patriotic forces in the area. It was admitted by the Thai military that many students fled to the jungles in the south after the October coup.
On the regional level, the proposal will put Lee Kuan Yew in a fix as the island state is heavily dependent on the oil route to Japan. How this conflicting economic interest will be resolved or exaggerated within the 'Asean' alliance is yet to be seen.
Ref: New Straits Times March '77.