Port industry in the past has undergone several rounds of transformation as technology advanced
[SINGAPORE] Protecting port workers from being left behind by technological disruption and shifting global trade patterns requires a strong, forward-thinking partnership between unions, port management and the government.
Making this comment at the Singapore Port Workers Union’s (SPWU’s) 80th anniversary dinner on Oct 17, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on unions and leaders at the PSA to work with the government to help workers adapt through continuous reskilling, just like in the past.
Only with upskilling will workers be able to take on higher-value, technology-driven roles and safeguard their long-term livelihoods.
“As in past waves of transformation, we must not leave workers to face these changes alone. More than ever, we will need a strong and well-led SPWU, working closely with a competent and innovative PSA management team, to secure PSA’s success, and workers’ livelihoods,” said SM Lee.
“This is the way to build a disciplined and skilled workforce with a strong Singapore core, and secure for them a fair share of the fruits of their labours.”
The port industry in the past has undergone several rounds of transformation as technology advanced, with the change from manual stevedoring and operators controlling yard cranes, to remotely operated automated guided vehicles.
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Each time the jobs changed, the PSA retrained workers to take up new roles, while the union leaders persuaded workers to adopt a flexible mindset and upgrade themselves, said SM Lee.
He was speaking to over 600 attendees that included union leaders, members and management representatives at The Ritz-Carlton, where he was also conferred the SPWU Honorary Membership for his longstanding support and commitment to the industry, union and tripartism.
The union, which was first established in 1946, currently represents over 10,000 members from various organisations such as PSA Corporation, PSA International and several port logistics companies.
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Apart from competition from other ports that are catching up quickly with digitalisation and automation, SM Lee warned that the industry itself currently faces supply chain disruptions, climate change, and geopolitical tensions that affect all shippers and port operators.
“Green fuels such as ammonia and methanol will require new processes, skills and safety protocols, (and) rapid advances in AI, autonomous technology, sensors and robotics are already dramatically transforming port operations,” he said, adding that repetitive physical tasks such as coning and de-coning may be done by embodied artificial intelligence in the future.
These comes with new challenges and new opportunities, such as higher-value tasks that are less demanding and completely new roles that do not exist yet, such as in sustainability management and alternative fuel options.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting this transition, he called for a renewed tripartite compact to safeguard jobs, deepen worker expertise and ensure all port employees share fairly in the benefits of future growth.
Singapore’s port handled 44.66 million shipping containers, or twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), in 2025 – its highest on record – eclipsing the 41.12 million in the previous year.
Tuas Port, when port operations are fully consolidated there by the 2040s, will have a capacity of 65 million TEUs, said SM Lee, adding that this was unimaginable back in 1965.
“To outsiders, the past six decades look like an unbroken string of successes,” he said, adding that mutual trust had only been forged through a laborious process of organisational change and personal adjustment.
He cited the launch of new port locations – such as Keppel, Brani, Pasir Panjang and Tuas – that required workers to adjust to new working environments and commute arrangements.
“Tuas, in particular, made commuting significantly longer,” said SM Lee, adding that PSA made extensive transport arrangements, while the union helped workers adjust to the new work locations.
Bus services to Tuas South have also been increased through the union’s participation in a tripartite committee with PSA management and government agencies, said SM Lee, adding that the authorities are also studying the feasibility of a Bus Rapid Transit system.
PSA’s loss of several major shipping clients to the Port of Tanjung Pelepas in the early 2000s also led to retrenchments and wage cuts, said SM Lee.
SPWU negotiated hard with PSA management to secure the best possible deal for the workers who had to leave, while keeping sight of the bigger picture. But when PSA made a strong recovery, it made a gain-sharing payout to its workers in 2005.
The intimate cooperation between management and the unions, through both ups and downs, was instrumental in building trust between them, and a key reason for PSA’s sustained success, said SM Lee.
He thanked SPWU for its forward-looking and enlightened approach, contrasting it to that of other port unions elsewhere, which resist technology and progress with the goal of protecting jobs and members’ interest.
“Over time their ports suffered, and so did their members,” said SM Lee.
“I am deeply grateful to SPWU, and I know so is PSA’s management. Long may this relationship of mutual trust and cooperation continue.” THE STRAITS TIMES