Why come for Labour Day?
"Where got time?" is a common complaint among workers in Singapore who are pushed to work longer hours to keep up with the rising cost of living, making us the most fatigued and overworked country in the world. Meanwhile, ever-hotter temperatures remind us that there is little time left to avert the climate crisis and even more environmental disaster. As the first joint rally by Workers Make Possible and SG Climate Rally, the theme "Running out of time" connects workers' plights to the plight of Mother Earth, showing how workers and nature are both suffering because of a system that prioritises capitalist growth over people and our planet.
No time for ourselves
In a moment of multiple crises when we need radical systemic change, the government is content to preserve a status quo that no longer works, allowing wealthy bosses to extract more and more time from workers instead of protecting us. The super rich have time to play golf and live lives of luxury while the workers who make them rich spend more and more of our time working. Most of us need to work to live, but we end up living to work. And in the process, we lose so much. We don't have time to pursue our hobbies or express our creativity. In short, we don't get to be our full selves, beyond our identities as workers.
The most common response we hear in Singapore when we ask our friends how they are is some version of - Been really busy. So exhausted. Burnt out. Under the weather. Work's been stressful.
We desperately need a break, but there are no safety nets to fall back on, even when your physical and mental health are in danger. Even if you can afford to take a break, there's so much anxiety around "falling behind", "losing out", or being judged, because we have been taught to tie our self-worth to work.
No time for community
We try so hard to keep up. We make to-do lists, work through lunch, stay up later, wake up earlier, take on one more side hustle to keep up with rising costs. But we can't keep up, can we? We fall behind on chores, we snap at our loved ones, stop doing the things we enjoy, and spend money on cabs we can't afford because we just. don't. have. time. We don't really get to enjoy our kids growing up or care for our seniors who are getting older and instead we pay migrant workers to do that on our behalf.
Singaporeans are always rushing, always preoccupied, without the time or thought to smile at passers-by or bus drivers. We can't stop to help someone on the road, because we're already 5 minutes late to our next appointment. Our bosses expect us to reply to work texts late at night, to cover extra shifts because they're "under-staffed", and to work from home even when we are sick. Meanwhile, we pay through our noses for housing and healthcare, and more and more of us are realising that no matter how hard we work, we probably cannot afford to retire.
It's not that Singaporeans are selfish — there are so many ground-up efforts that people have started despite these challenges. But the government needs to realise that in order to arrive at a "we-first" society, we first need "they", the wealthy elite, to return more of the profits that workers produce, so that "we" can free up time from the hustle to care for those around us.
No time to retire
Singapore is notorious for our ever-increasing retirement age. As the cost of living keeps going up, most middle-aged workers today cannot imagine being able to retire. For a country as rich as Singapore, we should be ashamed of the number of seniors who continue to clear our tables at hawker centres, clean public toilets and collect cardboard to get by. Can we accept our grandparents spending their golden years this way? It seems that more and more, being Singaporean means working till you drop dead.
But also, what kind of world can we expect to retire in, when temperatures break the heat records year after year, and we see our neighbouring countries hit by successive floods and typhoons? When climate change worsens living conditions for us and the region, can we really expect to live comfortably or safely decades into the future?
No time for the planet
We often see the headlines in the news saying there is little time left to save the planet, and so we need to recycle more, use less electricity, reduce our carbon footprint, use reusable bags and containers, take public transport, save water. It's true that doing this helps, but as those of us who have tried know, who has the time and mental energy for all that?
Is the climate crisis really our fault, when the big MNCs that are most responsible are allowed to just plant some trees and continue their pollution, while receiving grants and rebates from the government to reward this "green" behaviour? Or when they invest their profits into data centres that use far more water and electricity than we do, just so that they can replace workers with AI? While earlier generations were able to live in balance with nature, decades of the government's drive for modernisation and productivity has left us alienated from it and treating it just as something to be controlled. If we are truly meant to care for the planet, we first need the time to connect back with the land and natural world around us.
We are clocking more hours, for the same wages
From doctors to domestic workers, from students to security guards, most of us are pushing ourselves to survive in a system that asks too much of us, and punishes us when we fail to meet these inhumane standards. Overwork damages our bodies, our minds, our relationships, and steals our lives from us. And no amount of wages is worth that.
What workers in Singapore need is shorter working hours for the SAME wages. Workers deserve a bigger slice of the pie — we produce all the goods and services in this country, but our share of the GDP is lower than what goes to bosses' profits. We need higher basic wages, so that we don't have to rely on OT to make enough. A "9-5" job needs to become a reality again. Full weekends free from work need to become a reality again. This also means we shouldn't have to answer emails or texts after work, or bring home work to finish over the weekend. All workers should be entitled to at least 15 days of paid annual leave, according to the International Labor Organisation's standards. For these changes to be possible, we need a universal minimum wage that guarantees a dignified standard of living, stronger labour protections and strict boundaries around work hours and habits.
Taking back our lives means taking back our time
The international labour movement has historically fought for 8-hour work days, with 8 hours left for rest and 8 hours for leisure. But if we take into account the time and labour that goes into caregiving, grocery shopping, preparing meals, doing housework, travelling to and from work, and other responsibilities, even with an 8-hour work day, we don't have much time left for rest and leisure!
An 8-hour work day, for no more than 5 days a week, is the MINIMUM workers in Singapore should demand, regardless of the type of work they do. We need to make 12-hour shifts (which many retail staff do) and 30-hour shifts (forced onto healthcare workers) a thing of the past.
Therefore, this Labour Day, we come together to claim back our time, to take back our lives. In past years, so many workers in our communities couldn't even attend the Labour Day rally because they had to work on Labour Day. Let's start claiming back our lives by claiming our freedom from work on 1st May!
If we are freed from the endless rush to work and pay our bills, we can instead use this time to care for ourselves, our family and friends, and the environment. We can use it for play, for learning, to serve our communities, or for anything else we value. If we take back our time and our lives, there is so much we can do together to build a better world.
Programme Flow
3.00pm — Community Booths Open!
Visit the community booths to engage with civil society groups and interactive elements/activities
5.00pm — Live Speeches, Performances, Collective Formation!
Electrifying speeches by workers and powerful performances by local musicians, ending with collective formation
Programme Materials
Download the programme materials here!
The chant sheet and programme booklet will be released shortly.
Information for Attendees
How to get there:
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By Bus: 147, 197, 51, 61, 80 to Bus Stop 05059
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By MRT: Clarke Quay MRT (Exit A)
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By MRT: Chinatown (Walk from Chinatown Point)
WEAR RED!
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Wear your favourite, cool, comfy RED clothes to Labour Day!
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You can also pre-order our Labour Day shirt and collect it from the Workers Make Possible booth on May 1st. The preorder form is not ready yet, please check back soon.
Accessibility
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All ushers will be wearing a pin with the words 'LD 26 USHER'. Please approach any usher if you require assistance.
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We recommend that wheelchair users entering via the car park next to Kreta Ayer Police Post use the paved areas to access the booths, which are double-facing towards both the pavement and the park.
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A childcare space is available with toys and activities, as well as 2 volunteers who are assigned to childminding for the duration of the rally. The childcare booth is easily visible from the booths and the audience space.
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Reserved seating will be provided for the following groups of people: Blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, elderly & physically disabled people.
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Everyone is highly encouraged to mask up for our collective safety. Many immunocompromised people need our collective support to access this event without risking their health.
We are a rain or shine event!
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An umbrella/poncho in case of wet weather,
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Caps, fans, hats,
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Lots of water to hydrate!
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Mask up if you/those you attend with are immunocompromised,
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Picnic mat, snacks, drinks... make a day of it!
Extra Notes:
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There will be photos, videos, and livestreaming of the event. If you would like to be discreet about your attendance, consider wearing a mask, hat, sunglasses, scarf or other creative attire
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There will be a First Aid Booth. If you need medical attention, let our volunteers know and they will guide you there.
