Singapore Teachers' Union
[1] It is an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), a member of the ASEAN Council of Teachers and the Education International.
STA was revived at a general meeting held at Raffles Institution on 13 November 1925, "after an interim period during which a great deal of thought and discussion was given to the production of a constitution free from any suspicion of trade-unionism and which would enable the activities of the Association to be carried on more expeditiously.
The founding members were H N Balhatchet (President), Yapp Thean Chye (General Secretary), P V Sharma (General Secretary), Lim Choo Sye (Treasurer), N Scharenguivel (Editor), Kiang Ai Kim, Quah Quek Tin, Frank James, J E K Retnam, Seow Cheng Fong and Tay Kheng Hock.
On 19 February, First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee spoke in Parliament and recommended that the Teachers' Unions be "dissolved and transformed into a professional association to raise standards".
Member of Parliament for Moulmein Lawrence Sia, who was also STU's president, responded that "although he was not averse to the idea suggested, the mere change of name and status would not remove the many frustrations teachers faced.
A copy of the STU's Report was then submitted to every Member of Parliament, including the newly appointed Education Minister Dr Tony Tan.
On Teachers' Day in 1982, STU organised a walkathon, which attracted over 2,000 members, and raised $75,000 each for the Singapore Labour Foundation and Mendaki.
Though the Code was never enforced, it embodied the principles that STU perceives as the key to the Union's relationships with the stakeholders of the Education System.
To keep development costs low, STU decided to undertake the project in the rural area, and acquired a tract of land off Yio Chu Kang Road.
A key initiative of the Young STU is the annual Beginning Teachers Forum, where Educators with up to 3 years of working experience are briefed on things to note and common pitfalls early in their teaching career.
On 4 August 2011, the General Secretary of STU, Edwin Lye Teck Hee, made a statement in response to media queries, calling the policy revision as "regressive", "unfair" and "inequitable" to teachers.
He further added, "With the current tight labour market and the experience gap in the schools, experienced teachers are undeniably an essential part of the education landscape and should naturally command a premium.
Teachers who held middle management positions will receive up to 30 per cent pay cut as they will no longer be holding managerial responsibilities upon re-employment.
[11] In July 2013, the Public Service Division announced that there shall be no pay cut for junior civil servants rehired at age 62.
