On the 2nd of March 1981, the then Secretary-General of NTUC Lim Chee Onn, appointed a Pro-tem Committee chaired by Mr Suktwindar Singh to look into the formation of a union to represent members of the electronic and electrical division of SILO and PIEU.
On 14 July 1981, the United Workers of Electronic and Electrical Industries (hereafter UWEEI) was formally registered with the Register of Trade Unions.
The Inaugural Convention of Delegates of the UWEEI was held on 19 August 1981 at DBS Auditorium. It was graced none other than Secretary-General of NTUC. 248 delegates (including 7 Founder Members) out of the 284 delegates that were eligible to attend were present.
The election of UWEEI's first Executive Committee saw 33 candidates vying for various positions in the EXCO. The Convention also witnessed the passing of several landmark resolutions such as the acquisition of premises for use as Union office and the establishment of an Education and Training Fund.
A logo design competition was held soon after the convention to look for a symbol UWEEI members could identify with. The late Dr Tay Eng Soon did the honours of unveiling the winning design, which is made up of a combination of the letters U.W.E.E.I.
16 July 1983 witnesses UWEEI's foray into the International Trade Union circle through its affiliation of the International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF).
Milestones
1996
UWEEI celebrated its attainment of the ISO 9002 certification. UWEEI was the first union to achieve this award and the first organisation to be certified with PSB's new ISO 9000 logo.
1997 1 Feb 1997 Witnessed the handing over of the Executive Secretaryship of UWEEI from Mr Koo Tsai Kee to Mr Lim Swee Say. Mr. Lim Swee Say, formerly the Managing Director of the EDB, took over the baton from Mr Koo to lead UWEEI through some tough times ahead marked by a series of restructuring in the industry as well as the regional financial turmoil in 1997.
1998
It was an exceptional year for UWEEI. The electronic and electrical industry was badly hit by the regional financial turmoil and saw the need for a paradigm shift from the Union's traditional role of collective bargaining to other focus areas to add value to our members. In line with NTUC 21, UWEEI reviewed its direction and incorporated UWEEI 21 blueprint focusing on 4 main thrusts mainly Industrial Relations, Membership, Leadership Development and Quality Lifestyle.
1999
Mr. Heng Chee How, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC took over the helm from Mr. Lim Swee Say to be the Executive Secretary of UWEEI. It is also the first time where UWEEI gave out the Education Grant to assist workers to cope with the recession in addition to the Yearly Bursary and Education Grant. 1999 were also the watershed year when members enjoy the use of the NTUC link cards.
2001
4 December 2001 saw the convening of a Special Convention of Delegates to consider purchasing of UWEEI property in Middle Road. The delegates present supported the decision unanimously.
2002
General Convention of Delegates 2002 saw the election of our new Executive Council. UWEEI also attained the full certification of converting to ISO 9001:2000. This direction to maintain international standards in quality service will ensure that UWEEI members get first class service.
2003 This was a year that Singapore was affected by SARS, and this rippled down to the electronic sectors. Though our sector is not the worst hit one, companies reduced their performance forecast due to the inability to travel overseas for business purposes. The union and management also raised concerns on Industrial Related matters such as taking sick leave and temperature discipline etc.
2004
2004 is a good year, with companies reporting double digit growth and the statistics reported high GDP growth. This year also saw the country’s leader; Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong passing on the baton to Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Mdm Halimah Yacob, Assistant Secretary General of NTUC took on the secretaryship from Mr Heng Chee How as he received a new appointment as the Minister of State in Ministry of Trade & Industry. It is also the first time that UWEEI had an Ordinary Convention of Delegates to review the Union’s achievements and to also plan for the future 2 years.
