Remembering Ong Ah Heng: A brother-in-arms, fearless union leader and worker champion

Veteran union leader Ong Ah Heng passed away on 5 May 2026. He was 84.

Joining NTUC in 1980, Mr Ong had a stellar career in the Labour Movement that spans 30 years.

Starting out as Executive Secretary of the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), he held various senior NTUC positions over the years. These include Assistant Secretary-General, Community Development Department Director, Care & Share Department Alignment Director, Administration and Research Unit Director, and Central Committee member.

In his years of helping workers, the Labour Movement stalwart was known for his work to enhance transport workers’ livelihoods, improve the welfare of lower-wage workers, and support senior care.

In the 1980s, he played a crucial role in rallying ground support for the formation of nine industrial unions, which were created through the restructuring of the omnibus unions of the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation and the Pioneer Industries Employees’ Union.

A salt-of-the-earth unionist, he was deeply admired for his approachability, humility, and ability to connect with workers over coffee.

Moving transport workers forward

During his time as NTWU ES, Mr Ong was deeply involved in bread-and-butter issues like salary negotiations and working conditions.

The union leader also played a role in transport sector restructuring in the 2000s. At NTUC’s 2010 Triennial Delegates’ Convention, then-Deputy Secretary-General Lim Swee Say described him as the key driver behind the Job Re-creation Programme (JRP) for the public transport sector.

The JRP was a Singapore tripartite programme introduced in the mid-2000s to redesign low-paying or unattractive jobs into better-quality, better-paying jobs, while training and placing Singaporeans into redesigned roles.

Through Mr Ong’s involvement in the programme, NTWU partnered SBS Transit to restructure the company’s wage system, attracting over 170 Singaporeans into bus captain jobs.

In the 2000s, he also sought to raise NTWU’s profile in the global transport union fraternity. According to a 2004 ComfortDelgro biography, where he served as a non-executive director, he helped to build relations with foreign transport unions while representing the union at international conferences and seminars.

Uplifting lower-income union members

Mr Ong’s interest in the labour cause extended beyond collective bargaining into social support for lower-wage workers, especially welfare and cost-of-living support.

While heading the Community Development and Care & Share departments, he laid the foundation for assistance programmes that helped members cope with rising living expenditures.

For instance, in 2006, the $1.6 million Care and Share Voucher Scheme was launched to assist 20,000 lower-income union members with utility bill and transport fare hikes.

He said in a media release at the time: “The objective of this scheme is to assist union members who are in financial hardship, particularly the low-income workers. The Labour Movement would like to help alleviate their financial burden.”

Deeply concerned about the impact of the cost of living on lower-wage workers, he worked relentlessly to raise funds to ease their hardship.

In 2003, despite the SARS crisis, retrenchments, and wage cuts, the Community Development Programme he was involved in managed to pull in $2.6 million to support various purposes, including senior care, children’s transport and groceries.

Mr Ong said in the May Day Annual 2004: “Last year, people either had less to give or were less willing to give. However, our committee members persevered and with the help and support of unions and related organisations, we met our targets.”

Supporting needy seniors

Mr Ong was also passionate about helping vulnerable seniors.

When he was Executive Director of NTUC Eldercare (now part of NTUC Health), Mr Ong was involved in the opening of eldercare centres in Singapore, constantly finding ways to do more for seniors.

A 2006 NTUC media release stated that he had received $250,000 in donations on behalf of NTUC Eldercare to purchase services and organise more activities for elderly clients.

The unionist also contributed to national ageing policy discussions, as evidenced by his inclusion in the Government’s 2006 Committee on Ageing Issues report.

Giving workers a bigger voice on the national stage

As Labour MP (1997-2011), Mr Ong stuck to his humble roots, fiercely determined at being the voice for vulnerable worker groups in Parliament. He was fondly known as the “Kopitiam MP” for his down-to-earth nature and ability to chat with workers over coffee.

Parliamentary indexes and Government speech records show him raising questions on retrenched, and senior workers, and cost of living, among others.

For example, during the 2003 Parliamentary debate on CPF changes, he rallied union leaders to accept cuts to employer CPF contribution rates to save jobs.

The Labour Movement community pays tribute to Ong Ah Heng

Tributes poured in from labour leaders, past and present, since the selfless leader’s passing on 5 May 2026.

In a condolence letter sent to Mr Ong’s family on 7 May 2026, the Labour Movement paid tribute to his significant contributions to workers over the years.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and NTUC President K Thanaletchimi praised his “authenticity” and “sincerity”, calling him “a man who cared deeply for workers, unions and our Labour Movement.”

The letter added: “Brother Ong reminds us of what it means to be a union leader: to listen, stand firm, care deeply, and act decisively in the interest of workers.”

Mr Ong Ah Heng (extreme right) at a past NTUC event.

Current NTWU Executive Secretary Yeo Wan Ling also honoured Mr Ong, who was ES of the union from 1981 to 2006. She wrote on Facebook the same day that Mr Ong paved the way for leaders like her to continue the important journey of looking after transport workers’ interests.

“His legacy lives on in the very foundations of what NTWU is today — from the worker-focused initiatives he championed, to the depot and interchange canteens that continue to serve our members across the sector,” Ms Yeo said.

Many past Labour Movement individuals who crossed paths with Mr Ong also took to Facebook to recount Mr Ong’s distinctive character and dedication.

Former NTUC Fairprice CEO Seah Kian Peng called him a NTUC and PAP legend, and a “man with a big and generous heart, whom you know will help you come what may.”

Meanwhile, former NTUC Youth (then Young NTUC) employee Alex Yam, spoke highly of the “aura” he exuded as a union leader who had earned respect through fighting battles, and the “warmth” and support he showed to young PAP leaders navigating the ground.

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