SINGAPORE – Amid commuter frustration with high profile MRT breakdowns, the first Public Transport Workers Appreciation Day will be held next Tuesday (Nov 14) as a "thank you" gesture.

The announcement was made in a Facebook post on Friday by executive secretary of the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) Melvin Yong, who said he had long been rallying the union’s tripartite partners – the Land Transport Authority and the public transport operators – for a platform to “recognise our public transport workers”.

Public transport workers “work tirelessly to make our public transport system function”, be it bus captains, train captains, interchange and station staff and maintenance crew, said the Tanjong Pagar Member of Parliament, who was appointed as NTWU’s executive secretary in February last year.

The move comes amid the slew of rail troubles and flak faced by SMRT management and staff following the scandal involving falsification of maintenance records which resulted in the tunnel flooding incident on Oct 7 that shut down a segment of the North-South Line for about 20 hours, affecting some 250,000 commuters.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament earlier this week that growing the right culture was the responsibility of all in SMRT — from the leadership to workers, in response to questions posed about the “deep seated cultural issues” that SMRT group chief executive officer Desmond Kuek had said were taking longer than expected to weed out.

When asked if the event was organised in response to appease workers feeling maligned by commuters pinning blame on them amid MRT woes, Mr Yong said that the event had been planned for several months now, and he had raised this previously in Parliament earlier this year.

“Often, we take certain things for granted, so we hope this event can help us to remember the hard work put in by the workers,” he said.

The event will be held at Bedok Town Square on Tuesday, from 12pm to 8pm, which will be attended by Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure. Public can pen appreciation notes and participate in carnival activities, while transport workers can get a sweet treat.

Most transport workers TODAY interviewed said the event would go some way in recognising their efforts as they often bear the brunt of tongue-lashings from disgruntled commuters during major train disruptions.

“(When there’s a breakdown) people are moody, show sour faces, scold us that it’s a lousy MRT ride… all without a word of thanks,” said a 69-year-old SMRT customer service officer at Holland Village MRT who declined to give his name.

But nevertheless, he added, such scoldings are just “part of the job” and “we just switch off and the next day is a fresh day for us”.

Another 65-year-old customer service officer at Buona Vista MRT station said she often deals with “very frustrated” commuters who compare Singapore’s train system against other countries like Hong Kong and London. “We just stand for eight hours and still get scolded, so a little appreciation will go a long way,” she said.

However, there were some who felt such a day was unnecessary.

“Helping people is just part of the job… It’s just a small thing,” said Mr Peter Goh, 64, who works as a cleaner at Kent Ridge MRT station. “We don’t need a special day for it,” he added, despite having had to clean up after a passenger who soiled the MRT seats – his “worst experience” in his four years on the job.

And others are unperturbed by negative comments from commuters during train breakdowns. One SMRT customer service officer at One North MRT, who also did not want to be named, said he takes it in his stride.

“We just try to understand what they are feeling, we know they are rushing for time… We answer professionally and politely… I know they are just angry at the situation,” he said.