Patrick Tay


Patrick Tay Teck Guan is a Singaporean politician. A member of the People's Action Party, he has served as the Member of Parliament for Pioneer SMC since 2020. He also served as the MP for West Coast GRC for Boon Lay from September 2015 to June 2020 and for Nee Soon GRC for Nee Soon East from May 2011 to August 2015. He also holds jobs at the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union.
In 2010, Tay received the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat.
He is one of the several Assistant Secretary-Generals of the National Trades Union Congress.

Early life and education

Patrick Tay Teck Guan was born in Singapore on 1 December 1971. He attended Saint Patrick's School and Temasek Junior College. In 1995, he graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws with honours. Wanting to further his education, he decided to study for a Master of Laws, which he successfully obtained from NUS in 1999. In 2012, Tay was conferred a fellowship from the Singapore Institute of Arbitrators.

Political career

After getting his master's degree, Tay became an advocate and solicitor for the Supreme Court of Singapore as well as an associate mediator for the Singapore Mediation Centre. He attended Harvard University's six-week Advanced Management Programme in 2014. From 1995 to 2002, Tay worked at the Singapore Police Force. At the time when he left the force, he held the appointment of Commanding Officer of the Special Tactics and Rescue Unit. Since April 2002, Tay has been serving as the National Trade Union Congress' Legal Services Department's Director as well as the Executive Secretary of the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union since November 2012.
Tay also holds positions at other organisations. He is an adviser to the Healthcare Services Employees' Union ; Union of Security Employees ; Creative, Media and Publishing Union; and the Keppel Employees Union, a board member of the Land Transport Authority and NTUC Learning Hub and a trustee of the Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees and Singapore Industrial and Services Employees' Union. Tay is also a member of the Singapore political party, People's Action Party. As part of the group of candidates for the Nee Soon GRC, he became a member of parliament following the 2011 Singapore general election. Tay was officially sworn into parliament on 7 May 2011.
In 2014, Tay surfaced the concerns of PMEs and how the Budget could support them with regards to the 4Ps: protection, progression, placement and privileges. In his 2016 Debate on President's Address, he called for a PME dependency ratio to be implemented for companies which have a weak Singaporean core and a weak commitment to creating a Singaporean core.

Recognition and legacy

In 1990, Tay received the Public Service Commission Scholarship. In 2000, he was awarded the Singapore Police Force's Good Service Medal. In 2005, the Public Service Medal was bestowed upon Tay. Thereafter, Tay obtained the PAP Youth Service Medal in 2007. The same year, the People's Association presented Tay with the 15 Years Community Long Service Award.
In 2010, Tay was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat. Inaugurated in 2011, the Patrick Tay Chess Challenge, held in Singapore and organised by the Singapore Chess Federation, is named in Tay's honour.