ITF general secretary Steve Cotton congratulated her on behalf of the federation. He told her: “This well-deserved appointment is gratifying in so many ways: because it recognises your personal talents and achievements; because it reflects on the way that the work of the SMOU (and ITF) is valued, and your role in making that so; and because it advances the cause of women in trade unions, and of trade unions themselves.
“All of us who know you know that you will excel at this new role, as you have at the SMOU and ITF. We all wish you well and look forward to continuing to work with you,” he told her.
In a Straits Times interview that called her ‘a trailblazer in the male-dominated labour movement’, Mary described the NTUC as an inclusive labour movement. which represent the interest of its workers, be it youth, women, low-wage workers, professionals, managers or executives.
