Gan Kim Yong
Singapore
“Consumer complaints relating to the secondary resale market for tickets to major events and concerts have generally remained low. Nonetheless, to protect the public from scams on secondary ticket resale platforms, the Police have imposed Code of Practice requirements under the Online Criminal Harms Act to require designated online service…”
“Singapore does not condone the use of forced labour. We criminalise forced labour in Singapore under various laws. Relevant Government Ministries and agencies, such as the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force, play their part in investigating complaints of suspected breaches in domestic laws that relat…”
“The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) discontinued the PayNow nickname feature as scammers had been exploiting the use of nicknames to impersonate legitimate entities and trusted individuals.”
“As of end-2025, around 6,900 private residential buildings have registered their solar installations with SP Group for the export of excess solar-generated electricity to the grid. The installed solar capacity of these residential buildings is 115.3 megawatt-peak (MWp), or around 5.5% of all current installed solar capacity in Singapore.”
“The one-year pilot extension of liquor trading hours has seen strong interest from businesses. As of 31 May 2026, the Police have approved 88 applications for the extension of liquor trading hours from public entertainment outlets in these areas.”
“The Government does not make projections of domestic or regional demand for renewable diesel or sustainable aviation fuel. Demand depends on commercial considerations, evolving market conditions and regulatory developments across different jurisdictions.”
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“Scheme and obtain up to $400,000 in grants to re-design their job processes as well as develop good HR practices for re-employment. Moving forward, we will be reviewing these schemes to ensure that they remain relevant and we will also be exploring new initiatives to further enhance the employability of our older workers. Mdm Halimah has asked whether an officer from the NTUC could be allowed to represent a member of their affiliated union in hearings before the Commissioner for Labour. Sir, to maintain a balance of representation, we would continue to allow NTUC officers to be present and provide advice but not to represent the employee, who should really be represented by his own union officials. Mr Hri Kumar has asked whether employers, instead of employees, should be required to report re-employment disputes to the Ministry, given that employees may not be aware of the time bar for lodging of appeals and claims. Sir, it may not be practical to do so, as reporting of disputes should be by the aggrieved party, who is likely to be the employee. We will work closely with the unions to raise the awareness of employees on the RRA, including the time bar requirement, and encourage employees to notify the Commissioner of their disputes early. Mr Low Thia Khiang and Ms Sylvia Lim were also concerned whether employers may take advantage of the flexibility and make unreasonable offers in order to escape their obligations under re-employment. Sir, employees who are unfairly denied of re-employment can approach the Ministry and the Minister may order the employer to offer re-employment or pay compensation.”
“Where medical costs are a concern, employers could consider various forms of arrangements with their re-employed workers, such as co-payment of medical benefits, introducing appropriate caps on medical benefits claimable, or providing additional Medisave contributions for employees to help pay their MediShield premiums or other medical expenses. Mr Ang Mong Seng has asked how retrenchment benefits will be computed for re-employed workers. Where a new contract is entered into after retirement and the years of service before that has been disregarded, the tripartite partners have agreed that employers may offer financial assistance using the Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) as a reference to help these retrenched employees. Mr Teo Siong Seng is concerned that employers may be required to offer EAP to employees with poor performance. I would like to clarify that only employees who have at least satisfactory performance will be eligible for re-employment and, hence, eligible for the EAP, if they are not offered re-employment. Mr Low Thia Khiang was concerned that employers may simply offer EAP, instead of offering re-employment opportunities. And that is why we have set a minimum EAP quantum in the guidelines and we stress that this EAP payment should be used as a last resort. The high employment rate of older workers and the low unemployment rate go to show that employers, by and large, are responsible and older workers, by and large, are able to find jobs. Mdm Halimah, Mr Heng and Mr Teo and Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef suggested stepping up our efforts to reach out to companies, especially the SMEs, to help them put in place re-employment policies and processes. Employers can tap on the ADVANTAGE!”
“Removing this flexibility would add rigidity to the labour market and affect the employability of older workers. The number of establishments practising automatic salary reduction at 60 is small. Hence, let us keep this flexibility, but work together to encourage companies and unions to move towards rewarding workers based on their performance and productivity. An employee who does not agree with the reduction of his wages at 60 because the reduction was not based on reasonable factors, as I have mentioned, may lodge a complaint with the Commissioner for Labour (COL) under section 115 of the Employment Act on salary disputes, if they are covered by the Act. Alternatively, if the worker is represented by his trade union, his union can also raise the disagreement over salary reduction to the Industrial Arbitration Court. Assoc. Prof. Straughan asked about the implications to employment benefits when an employer and an employee enter into a new re-employment contract. Employers and employees may re-negotiate employment benefits for re-employment, subject to meeting the minimum prescribed benefits under the Employment Act. Mrs Mildred Tan has suggested making medical insurance more accessible and portable for older employees as employers may be concerned with the medical costs of re-employing their older employees. Employees who are covered by approved MediShield schemes or private integrated shield plans, would already have portable medical insurance.”
“For those who are covered by retirement benefits or pension schemes introduced before 1993 which are linked to a contractual retirement age that is lower than 62 years, we would allow them to retire at a lower contractual retirement age. However, to extend re-employment opportunities to this group of employees, we are looking at requiring the employers to re-employ them upon their earlier retirement and up to the age of 65. Mdm Halimah also asked whether employers could get around the law by employing contract workers. Ms Jessica Tan also mentioned the same concern. Employees whose employment contract is tied to a specific project, for example, a consultancy project which will take three years to complete, will be exempted from the law. However, employees who are on a fixed-term contract that is not tied to any specific project will be covered by the law as long as the contract is more than two years, including any renewals. This means that employers cannot deny these employees from the coverage of the law by repeatedly renewing fixed-term contracts unless there is at least a six-month break between renewals. We will continue to work with the relevant unions and employers and complete the current review before the implementation of the RRA. Mdm Halimah has asked whether there is a need to retain section 5 on salary adjustments at 60. Ms Sylvia Lim was also concerned about the same issue. This provision was introduced to provide flexibility for companies to adjust wages, taking into account reasonable factors such as any seniority element in the wage structure, employees' duties and responsibilities, productivity and work performance. Let me stress that wage adjustment, whether at 60 or for re-employment, should be based on reasonable factors as I mentioned earlier.”
“This may include sending the employee for medical examination, if necessary, as pointed out by Mdm Halimah. Mdm Halimah has also asked for an update on the review of the employees exempted under the Retirement Age Act (RAA). Sir, certain groups of employees are currently exempted from the minimum retirement age under section 11 of the Retirement Age Act. Apart from foreign employees holding work passes, it consists mainly of employees in uniformed services such as firemen, police officers and SAF officers, whose job requirements are physically demanding and employees who, before the enactment of the RAA in 1993, are covered under retirement benefit or pension schemes that are linked to a contractual retirement age lower than the statutory minimum retirement age of 62. There is also a small number of employees who are exempted under other categories. We have been reviewing these exemptions in consultation with the relevant employers and unions to examine whether the exemptions are still required. Some of the exemptions may be outdated or are no longer relevant and will be removed from the exemption list. These include public officers in the Economist Service, medical practitioners or dentists in any hospital who are under fixed-term contracts. However, I expect some employees will continue to be exempted from the RRA for a variety of reasons. For example, foreign employees holding work passes and employees in the uniformed services, whose job requirements are physically demanding, will be exempted under the new Act. Nevertheless, many of these employees, especially those in the uniformed services, continue to work after they retire as their employers would facilitate their move to take up a second career in the Civil Service or in the private sector.”
“This is why we have adopted the re-employment approach instead of raising or removing the retirement age altogether. Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef has suggested coming up with guidelines on re-employment contracts and the EAP. As I have mentioned earlier, the set of revised Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees will be released today. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Straughan, Mr Hri Kumar and Ms Sylvia Lim have asked about the definition of "satisfactory work performance" and how we go about assessing that. Sir, in general, this refers to the minimum level of performance any employee is expected to maintain in discharging his duties. I agree with Mr Ang Mong Seng that employees need not be assessed on just one year of work performance. The assessment could be based on the past two or three years, if appropriate. We will continue to encourage employers to introduce proper appraisal systems so that they can provide a fair and objective assessment of their employees' work performance for re-employment purposes. Employees who feel that they have been unfairly assessed and denied of re-employment opportunities, as a result, may approach my Ministry for assistance. Mr Ang Mong Seng, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Ms Sylvia Lim have asked about the criterion of medical fitness. In general, an employee should be considered medically fit to continue working as long as his health will not affect his performance on the job. Section 7(2) places the onus on employers to prove that the worker is medically unfit to continue working. Given that an employee has been working with the employer for the past years, it is reasonable to presume that the employee is medically fit to continue working beyond his retirement age unless the employer has evidence to prove otherwise.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Members for their support of the Bill. It was good to hear views from both the employers as well as union leaders and from different points of view. These comments underscore the need for us to adopt a balanced approach in re-employment. Sir, let me now address the comments and questions raised by Members. First, let me start with some clarifications. Mr Hri Kumar has mentioned that employers can terminate employment without any cause and that there is no obligation for employers to employ his employees until retirement. I would like to clarify that employees who are dismissed unfairly may appeal to the Minister for Manpower under section 14(2) of the Employment Act. In addition, section 8 of the RAA protects employees from being dismissed on grounds of age before the age of 62. Mr Low Thia Khiang has also asked whether we intend to raise the retirement age to 67 and, at the same time, raise the draw-down age of CPF to 67. As I have mentioned in my main speech, currently, our plan is to introduce re-employment to allow our workers to continue to work from the age 62 to 65. The Act does provide for the extension of re-employment to 67, but that is at a later stage. Let us focus on implementing re-employment to allow our workers to work up to 65. We will deal with 67 as our lifespan continues to extend. We will need to maintain that flexibility. Mr Laurence Wee has also suggested that we should do away with retirement age at some point in time. As I have explained in my main speech, to improve the employment rate of older workers, both employers and employees will need to have the flexibility to make necessary adjustments to employment terms and conditions.”
“We have also updated the tripartite guidelines, and these guidelines will be released today. It contains more details on the implementation of re-employment. The tripartite guidelines will be published in the Gazette as it serves to complement the law and provides a basis for mediation and adjudication of re-employment disputes. Sir, the Bill balances the objectives of providing opportunities for more employees to work beyond retirement, with the need to maintain flexibility in implementation. This will allow employers to continue to tap on the pool of experienced and skilled older workers while remaining competitive. In the longer term, the introduction of the Retirement and Re-employment Act will help employees who are able and healthy to continue working and make valuable contributions to their organisation and the society. This will also help us better utilise our limited manpower resources and reduce the reliance on foreign workers to ensure sustainable economic growth for Singapore. Sir, on this note, I would like to thank all who have contributed to the process of introducing re-employment, in particular the NTUC and SNEF and members of the Tripartite Committee and Tripartite Implementation Workgroup on the Employability of Older Workers. They have provided valuable feedback and suggestions which helped us fine-tune our proposals. I seek the continued support of our tripartite partners to ensure an effective and smooth implementation of the re-employment law. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.16 pm”
“Sir, we have also taken the opportunity to make technical amendments to update the existing provisions in the Act. Amendments are made to raise the penalty fine for non-compliance with the Minister's order, from $5,000 to $10,000, and to increase composition fine for offences from $500 to $1,000 to bring it in line with the Employment Act. Mr Speaker, Sir, the introduction of this Bill will provide more opportunities for older workers to continue to work. As I have mentioned earlier, our statistics show that the majority of the employers are generally able and willing to re-employ eligible workers given the flexibility that re-employment offers. Moreover, our experience during the recent economic recession shows that employers in general do recognise the value that older employees bring to their organisation. Many retained their older employees who bring with them the knowledge and experience needed by the company. As a result, the employment rate of older workers aged 55 to 64 held steady at 57.2% in 2009, and improved to 59% in 2010 as the economy recovered. While the recession did not have any negative impact on the older worker employment, it impeded our progress towards achieving the target of 65% employment rate for residents aged 55 to 64 by 2012. We will need to regain the momentum by pressing on with our efforts to encourage adoption of re-employment and promote the employment of older workers. Sir, we have had extensive consultations with the public and our tripartite partners – Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF) and National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) – during the drafting of this Bill and have taken into account their concerns and feedback.”
“While the main objective of the law is to create employment opportunities for older workers, we recognise that some employers may not be able to find suitable jobs for employees eligible for re-employment. As a last resort, section 7C of the Act requires employers to offer a one-off Employment Assistance Payment (EAP) to eligible employees who wish to work beyond retirement but are not re-employed because their employers are unable to find a suitable job vacancy for them. Sir, the purpose of the EAP is to help the workers while they look for alternative employment or undergo re-training. It is not meant as a compensation for loss of income or recognition for past years of service. Due to diversity in employment contracts we should not hardwire a formula or quantum for the EAP in the law. This will create rigidity in implementation. Instead, reference points for EAP amounts can be found in the tripartite guidelines. For example, the tripartite guidelines suggest that the EAP could be three months of the gross monthly salary, with a minimum amount of $4,500 and a maximum amount of $10,000. These reference points are carefully calibrated after discussion with the tripartite partners to ensure that it does not cause undue burden on employers or disadvantage low-income workers. Employers or employees with re-employment disputes may approach the Ministry for Manpower for conciliation and mediation under section 8A of the Act. If this fails, they may either appeal to the Minister of Manpower on grounds of unfair denial of re-employment or lodge a claim with the Commissioner for Labour for the purposes of claiming EAP. This is similar to the existing dispute settlement procedures under the Employment Act.”
“Sir, a key feature of re-employment is the flexibility that it provides to allow employers and employees to make adjustments to employment terms and conditions. In designing jobs and remuneration for older employees, employers should exercise fairness in making any adjustments to terms and benefits of re-employment, such as wages, medical benefits and leave benefits. Similarly, employees should exercise flexibility and be ready to accept the necessary adjustments for re-employment including accepting a salary that is commensurate with the job worth and going for training to take up new job responsibilities. Section 7A(5) requires any adjustments to be based on reasonable factors such as the employees' productivity, performance, duties and responsibilities and the wage system such as seniority wage system applicable to the employee. The tripartite guidelines describe the principles on how this could be done. For example, taking into account the extent of seniority-based wage in the company, employers could adjust wages using the midpoint of the salary range of the job as a reference while accounting for the experience and competency of the worker. Under section 7B, the period of service prior to retirement is disregarded to signify a fresh term of employment for re-employment. However, when an employer enters into multiple employment contracts with his employees, the period of service accumulated from employment under the various re-employment contracts will be considered as a continuous service. Section 7B(2) also stipulates that employees who are re-employed are not required to fulfil the qualifying period for sick leave and annual leave as they would have been working with their employers for a long time.”
“To ensure that their employability will not be affected, these employees will continue to be exempted from the minimum retirement age provisions. However, employers will be required to offer re-employment to these employees if they meet the eligibility criteria for re-employment and have at least three years of service upon reaching the age of 62. We will continue to work with the relevant unions and employers and complete the review before the implementation of the re-employment law. Sir, section 7A of the Act stipulates the re-employment obligations of employers. Re-employment is defined in section 2 of the Act as the employment of an employee by the same employer. This is because employers should not be allowed to discharge their re-employment obligations simply by transferring their older employees to another employer who is not obliged to keep the employees until they reach 65. If the employee does not wish to be re-employed by his employer and chooses to work for another employer instead, then the previous employer is relieved of all re-employment obligations. Under section 7A(4), employers may offer a new re-employment contract upon the employee attaining the specified age. To provide re-employed employees with greater certainty and assurance, sub-section 6 of section 7A requires the re-employment contract to be of a minimal duration of one year at each instance or up to the point when the employee turns 65. Some employers, especially the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) may not have formal re-employment contracts but continue to employ their workers on the same job and terms up to the age of 65. They will be deemed to have fulfilled the re-employment obligations.”
“Section 7 in the new Part III of the RRA spells out the two criteria for employees to be eligible for re-employment: i) the employee must have at least satisfactory work performance; and ii) the employee is medically fit to continue working. Employers should put in place appropriate performance appraisal systems to evaluate workers' performance. The law places the onus on employers to show proof that an employee is not eligible for re-employment. Open and early communication is also important to reduce misunderstanding and ensures smooth implementation of re-employment. Section 7A(8) requires employers to give reasonable prior notice to those who are not eligible. Section 7A(10) similarly requires employees to give reasonable prior notice to their employers if they do not wish to work beyond retirement. While "reasonable prior notice" is not defined in the law, the guidelines which I have mentioned earlier encourage employers and employees to inform each other of their decision at least three months before retirement. Sir, certain groups of employees are currently exempted from the minimum retirement age under section 11 of the Retirement Age Act. This includes foreign employees holding work passes, employees whose job requirements are physically demanding and employees who before the enactment of the Act in 1993 are covered under retirement benefit schemes that are linked to a contractual retirement age lower than the statutory minimum retirement age of 62. With the introduction of re-employment, we have been reviewing these exemptions in consultation with the relevant employers and unions to examine whether the exemptions are still required. Employees who are recruited at the age of 55 or above are also currently exempted from the RAA.”
“According to a survey done by my Ministry in 2009, nearly two-thirds of companies surveyed already allowed their employees to work past age 62, either on an existing employment contracts or through offering re-employment. Of those which had employees reaching the age 62, a vast majority – 92% to be precise – of their employees were allowed to work beyond age 62. The Public Service has also taken the lead to implement re-employment early. In November 2010, the Public Service Division released a set of guidelines to implement re-employment for eligible public service officers who turn 62 on or after 1st July 2011. Sir, we are now ready to introduce re-employment legislation. This Bill amends the existing Retirement Age Act (RAA) to introduce re-employment. The Bill seeks to achieve two objectives. First, it will provide opportunities for workers who are willing and able to continue working to do so beyond retirement. Second, it will provide flexibility to facilitate employers to retain their older workers beyond retirement. The RAA will be renamed the "Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA)". The Bill introduces a new Part III which contains the provisions on re-employment and a new Part IV which provides avenues for employees to seek recourse for re-employment disputes. We also took the opportunity to make technical amendments to update some of the existing provisions in the RAA. Sir, I will now elaborate on the key provisions in the Bill. The RRA will come into effect on 1st January 2012 and re-employment will apply to eligible employees who attain the specified age on or after 1st January 2012. The specified age is defined in section 2 of the Act as the minimum statutory retirement age of 62 or contractual retirement age if it is higher.”
“This means that employers have the flexibility to stipulate a mandatory retirement age as long as it is 62 years or any higher age. Second, employers will be required to re-employ those who have reached retirement age but are willing and able to continue to work up to age 65 as a first step and later to 67 as provided for in the Act. Re-employment need not be for the same job or on the same terms. The employer and the worker have the flexibility to make changes to the existing job arrangements to suit their needs. For example, employers may have to consider their organisational needs, such as leadership renewal, and may have to re-deploy older workers. On the other hand, older employees may wish to take up a different job – a lighter one perhaps – so as to spend more time with their family. Re-employment allows both parties to consult each other and work out mutually agreeable arrangements. Sir, the tripartite partners have been preparing the ground since 2007 when the Government first announced our intention to introduce re-employment. We released a set of Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees in March 2010 to help employers put in place re-employment practices. In addition to regular industry briefings and seminars, the tripartite partners have put in place a variety of resources and programmes such as the re-employment website portal, the ADVANTAGE! incentive scheme, training programmes and guidebooks to provide employers and workers with the support they need to prepare themselves for re-employment. We have made good progress since 2006.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the average life expectancy of Singapore residents has risen steadily, from 68 years in 1970 to 76 years when the Retirement Age Act was enacted in 1993. The average life expectancy has increased further to 81 years in 2009. Sir, it is a good thing that we are living longer but as we live longer, many Singaporeans want to work longer. Working not only enhances their financial security in old age, but also provides an added sense of purpose in life. They can remain active while making valuable contributions to their organisations. Employers can also tap on this increasing pool of experienced and skilled older workers to supplement their workforce. Older workers are a critical source of manpower, experience and skills to sustain our economic vitality. For these reasons, we need to create opportunities for our workers to work longer, beyond the current retirement age of 62. We have studied what other developed countries have done to enable their workers to work longer. Their experiences have shown that merely raising retirement age may not be the most effective approach. Japan, for example, is a country with an ageing workforce and yet enjoys one of the highest employment rates for older workers. It was the first to legislate re-employment in 2006. Re-employment provides both employers and employees the flexibility to make necessary adjustments to employment terms and conditions to meet their respective needs. This flexibility will help to allow older workers to work longer without imposing undue burden on employers. Therefore, we have decided to take a similar approach by introducing re-employment. Sir, let me elaborate. First, the statutory minimum retirement age will remain at 62 years.”
“(1) (i) Any member of the Singapore Police Force (including the Special Constabulary), Singapore Prisons Service, Internal Security Department, Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Civil Defence Force and the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority while on duty, and (ii) any crew member at work on board any ship, aircraft or any other international mode of transport will continue to be excluded from WSHA coverage. APPENDICES”
“The Government has also extended $40 million to fund NTUC's Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP). Initiatives under the IGP include job redesign, promotion of best-sourcing practices as well as support for the adoption of productivity-related initiatives. In terms of workplace safety and health, the WSH Act currently covers certain services-related industries including healthcare activities, hotels and restaurants, landscape care and maintenance service activities, among others. We will be seeking the support of this House to amend the WSH Act to cover all workplaces(1) later this year. MOM and the Workplace Safety and Health Council have been engaging stakeholders to share on their responsibilities under WSH Act and what they need to do to meet these obligations. Key initiatives include the provision of WSH advisory to companies through the WSH Clinics, dedicated informational packages to employers, and innovative promotional activities such as skits at public places. The per-hour pay scheme suggested by the member is allowed under the Employment Act and has been adopted by companies in certain service industries. Companies that adopt more regularised salary payments such as on a monthly basis to provide greater stability and security for their workers may also pay over-time on hourly basis. The Ministry does not dictate the wage systems of companies, but leaves it to employers to choose the structure that is most appropriate for the nature of their industry.”
“The services sector covers a wide range of industries and workplace practices vary across industries, even across companies in the same industry. Each industry faces different challenges and requires different strategies to address. Nevertheless, our laws – such as the Employment Act and the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act – ensure that workers enjoy the basic workplace environment and statutory employment benefits. In 2010, 23 employers in the services sector were convicted of Employment Act offences. Besides enforcing minimum employment standards, MOM engages companies to create greater awareness of our employment laws and good employment practices. MOM also works closely with relevant agencies to put in place initiatives to professionalise certain industries and improve working conditions. For example, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) subjects security guard agencies to mandatory grading, while the National Environment Agency (NEA) introduced a voluntary accreditation framework in 2010 for cleaning companies. Through the inclusion of employment practices and training efforts into the grading and accreditation criteria, we have helped to improve the wages and employment conditions of workers in these industries. Skills upgrading, complemented with job and process redesign, can bring about productivity improvements to support higher wages and set workers on a sustainable path to income growth. The Workfare Training Support (WTS) Scheme was launched in 2010 to provide higher training grants to employers and older low-wage workers, and rewards workers for sustaining their training efforts. In addition, WDA has developed Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) training pathways to allow workers to upgrade and progress.”
“Sir, let me explain that the S-Pass matrix is a fairly complex one which includes many factors and it also varies from industry to industry. For example, the qualifications, trade certificates and so on will be quite industry-dependent. So, it will be better for an employer who would like to employ S-Pass holders to go to our website where there is a self-assessment tool. The employer can key in the background of his potential S-Pass worker and the self-assessment tool will then inform him whether this particular candidate is likely to qualify. Of course, this self-assessment tool is not 100% guaranteed because it is just a simplified version of our matrix, but it will help the employer to have at least a first-line assessment of the suitability of this person as an S-Pass candidate. And if the candidate passes this self-asessment test, the employer can then submit his name to MOM. But if this person fails the self-assessment test, then the chances of him obtaining an S-Pass will be very low. So, we encourage employers to use this tool to make a self-assessment of the quality of their S-Pass applicants to see whether they have a chance to qualify as S-Pass applicants. IVF MIX-UP INCIDENT 9. Dr Lam Pin Min asked the Minister for Health what is the outcome of the Ministry's investigation into the IVF mix-up incident and what will the Ministry do to reassure patients, both local and foreign, that similar incidents will not happen again in the future.”
“Sir, primarily, as we allow a foreign worker to come into Singapore, we would require an employer to be responsible for the stay and the work of that foreign worker. In the event that this particular foreign worker gets into difficulty, we would need to be able to hold a certain employer accountable and responsible for the well-being of this foreign worker. It will be very difficult for us to open the gate and allow foreign workers to come in without an employer to be responsible for them. I would encourage industries to explore different opportunities and approaches even if the work is for a short period of time. We do allow employers to apply for Work Permit for a short period of time and after that, once the project is finished, whether it is for three or four months, we can terminate the work pass. There will also be some exempt activities like getai and so on, if they satisfy certain criteria, we do allow cultural performers to enter and work for a short period of time for specific work pass-exempt activities.”
“Sir, the rejection rate for the S-Pass and Work Permit applicants is not available. But we do see a wide variety of reasons – many of them do not have sufficient quotas; some of them may have the qualifications but do not have sufficient work experience. As I have explained, we have a matrix of factors. There is no minimum requirement per se, but we take a holistic approach in assessing the qualifications and the experience as well as salary and job description of the worker, so that we can make a holistic assessment. It is basically a summation of many factors. So, they will not fail basically on just one factor. Of course, there is a minimum salary requirement of $1,800; this is one single factor that could disqualify them. As regards the second question on how I can allay the anxiety of employers and businesses who want to continue to employ foreign workers, including S-Pass holders, I think the ultimate answer is to encourage these employers to look for innovative and productive ways to re-design their jobs and business models so that they can depend less on foreign workers. Singaporeans can take on many of these jobs and, in fact, many of these jobs can do with fewer workers so that productivity of each worker can be improved. But there could be special cases that Ms Denise Phua might have mentioned. If there is a specific case that the Member has in mind and would like the Ministry to take a look, please feel free to forward it to me, and I would assess the situation on a case-by-case basis. By and large, I would encourage employers to focus on innovation and productivity so as to reduce the dependence on foreign labour.”
“Employers of such skilled foreign workers will enjoy lower levy rates and will benefit from the better quality of their foreign workforce. We, therefore, encourage employers to bring in higher-skilled foreign workers, re-design jobs to achieve higher productivity and reduce dependency on lower-skilled foreign workers.”
“The S-Pass was introduced in 2004 to cater to companies' need for middle-level skilled manpower at the diploma and post-secondary levels. These jobs generally require post-secondary qualifications and include technicians in the IT and aerospace industries and skilled nurses in the healthcare industry. MOM recognises that there are industries and occupations such as cooks, cultural performers and trade workers where the quality of a foreign worker may not be solely dependent on his educational qualifications. This is the reason why S-Pass applicants are assessed based on a combination of factors in addition to educational qualifications. These factors include salary, job type and relevant work experience. Such a system enables us to obtain a holistic assessment of an applicant’s skills and abilities. There is also an online S-Pass Self-Assessment Tool on the MOM website that allows employers to check the eligibility of their applicants. Last year, as part of our efforts to raise the skills profile of the foreign workforce and thereby improve productivity, we announced that we would recalibrate the S-Pass criteria so that only the more experienced and qualified applicants would be eligible. Employers should take this into account when submitting S-Pass renewal or new S-Pass applications. Those who cannot qualify for S-Pass can apply for a Work Permit instead, subject to the normal Work Permit conditions. We would also like to encourage employers to hire better-skilled Work Permit holders with either some academic or skills qualifications such as trade certifications for the construction sector, ITE’s Skills Evaluation Test or WDA's Workforce Skills Qualifications.”
“The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) is automatically paid out to all eligible employees who receive CPF contribution from their employers. For eligible self-employed persons, they are required to not only declare their net trade income for the year but also to make the necessary Medisave contributions in order to receive WIS. For work done in 2009, 317,000 Singaporeans received WIS. There are about another 18,000 self-employed persons who have declared their income for WIS but have not yet made their Medisave contributions. They will receive WIS if they do so by 31st December 2011. For work done in 2010, self-employed persons have until 31st May 2011 to declare their 2010 income, and until 31st December 2012 to make their Medisave contributions to receive WIS. APPENDICES”
“Arising from public feedback that some older members would like to join CPF LIFE, the opt-in scheme for LIFE was made available last September to about 800,000 members who were aged 55 and older. As at end October 2010, about 50,000 members have enrolled in CPF LIFE. Many older members would have already made their own financial plans for retirement prior to the introduction of CPF LIFE. In fact, most of them have withdrawn a significant portion of their CPF savings on or after turning 55 under previous rules. Furthermore, about half of the older members are either already receiving CPF payouts under the Minimum Sum Scheme or have fully drawn down their CPF savings. Therefore, not all older members will find CPF LIFE suitable for their needs. Each older member should decide whether to opt-in to CPF LIFE according to their individual situation, including alternative financial plans they may already have. SERVICE STANDARDS FOR BUDGET AIRLINES 37. Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for Transport whether there are any minimum service standards imposed on budget airlines for operating out of Singapore and, if so, whether there have been breaches of such standards in 2009 and 2010.”
“ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." – [Dr Ng Eng Hen]. Adjourned accordingly at Sixteen minutes past Six o'clock pm. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS FOR ORAL ANSWER NOT ANSWERED BY 3.00 PM COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROGRAMME 24. Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Education in view of promoting volunteerism through its Community Involvement Programme (CIP) in schools (a) whether students are given proper and adequate orientation to mentally prepare them for it; (b) whether CIP can be made optional to achieve a positive introduction to volunteerism and ensure a better outcome; and (c) if his Ministry will consider working with MCYS to set up a joint body to ensure that CIP, being seen as a vital gateway to volunteerism, could be strategically developed further in the longer term beyond school years.”
“However, my Ministry could provide broad trends as well as share some of the best practices to help to minimise disputes and enhance workplace harmony. Mr Zainudin Nordin has also pointed out that having good employment practices will indeed enhance workplace harmony. Mdm Halimah has asked for the rationale for introducing the new $20,000 cap on claims for adjudication and also suggested that this be reviewed regularly together with the scope of adjudication. Sir, all claims lodged by PMEs with MOM so far fall within this limit. We do want to encourage PMEs to bring their salary claim issues to MOM as early as possible to avoid salary arrears from accumulating to a large amount. On the scope of adjudication, salaries are fundamental employment right of employees. It is also the most common employment issue. It is already a significant step to extend the adjudication to PMEs earning up to $4,500 a month. Sir, I believe I have addressed Members' concerns and queries. Once again, let me thank Members of the House for supporting this Bill. In summary, the new mechanism will provide additional channels for PMEs and their employers to resolve their employment disputes. We have worked closely with the tripartite partners to design a system that is workable and fair to all parties. With the support of tripartite partners, I am confident that we can work together to implement this new mechanism effectively and help foster workplace harmony to benefit all. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. – [Mr Gan Kim Yong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.”
“I will be inviting nominations from our tripartite partners, the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on suitable candidates for TMAs. Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef has asked if legal representatives or other experts and specialists can participate in tripartite mediation. To keep the process low cost, third-party legal representatives will not be allowed during tripartite mediation. However, we can allow other experts or specialists to participate in the tripartite mediation upon requests if their involvement can help to facilitate an amicable resolution of the dispute. For example, the PME concerned can request for an officer from the trade union of which he is a member while the employer can seek the assistance of any business or employer organisation of which the employer is a member. Mr Heng and Mrs Teo have asked about how we can make tripartite mediation more effective. Mr Heng has asked whether we can have the mediation outcome binding on both parties. Mdm Ho has further suggested a system of adverse cost implications to make the mediation process more efficient. Sir, I would like to point out that tripartite mediation provides an opportunity for parties to explore options to reach settlement terms that are mutually acceptable. Hence, it is not appropriate to make the mediation outcome binding. If the dispute could not be amicably settled through tripartite mediation and involves salary claims, the case can be adjudicated at the Labour Court where it could make an order based on the validity of the claim. The order will be binding. Assoc. Prof. Straughan has asked if the outcomes of mediation can be made known to the public. It may be difficult to do so due to the confidentiality nature of such settlements.”
“Higher income PMEs can still pursue their claims through the civil courts. Mrs Teo and Mdm Halimah have suggested that MOM should put in place an effective process to assess the objections from the employers on their employees' eligibility for tripartite mediation. Yes, we will do that and the inputs of the tripartite mediation advisers (TMAs) will be sought where relevant. Mdm Ho has asked whether there could be a one-stop centre for all employment disputes. Sir, given the diverse nature of the employment disputes, it is necessary to provide alternative avenues depending on the nature of the dispute rather than a one-stop centre. Nevertheless, employees and employers can approach MOM for advice with regard to their disputes. Some Members such as Mrs Teo have suggested that the new mechanism be expanded to cover other types of disputes like unfair dismissal. As this is a new tripartite mediation mechanism, let us start with the more common types of dispute for mediation and we can review the scope in future. Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef has also asked about the use of collective or group mediation in cases involving a large group of employees with similar dispute with the same employer. We can consider mediating as a group to facilitate a more efficient process. However, we have to make sure that this is done without compromising the flexibility of different settlement for each case. For tripartite mediation to be effective, I agree with Assoc. Prof. Straughan, Mdm Halimah, Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef as well as Mrs Teo that the TMAs appointed must be experienced in human resource and industrial relations matters as well as knowledgeable about industries' employment practices. This will ensure that they will be effective in facilitating the mediation process.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Mdm Halimah Yacob, Mr Heng Chee How, Mrs Josephine Teo, Mr Zainudin Nordin, Mdm Ho Geok Choo, Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef and Assoc. Prof. Paulin Straughan for their strong support of the Bill. I am glad that they all supported the Bill. In fact, many MPs are already asking for more even before we have started. Let me respond to some of their comments and questions. Several Members, including Mr Heng and Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef, have asked why there is a salary ceiling of $4,500. Assoc. Prof. Lateef seems to have the impression that the salary ceiling has effectively reduced the number of eligible PMEs from 500,000 to 46,000. That is not so. As I have mentioned in my main speech, with the salary ceiling of $4,500, it will cover about 500,000 PMEs, that is, about half of the PMEs in our local workforce. The new mechanism is really intended to provide PMEs with a low cost and expeditious way to resolve their employment disputes. We have consulted the tripartite partners who agreed that this salary ceiling of $4,500 is reasonable for a start since it covers more than half of PMEs in the workforce in about three-quarters of the 280 PME mediation cases we received annually, on average, over the last three years. We will monitor the situation as we implement the new mechanism. Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef has asked about the recourse available for PMEs who are not eligible for tripartite mediation. MOM will continue to provide voluntary mediation services through our Executive Mediation Unit (EMU). PMEs can also seek mediation through other sources and other avenues, if they wish. All PMEs earning $4,500 and below will have access to the Labour Court for adjudication of salary claims.”
“In formulating the mechanism, we have engaged the tripartite partners to design a system that is workable and fair to all parties. As part of the consultation process, we have also sought feedback from the public. This new mechanism gives our tripartite partners an important instituional role in helping to resolve employment disputes pertaining to Professionals, Managers and Executives. As we move forward, we will work closely with the tripartite partners to ensure smooth implementation. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 5.26 pm”
“Based on our records, all past disputes involving PMEs were below the $20,000 limit. Those who wish to claim for an amount higher than $20,000 or to pursue non-salary claims can continue to do so through the civil courts. This Bill also makes a technical amendment to the Employment Act to clarify that the adjudication process in the Labour Court shall not involve any trade unions unless the company involved is already unionised and its employee is a union member with full representation and collective bargaining rights. This is already the current practice. Enhancing penalties under the Industrial Relations Act Sir, let me now move to the other changes in the Bill. Penalties under the Industrial Relations Act have remained unchanged since 1966. Clause 5 of the Bill seeks to align the IRA penalties with those that commensurate offences in the Employment Act. For other offences, the maximum fines will also be updated. To provide greater flexibility to impose appropriate penalties in lieu of prosecution, section 88 has been inserted to allow the Commissioner to compound any offence with a composition fine not exceeding $1,000. Mr Speaker, Sir, the introduction of this new mechanism involving adjudication and tripartite mediation ensures that our employment laws and practices continue to remain relevant to the changing workforce profile and needs. If the Bill is passed in Parliament, we intend for it to take effect on 1st February 2011. The new mechanism would help the growing population of Professionals, Managers and Executives resolve employment disputes amicably. Effective implementation of this new mechanism will foster workplace harmony for the benefit of all.”
“The Bill, therefore, provides for measures that can be taken if either party to the dispute fails to attend any mediation process. Non-attendance without reasonable excuse by the employee may result in the tripartite mediation proceedings. An employer who fails to attend repeatedly can be ordered by the Minister to attend tripartite mediation. If he again fails to do so, he may be fined up to $5,000. Effective mediation will reduce the likelihood of disputes being referred for litigation. It also encourages the adoption of good employment practices to avoid disputes in future. If the dispute cannot be resolved through mediation, the employee concerned may pursue their claim through the civil courts. If the dispute involves a salary claim, the claim may be adjudicated by my Ministry through the Labour Court following amendments to the Employment Act. Salary being the most fundamental employment right for employees requires a low-cost and an expeditious settlement through adjudication. Adjudication of salary claims Sir, currently, the Employment Act allows junior managers and executives with basic monthly salary of $2,500 and below to have access to the Labour Court for adjudication on salary claims. Clause 6(a) raises this salary ceiling to give Professional, Managers and Executives with basic monthly salary of up to $4,500 access to the Labour Court for salary claims. This is open to PMEs in all companies regardless of whether they are unionised or otherwise. Clause 6(b) introduces a cap of $20,000 on the amount which the Commissioner can award for each lodged claim. Imposing a cap encourages employees to surface their salary claims as early as possible before salary arrears accumulate to large amounts.”
“The Commissioner of Labour will consider the employer's objection and decide whether it will stand. Procedure Under section 30H, PMEs who wish to make use of the tripartite mediation mechanism should lodge the case with the Ministry of Manpower through the registered trade union of which he is an individual member or any federation that his union may be affiliated to. The Commissioner will then arrange for a tripartite mediation session to be conducted by a conciliation officer. The Commissioner would also assign tripartite mediation advisors (TMAs) to assist the employee and his employer respectively in the mediation. The TMAs will be appointed by the Minister for Manpower with nominations from our tripartite partners, namely the Singapore National Employers' Federation (SNEF) or National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). These advisors should have a track record and be experienced in managing and resolving employment disputes, and be knowledgeable in employment practices and norms. The conciliation officer may allow other persons to assist the TMAs at the request of the requesting parties. Such persons may include the employee's union officials, or a representative of an employer or a business organisation which the employer is a member of. However, practising lawyers will not be allowed to participate in the mediation process in line with the current provisions for conciliation in the Industrial Relations Act. Attendence Successful mediation requires the commitment from both parties to resolve the dispute on mutually agreeable terms. It is important for both employer and employee to attend the tripartite mediation as it provides an opportunity for them to explore options and to arrive at an amicable settlement.”
“Union membership is integral to the design of the tripartite mediation process which leverages on the expertise of tripartite partners in resolving industrial and employment related disputes. For PMEs who are not union members, my Ministry will continue to offer advice and assistance as well as voluntary mediation services through the existing Executive Mediation Unit if disputing parties consent to participate. Scope The scope of tripartite mediation, as specified in section 30G, will cover disputes arising from salary arrears, breach of individual employment contracts and payment of retrenchment benefits which are the most common issues faced by PMEs. We should encourage employees to surface their disputes as early as possible when the facts of the case are still clear so as to have higher chances of successful mediation. Therefore, the dispute must be lodged within a year from occurrence of the material fact that gives rise to the dispute. For disputes arising out of termination of contract of employment, the case must be lodged within six months from the date of termination. To address employers' concerns of potential conflict of interests, section 30G provides employers with the right to object to the eligibility of certain categories of employees such as those in senior management positions, those involved in hiring, firing, promotions, dismissals and disciplinary duties, those with access to confidential information such as payroll and budgeting information, those who represent employers' interests in union-management matters and those whose access to tripartite mediation may give rise to a conflict of interest. This is similar to the provision for employers' objections under limited representation in Part IV of the Industrial Relations Act.”
“This will help to minimise the need to resort to adjudicate or civil litigation actions. Tripartite mediation I will first explain the amendments relating to the introduction of the tripartite mediation process. Mediation provides greater flexibility for the settlement of employment disputes. Over the years, we have built up an effective system of resolving employment disputes in the unionised sector under our existing tripartite framework. Disputes have been amicably resolved with positive outcomes and paved the way for closer labour management relations in workplaces. The tripartite mediation process is a new concept. It leverages on the expertise and experience of our tripartite partners to help employers and employees resolve employment disputes and foster workplace harmony. Currently, PMEs in the unionised sector can seek conciliation to resolve their employment disputes if they are eligible for full or limited representation through their trade unions. A new Part IVA in the Industrial Relations Act will be introduced to provide an avenue for PMEs in the non-unionised sector to seek remedy for their disputes through the new tripartite mediation process. Eligibility Section 30F of the new Part IVA spells out the eligibility criteria for tripartite mediation. As a first step, we will allow PMEs, who earn up to $4,500 a month and have joined any registered trade union as individual members without any form of representation rights, to have access to tripartite mediation. The salary cap of $4,500 will potentially cover about half or about 500,000 of the Professionals, Managers, Executives (PMEs) in the workforce. This includes both those PMEs who are already individual union members and those who may join trade unions as individual members in future.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." As our economy evolves and our educational profile of our workforce improves, we have seen a larger proportion of Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) within our workforce. Currently, they make up about half of our local workforce and this proportion is likely to increase further in the future. Like rank-and-file workers, PMEs do encounter employment disputes with their employers from time to time, particularly on salary-related matters. In 2008, 245 PMEs sought my Ministry's assistance to mediate disputes. In 2009, the number rose to about 360. With increased economic volatility and shorter business cycles, the frequency of employment dispute is likely to grow. While PMEs could use the civil litigation process to settle their disputes, this route can be costly and protracted. There are already existing mechanisms to help rank-and-file employees and junior executives earning $2,500 a month or less to resolve employment disputes, including access to the mediation and the adjudication of salary claims at the Labour Court. This has proven to be effective. We want to extend a similar mechanism of support to professionals, managers and executives. Sir, this Bill will enable my Ministry to establish the new employment dispute resolution mechanism for PMEs. That mechanism comprises two components, namely adjudication and tripartite mediation. We will allow PMEs to have their salary claims adjudicated at the Labour Court. However, to facilitate early and amicable resolution of employment disputes, a new tripartite mediation process will also be introduced to help PMEs resolve common employment disputes including salary claims.”
“APPENDICES Section Name: ORAL ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Title: MAS SELAMAT KASTARI Filename : Annex to Oral Answer to Question No. 1 MP Name: Mr Wong Kan Seng”
“To cite an example, actress and drama educator Noorlinah Mohamed (Shell-NAC scholarship recipient 1998) has not only been active as a theatre practitioner, but also co-founded the Singapore Drama Educators Association in 2002 as she is a passionate advocate for the professional development of drama educators in Singapore. In 2009, in view of Noorlinah's significant contributions to the industry as an arts educator, NAC supported her a second time with an overseas bursary to pursue a PhD in Arts Education at the University of Warwick. Other recipients have also made their mark in the arts sector locally and internationally. For example, 24 out of the 74 Young Artist Award recipients to date (or about 32%) have been NAC scholarship or bursary recipients. In the arena of visual arts, visual artists Brian Gothong and Donna Ong Tan were among 95 artists and artiste collectives, from 38 countries, to participate in the inaugural Singapore Biennale in 2006. Brian was also awarded the "Best Use of Multimedia" in the Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards 2005, while Donna was one of the nominees for the President's Young Talent Award in 2009. Moving forward, NAC has plans to more actively engage the scholarship recipients, to (i) explore how the knowledge, skills and exposure they have gained during their studies can be further developed to meet specific capability needs in the sector as well as (ii) to identify and groom potential arts leaders. We thank Ms Audrey Wong for her suggestion and will consider a suitable platform to present a comprehensive overview of the support that NAC's scholarships have lent to recipients over the years and their achievements.”
“Ms Audrey Wong Wai Yen asked the Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (a) how does the National Arts Council (NAC) track the career progression of scholars under the NAC scholarship programmes after the completion of their studies; (b) what has been the overall contribution of scholars to the local arts and cultural landscape since the scholarships were introduced; and (c) whether NAC will consider issuing a public report on the contributions and achievements of these scholars to give them more recognition. RAdm [NS] Lui Tuck Yew: The National Arts Council (NAC)'s Scholarship and Bursary Scheme was introduced in 1992 to encourage budding young arts talents to pursue developmental training at local or foreign institutions. To date, NAC has awarded a total of 80 scholarships and about 820 bursaries. To keep track of our scholarship and bursary recipients' development, NAC requires scholars to regularly update their profile and portfolio on the Creative Industries Scholarships website, which features the scholarship schemes under MICA and its agencies for the creative sector. Upon graduation, scholars have to engage in a minimum two years of employment or practice within the local arts sector. This should be in their area of training. They are also required to update NAC annually on their careers and contributions to the arts sector for the first five years after their graduation. Many scholarship recipients remain active in the Singapore arts scene beyond the scholarship obligation and continue to contribute to the arts scene here.”
“To reduce the impact of education loans on a member's retirement savings, withdrawals are firstly capped within 40% of a member's accumulated Ordinary Account savings(1). Usage is also limited to only full-time Government-subsidised local undergraduate and diploma courses at approved educational institutions. This is to make sure that CPF monies are used to pay for affordable and good quality courses. Those who have used their own or their parents' CPF to fund their education must start repaying the loans one year upon graduation. The principal amount withdrawn is to be repaid with interest to preserve the lenders' retirement adequacy. Repayment can be made via monthly instalments for up to 12 years. Those who do not pay for four consecutive months will be deemed as defaulters. After issuing reminders and warnings to defaulters, the CPF Board will commence legal action against recalcitrant borrowers. In extreme cases, the CPF Board can issue a Writ of Summons to bring the defaulter before the Magistrate Court for judgement, which could lead to seizure and sale of the defaulter's property to repay the loan. Bankruptcy proceedings may also be initiated against the defaulter. As at end September 2010, about 5% out of 153,000 students who have tapped on their parents' CPF monies for education have defaulted(2). Although the proportion of loans in default is small, we are reviewing the use of additional measures to tackle non-repayment of education loans. [1] The 40% cap includes amounts previously withdrawn for education and investments. [2] Loans extended after 2006 are not included as most of these are not yet in the repayment phase. NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL SCHOLARS (Career progression) 9.”
“WTS provides employers of older low-wage workers with higher course fee and absentee payroll support[1] that are on par with or higher than SPUR if they send their workers for Singapore Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) training. Older low-wage workers will also receive higher course fee funding when they sign up for WSQ training at our CET Centres, and receive Training Commitment Awards if they sustain training over a one-year period. The Government will also increase the course fee tax relief for individuals from $3,500 to $5,500 with effect from Year of Assessment 2011. I strongly encourage companies to support the training of their workers. Workers should also take the initiative to upgrade their skillsets. This is because it is important for us to continue to enhance our productivity and maintain our economic competitiveness. *Under WTS, employers who sponsor their employees (Singapore Citizens aged 35 and above, and earning up to $1,700 per month) for training will be eligible for up to 95% of course fee and absentee payroll support. APPENDICES”
“SPUR is a two-year programme established specifically to help companies and workers manage the economic downturn and invest in skills for the recovery. With the strong economic recovery this year, the programme will cease in December 2010. Since the inception of SPUR in November 2008, we have seen strong training commitment figures – as at end July 2010, some 259,000 workers have completed or are still undergoing SPUR training. Nevertheless, our commitment to help our workers continually upgrade their skills remains unchanged. Therefore, the Government will invest a total of $2.5 billion over the next five years on continuing education and training (CET). We will also continue to extend generous levels of support for course fees and absentee payroll for approved CET courses under the Skills Development Fund (SDF). In addition, employers will be able to leverage on more funded courses for Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) to broaden and deepen their skills. Currently, there are 300 PMET courses available and efforts are underway to roll out more courses and reach out to more PMETs when SPUR ends. My Ministry and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) will also continue to expand the national CET system, and adopt more targeted measures to support the vision for capability and productivity driven growth. For example, the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme introduced in July 2010 encourages older low-wage workers to upgrade their skills through training, so that they can improve their employability, upgrade to better jobs and earn more.”
“The nominal income of the resident full-time workers in the first quintile increased by an average of 1.5% per year over the last five years, after taking into account a 2.2% decline in 2009 as wages fell across the board because of the recession. The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) scheme is designed to supplement the income and retirement savings of older low-wage workers. WIS gave each recipient a supplement to their income averaging over $1,000, or more than one month's worth of wages, for work done in 2009. WIS was enhanced this year to include more workers and raise the maximum payout from $2,400 to $2,800. For example, a 60-year old worker who earns $1,000 a month will receive $2,800 a year from WIS. This works out to an extra 23% of his income. While WIS can supplement the incomes of older low-wage workers, we must also help them to raise their skills through training and upgrading. Therefore, in July this year, we introduced the Workfare Training Support (WTS) scheme to encourage older low-wage workers to go for training and improve their employability. Under WTS, they can receive up to another $400 cash awards a year if they undergo, complete and pass sustained training. With new skills acquired through regular training and upgrading, these workers can take on higher value jobs and earn higher wages over time. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SINGLE-SESSION PRIMARY SCHOOLS 1. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Education if he will provide an update on plans to move primary schools to single session and what are the lessons learned or benefits gained by schools that have done so.”
“While MOM will continue to ensure that appropriate measures are in place to deter any errant employers and protect the interests of foreign workers, we need all employers and workers to play their part in acting responsibly to minimise disputes at the workplaces and allow foreign workers to contribute to their companies and at the same time earn a fair income. APPENDICES”
“Labour-management relations in Singapore are generally harmonious. While salary disputes may arise, the incidence has remained low. Most foreign workers in Singapore are paid according to their contracts with their employers and do not face employment problems. For the small number of workers who have salary disputes, these are usually resolved through internal grievance procedure. If the disputes cannot be resolved at the company level, parties are advised to seek MOM's assistance. On the recent incident involving a foreign worker who threatened to jump from a crane because of unpaid wages, MOM's investigations revealed that the dispute involved disagreement with the deployment of the worker to a new worksite and discrepency in pay for two days' work. The proper way to resolve this issue was for the worker to discuss this issue with his management's attention or to seek MOM's assistance. As a result of the worker's actions, significant public resources were used to attend to the incident instead. Employers are advised to pay workers' salary promptly and in accordance to the law. To ensure that workers are treated fairly, my Ministry has put in place several measures. We have enhanced our legislative framework to better protect foreign workers. We have also stepped up enforcement, education and mediation efforts to ensure that employers understand and fulfil their obligations to their workers. MOM also works closely with embassies of foreign workers working in Singapore, and the Migrant Workers Centre under the NTUC, to reach out to foreign workers and provide assistance where needed.”
“In addition, MOM regularly organises short seminars, workshops and roundtables involving renowned thought and business leaders as well as human resource (HR) professionals on effective leadership and talent management. We partner research centres and industry to support the creation of new knowledge, case studies and tools around leadership development and talent management that organisations in Singapore can use to develop their people. At the end of the day, we will need to develop our own culture of productivity – one that suits our environment, plays to our strengths and overcomes our weaknesses. This will give us the edge over our competitors in achieving a higher productivity growth that is broad-based and inclusive. APPENDICES”
“Our national focus on productivity is not about getting employees to work harder. It calls for employers to be innovative and invest in productivity measures. They need to review their businesses holistically to identify productivity gaps and obstacles, and take action to overcome these. For example, companies should look at creating new products and services to grow the top-line; leveraging on infomation and communication technology (ICT) investment to raise efficiency; taking responsibility to upgrade the skills and quality of the workforce; and putting in place the right systems and processes to encourage and recognise the productivity contributions of its employees. Companies also need to invest in intangibles such as progressive management and organisational practices as well as a culture of productivity, in order to ensure sustained improvements in productivity. Research has shown that companies with good management practices outperformed others in terms of productivity. Through better management and organisational practices, we can build up a workplace culture that is conducive to the attraction and retention of talent, and contribute to higher productivity for companies. To support efforts in these areas, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has partnered other agencies and global experts to initiate programmes to help organisations in Singapore develop their talent and leadership capabilities. For example, MOM launched the Singapore Human Capital Summit in 2008 to provide a platform for networking opportunities and sharing on human capital challenges and strategies. To support the development of human capital management leadership and skills, MOM has partnered the Singapore Management University to establish the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI) in May 2010.”
“Residents should take precautionary measures by having flood barriers such as stop boards or sandbags on standby. To help residents take timely precautions, PUB is also working with the National Environment Agency (NEA) to develop an integrated heavy rain and flood alert system. By end October 2010, residents will be able to subscribe to this integrated SMS-alert system to receive heavy rain warnings as well as high water level alerts for specific outlet drains or canals. PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS FOR PRIMARY EYE CARE 2. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Health since the formation of the Optometrists and Opticians Board (OOB) in July 2007 (a) what measures has the OOB implemented to enhance the professional standards of primary eye care in Singapore; (b) how many public complaints has it received and investigated; and (c) how many disciplinary hearings were conducted and what were their outcomes.”