Halimah Yacob
Singapore
“Thank you. I think that is certainly a very good idea and that is what we want to do and wish to do, to have the integration of the facilities. As the Member said, it is to encourage inter-generational bonding and support. In fact, we have already started one in Mr Seah Kian Peng's constituency.”
“I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the clarification, and for his information, I have written twice to LTA. The answers have been negative. My question is, what is the alternative because the purpose of the overhead pedestrian bridge is for people to cross over but the elderly has difficulty crossing over?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am really happy to hear about the immense investment in helping households cope with the rising cost of energy. There will continue to be households that, despite these assistance measures, will face difficulty in paying for their electricity bills.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister: if the problem in Japan is not resolved within the next few months, what measures will be in place to assist sectors that are affected, notably, sectors like electronics?”
“Madam, I have two concise clarifications. My first concise clarification is to ask the Minister about the very low unemployment rate. Given this very low unemployment rate, does MOM have strategies in place to help people who want to find jobs, not just those who are already displaced but those who are currently employed?”
“Madam, on behalf of the House, I would like to thank the Minister, the Minister of State and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the very comprehensive and detailed responses given. This year, the Ministry of Manpower did not have the highest number of cuts. That honour went to the Ministry of National Development.”
The complete record
Every one of 1,190 lines we hold for Halimah Yacob, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 18 of 24.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are actually two schools of thought in the Malay community on the need for a review. One school of thought feels that there is no need for a review of the Malay Language. They cited statistics to show that Malay students are faring well in the Malay Language. There is a high rate of pass in the Malay Language at all levels. Furthermore, most Malay students come from homes where Malay continues to be the spoken language. In fact, only 22% of the children in primary schools come from English-speaking homes. This school of thought is concerned that a review may result in the dilution of the Malay Language teaching in schools and result in a lowering of standards. The other school of thought, however, feels that a review is necessary. They pointed out that although there is no problem for Malay students today, they see trends which are similar to the problems faced by the Chinese community. As Malay parents become better educated, English will replace Malay as a language spoken at home. Already, as the Minister had pointed out, among Malay children, if one parent is a graduate, 60% speak English at home. I agree with the second school of thought. I am not convinced that a review of the Malay Language will result in the lowering of standards. Whilst I agree that we should not be doing a review of the Malay Language just because the Chinese Language has already gone through a review, I believe that the review will provide a great opportunity to strengthen the relevant use and application of the Malay Language among Malay students and, more generally, in the Malay community itself. Hence, I support this review of the Malay Language.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Report of the Chinese Language Curriculum and Pedagogy Review Committee has recommended very substantial changes in the teaching of the Chinese Language. This is an important review for the Chinese community. It faces serious challenges in ensuring that young Chinese Singaporeans remain proficient in their mother tongue. In the words of the Minister for Education, "Chinese Language learning will also continue to serve the purpose of transmitting culture and values in a natural and engaging way." That, in a nutshell, is the raison d'etre for learning our mother tongue. It helps to root us to our history and reinforce our sense of belonging. Let me, Sir, relate a personal experience. I studied Chinese in the first few years of my primary school education because my school did not offer any other second language. Then, when I was in primary 3, the school introduced Malay and Tamil second languages. Immediately, half of the students in my class dropped Chinese and took up Malay as a second language. As that was a predominantly Chinese school, most of those who switched to Malay were Chinese students who could not cope with the language as they came from non-Chinese speaking homes. I see a repeat of the same problem today and I therefore understand the need for a review if the Chinese community is to remain connected to their roots. Sir, now that there has been a review of the Chinese Language, the question is whether there will be a review of the Malay and Tamil languages as well. In Parliament yesterday, the Minister for Education had confirmed that a review of the Malay and Tamil mother tongue languages would also be carried out and that a high level committee would be set up for this purpose.”
“In other words,if a working mother placesher childina childcare centre but, at the same time, her childis also taken care of by her grandparents, will the working mother still be entitled to the relief? I hope that the Ministerwill clarify this point, as it is presently unclear. On this note, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“And some of these are under CDC-approved schemes, as grandparents are not keen to take on this responsibility because of age, illness, or other reasons. Sir, under the preamble of the Explanatory Statement to the Bill, it is stated that the objective of the amendment is to provide incentives for marriage and parenthood. If this is the objective, and not strengthening bonds between grandchildren and grandparents, then this deduction should be extended to all situations where a child below 12 is taken care of by any relative or other caregivers. I urge the Minister to give serious consideration to this suggestion, as I believe grandparent incentive is not wide enough and does not take into account the different home-based caregiving arrangements that are practised today but which contribute equally to a working mother's decision whether or not to continue working or to have more children. The way this relief is structured, Sir, and the fact that subsidies are extended only to children placed in childcare centres create an impression that the Government policies favour institutional care of young children, instead of having them cared for at home. Our focus today, Sir, should be on flexibility and providing young mothers with options so that they can decide what is in the best interest of their children. Sir, secondly, on the same issue, I wish to seek a clarification from the Minister on the implication of the new section 39(p). Sub-paragraph (ii) of the section provides that the deduction will be given if the grandparent caregiver was looking after any of the working mother's children. From a reading of this section, it is unclear whether this deduction will be allowed even for children who are placed in a childcare centre.”
“Whilst I agree that tax policies are useful in helping to shape social behaviours and norms, it is nevertheless important that such policies are applied fairly and consistently. Indeed, it makes little sense to use tax policies as a way of encouraging more babies among the better educated who form a smaller number when the situation that we are in requires incentives that will encourage everyone to do their part. Sir, let me now come to my second point. Clause 28 provides for deductions for grandparent caregivers. A working mother whose child is being cared for by his or her grandparents will get a grandparent caregiver tax relief of $3,000. This applies to working mothers of Singapore citizen children aged 12 years and below at 1st January 2004. This is a welcome development. The Government currently subsidises every childof working mothers who place their children in the childcare centre. Working mothers whose children are being cared for by their parents or their parents-in-law should not be penalised and deprived of financial incentives from the Government. The current law ignores the contributions of grandparents and gives the impression that institutional care is more superior to the care provided bygrandparents at home. However, Sir, the present amendment, in my view, does not go far enough. By confining the deduction to only grandparents who are caregivers,it fails to take into account the role played by other caregivers in helping working mothers to take care of their children at home. There are many families where young children are looked after by aunties, cousins or other relatives. There are families with no grandparents as they have passed away or are overseas. There are also many more working mothers whose children are looked after by non-relatives.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of this Bill. This Bill has proposed many changes to the Income Tax Act but I shall be dealing primarily with a couple of amendments dealing with marriage and parenthood. I strongly support these amendments as they are aimed at providing greater financial support for Singaporeans to raise their children. These are progressive measures and together with other initiatives already announced will help to promote a more conducive environment for couples to have children. The NTUC Women's Committee quite recently conducted a survey among 1,200 union members to seek their views on what measures would encourage them to have more children. More than half of the respondents cited cost of raising children as a key factor in their decision to have smaller families. Hence, financial incentives will help to lessen the financial burden of couples with young children. Sir, I am particularly happy to support the amendment under clause 55 of the Bill. Clause 55 seeks to remove the enhanced child relief provision and put in its place a new working mother child relief. This relief will now be available to any married woman, divorcee or widow. The current enhanced child relief provision is discriminatory. Only women who have at least three GCE 'O' levels which they must pass at one sitting or higher educational qualifications are eligible for the enhanced child relief. This is elitist and unfair to working women with lower educational qualifications but who also contribute to our economy and our population growth. I am glad that the new working mother child relief does not stipulate any qualifying educational criteria. This is more equal and fairer to all working women and not only those who are educated.”
“I would like to ask the Minister: of this 3.4% unemployment figure, how many percent comprise those who are structurally unemployed and, additionally, what are the programmes that could be put in place to assist them, other than the ones that the Minister had just described? The second question that I would like to ask is: of the 16,000 jobs created, 57% are jobs created in the services sector and largely in the sectors like IT, banking, financial services and so on, what kind of jobs would be available for workers who are lesser skilled, despite all the retraining that they have undergone? There is also a trend where there are now huge increases in jobs of cleaners, but I do not think that is the only job that we want to create for those who are not tertiary educated.”
“Thank you, Sir. The Senior Minister of State says that this is a matter that should be decided by NHG cluster, and not a matter for the Ministry to decide, as a matter of policy. At the same time, we also know that the Ministry has a policy that, as far as possible, people should be kept away from the hospitals, services should be consumed at the community level. So my question is: how does the Ministry then ensure consistency between what the clusters do, podiatry may be one service, and its overall policy on the manner in which healthcare is to be provided?”
“Sir, I was told that in Geylang Polyclinic, they also provide podiatry services and they have been very well utilised. In fact, the frequency, in terms of podiatry services being provided, has to be increased. That suggests that such services are needed at the polyclinic level. Therefore, my question is: what are the reasons for the services not being well used in the other polyclinics? Has the Ministry made an attempt to find out the reasons? Is it because it is not well advertised? My second question is this. The Minister recently said that as far as possible, we should try to keep people away from hospitals, suggesting that there should be more comprehensive services at the polyclinics. Is this decision then to centralise podiatry services at the hospitals a contradiction of this expressed policy?”
“Sir, the Senior Minister of State said that one of the reasons why services are terminated at the polyclinics is because the response has been poor. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether a survey has been done on why the people are not making use of the podiatry services at the polyclinic level. Is it because they are ignorant of the presence of such a service being provided at the polyclinics? My second question, Sir, is whether cost-effectiveness should be the only criterion and basis in determining whether such a service should be provided at the polyclinics, bearing in mind that issues of convenience and accessibility are also essential, as such services are largely made use of by elderly people who may find going to the hospitals a lot more of a hassle for them.”
“Sir, I have received feedback from some teachers who are concerned that they may not be able to enjoy this five-day week, because I think implementation has been very much left with individual principals in the schools. My question is: what will the Ministry do to ensure compliance at the individual school level? When will this five-day week be implemented in schools?”
“It is a regular feature of the offsite review of information that is provided from the banks to the MAS, as well as the inspections we do when we go onsite to the banks themselves. We look up their records, check some transactions, speak to them about their processes, and speak to the audit committee, and so on. So it is something that we take very seriously. There were no specifics mentioned in the latest report to justify Singapore's inclusion among the jurisdictions suspected of being money-laundering centres. But one can infer from the list of countries included that all the major financial centres, by virtue of the fact that they have a very large volume of transactions, including currency transactions, passing through their centres on a daily basis, both onshore and offshore, are vulnerable to money laundering. We should not deny that. As an international financial centre, we should take it all the more seriously and keep working at it. Yes, we will keep up with our communication with the US State Department. I think they understand our position. They themselves have recognised in their report that Singapore is in the forefront of the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing and we will keep our line of communication with them. Can Mdm Halimah please repeat her fourth question? Mdm Halimah Yacob: My fourth question is: has there been an increase in the number of suspicious transactions?”
“Sir, the Minister has given a comprehensive reply to the questions. My question to the Minister is: what else can be done in order to have Singapore removed from the list in view of the fact that we have put so many safeguards and measures in place and yet we have been cited in the report since 1987? My second question is whether the US State Department has cited any specific incidence or evidence to support their allegation that we are a major money-laundering country because Singaporeans are obviously very concerned over this label and they would like to see it removed. My third question is what other steps have been taken in order to try and make clear our position and make the US State Department understand our position, in particular, whether we have tried to enlist the help and get our Embassy in the US to speak to the US State Department or get the American Ambassador here to do so. My final question, Sir, is whether there has been an increase in the number of suspicious transactions reported by the banks and whether there has been any prosecution by the CAD arising from such reports. Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam: I would like to thank Mdm Halimah for her useful questions. What steps can we take? It is really continuous work on the part of the banks to keep an eye out for anything that looks suspicious and to know their customers. The provisions are there not just in name. It is a real process where bank officers have to go through the full process of checking out the customers, trying to identify the source of funds and so on. It is also something which MAS takes very seriously in all its inspections of banks.”
“As the Minister had said, this is meant to affirm the Government's commitment to families and is certainly a most progressive aspect of the legislation. Finally, Sir, the new section 22 of the CDCA provides that for confinements which occurred between 1st August 2004 and 30th September 2004, female employees will be entitled to the additional four weeks of benefit only if the employers agree to grant them leave of absence. This means that during the transition period, if employers refuse to grant the female employees the additional four weeks, they will be deprived of the payment from the Government. I would like to urge all employers to provide the additional four weeks to their female employees and to see this as an important investment in their employees' welfare and not just a cost item. At the same time, I would like to ask the Minister what measures will be taken to encourage employers to do so, so that women who give birth between 1st August 2004 and 30th September 2004 can benefit from these additional four weeks of maternity leave. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Under section 81 of the Employment Act, it is an offence for an employer to dismiss or even serve a notice of dismissal on a female employee when she is on maternity leave. Under section 84 of the Employment Act, it is wrongful for an employer to dismiss a female employee without valid reasons when she is in her sixth month of pregnancy onwards. These are important protection already provided for women covered under the Employment Act but which are now extended to female executives, managers and confidential staff under the Bill. Indeed, it is meaningless to provide for the payment of maternity benefit if there is no corresponding protection against wrongful dismissals when women avail themselves of the benefit. I strongly therefore support this amendment. The second weakness under the existing law which the Bill seeks to remedy is the lack of an effective enforcement mechanism. Despite the fact that the CDCA requires employers to pay maternity benefits to their female employees for the third child, there is no proper mechanism to deal with those who refuse to do so. This is now taken care of by the new section 12(1) which empowers the Minister for Manpower to investigate any complaints and to prosecute any employer who fails to pay maternity benefits or who contravenes any of the provisions of the law which prohibit dismissals due to pregnancy-related reasons. The new provision will strengthen the law in protecting women, and I support it. The third improvement brought about by the law is the 24 days' paid leave accorded to female employees who adopt children. This is indeed a novel provision and will help couples who are unable to have their own children to adopt one.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of this Bill. This Bill provides enhanced maternity benefits and greater protection for women. There are a few aspects of the Bill which I wish to touch on. For the first time, under this Bill, female executives, managers and confidential staff are now legally entitled to employer-paid maternity benefit. They can claim paid maternity leave of up to eight weeks from the employers for the first two children. Hitherto, for these women, their entitlement to this benefit depends on their contract of service. Most good employers would provide this benefit, but it is something contractual or purely at the discretion of the employer. When the Children Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA) was passed a few years ago, conferring paid maternity benefit to all female employees for the third child, a serious anomaly arose. It resulted in a situation where for female executives, managers and confidential staff, the maternity benefit for the third child is guaranteed but not for the first and second child. This Bill will address this anomaly. Maternity leave is a very basic and core benefit and should be given statutory protection, regardless of a woman's position in the workplace. This is commonplace in the legislation of many countries and recognises the priority which society places on the needs of pregnant women and mothers with new born infants. The NTUC has been raising this matter many times and we are glad that this change is finally made. Another important protection, Sir, under the Bill is that stipulated under the various provisions of the new section 17 which make it an offence for an employer to contravene sections 81 and 84 of the Employment Act.”
“With this amendment, the minimum permissible age for work in non-hazardous industrial undertakings will be raised from 14 to 15 years of age, and the minimum permissible age for light work for children is also raised from 12 to 13 years of age. As the Minister had mentioned, child employment is negligible in Singapore and there is no reason for us to continue preserving the existing law. The NTUC has been advocating for our laws to be amended to be in line with the ILO Convention 138 for a long time. I am glad, Sir, that this is finally being done. I am also heartened by the Minister's statement that, in due course, Singapore will ratify Convention 138. I would like to urge the Minister to consider doing so quickly, as with this amendment, there are no more reasons for Singapore not to ratify this Convention. In fact, Convention 138 is one of the most highly ratified core conventions of the ILO, and 135 out of 176 countries have already ratified it. We, Sir, certainly do not want to be the last few countries in the world left that have not ratified Convention 138. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“And there must be a process in place to periodically review whether the exemptions should continue to apply. Also, we have to ensure that lowering the rates will not result in a disincentive for workers to work overtime. If so, workers may find it more attractive to take on a second job rather than to perform overtime which then weakens the impact of this amendment. Sir, an equally important point to gain workers' confidence in a flexible work scheme is to ensure that gains arising from improvements in productivity are shared with workers and they are rewarded during better times. Flexibility, Sir, should also not be granted in such a manner as to be counter-productive to the recent measures to promote family-friendly work practices. We cannot talk about flexibility for people to take care of their family but, at the same time, also insist that flexibility for companies to save costs is paramount and no other consideration should apply. Whether or not these amendments will work and spawn more flexible work schemes depend a great deal on the trust and confidence that exist in the workplace. Employers are well-advised to invest heavily in winning the trust and investing long-term in the welfare of their employees as this will facilitate the implementation of any flexible work scheme. I would like to ask the Minister what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that exemptions from overtime, rest days, public holiday work will not be abused by employers. Also, can the Minister give an assessment on the number of companies that are likely to apply for the scheme? Finally, Sir, I strongly support the amendment to raise the minimum working age in accordance with ILO Convention 138 on the minimum age for employment.”
“What we need to be careful though are situations where flexibility or exemptions are granted for companies facing the normal peaks and troughs of business cycles and where a reduced rate of overtime work is allowed. This is a much more nebulous area which must be guided by clear and transparent guidelines, defining the circumstances in which it would be allowed. I must stress that our unions are very responsible and even now, when circumstances justify it, have used their discretion to allow flexibility. They view this as a win-win strategy because, even though workers take home less overtime pay, they do not lose their jobs. The outcome is clear and defined. Along the same line, if this amendment will help workers to retain their jobs or ward off layoffs, we can support it. But, as pointed out by the ERC, safeguards are necessary to prevent abuses. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I note that the tripartite guidelines will address some of these concerns. I would, however, like to stress a few critical factors that are important to workers. Income stability is one critical factor. Flexibility should not result in a situation where workers' incomes fluctuate so drastically from month to month that they have difficulty fulfilling their monthly obligations which are fixed. In many sectors, workers depend a great deal on overtime to supplement their monthly income. So the aggregation of the overtime period should not be too long as to impact on their livelihood. Health and safety, Sir, is another important factor and should not be compromised under any circumstances. I would also like to urge the Minister to ensure that unions and workers are consulted before such exemptions are granted.”
“So I would like to ask the Minister what steps would be taken to educate businesses on their role as socially responsible employers and to prevent discrimination against pregnant women and those with young children. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now come to the second important area of the Bill, and that is the amendment to facilitate the flexible work schemes. Our unions agree with the principle that with rapidly changing market demands or volatile cycles, businesses must have greater flexibility to schedule work arrangements. We understand that this is necessary to help businesses create new jobs and retain existing ones. The ERC had suggested amendments to the Employment Act to empower the Commissioner for Labour to exempt companies wishing to introduce flexible work arrangements. However, even the ERC recognised that whilst flexibility is a virtue, there must be safeguards against abuses. In its Report, at page 98, paragraph 2, the ERC stressed and I quote, "... on the need to provide flexibility to companies without undermining the interests of workers and productivity gains from optimal utilisation of manpower resources should be shared with the workers." Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, broadly, the current amendment will pave the way for two types of flexibility in scheduling work. One category will be those related to the nature of the business which makes it difficult to space out work evenly during normal working hours. One example is the aerospace maintenance sector where aircrafts do not come in during the normal hours of work and there could be long periods where workers have nothing to do followed by long periods of extensive overtime. This situation is clear and will cause no difficulty, especially if there is no reduction in the rate of overtime payments.”
“Another serious anomaly which is now being removed is the decision to allow mothers with multiple births in the first confinement to continue to enjoy employer paid maternity leave for the second confinement. The current law, which penalises these mothers by denying them the paid maternity leave when they give birth the second time, is unfair and should be removed. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, both the extended maternity leave and paid childcare leave are progressive benefits. By allowing even fathers to take the paid childcare leave, the law is helping to create an environment where fathers can play a bigger role in their children's lives. The extended maternity leave would considerably enhance women's welfare. They have a longer period of rest after childbirth and more opportunities for bonding with their newborns. However, for these amendments to be truly effective, employers too must play their part. Women continue to be concerned that employers may discriminate against them because of these benefits. This view is fortified by some of the recent letters to the newspapers by women complaining about the attitude of employers towards pregnancy. There is a set of tripartite guidelines that have been formulated to discourage discrimination. The guidelines are fairly detailed and attempt to provide benchmarks on what constitute enlightened human resource practices in the treatment of pregnant female employees and those with young children. As the guidelines do not have the force of law, however, women remain concerned that they may be discriminated against. So having the guidelines alone is insufficient.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Employment (Amendment) Bill. The Bill covers three areas: the provision of extended maternity leave and paid childcare leave; the raising of the minimum age for the employment of children and young persons; and the flexibility accorded to companies to optimise their manpower resources. I will touch on all the three aspects. I strongly welcome and support the amendments providing for extended paid maternity leave and two days of paid childcare leave. These amendments are forward-looking and will contribute positively towards developing a more conducive environment for people to start families and have more children. It will help in our efforts to promote a healthy balance between work and family. The NTUC was an active member of the National Tripartite Advisory Panel to develop family-friendly workplaces that came up with these suggestions, and we strongly supported the change. We feel that the extended paid maternity leave will benefit all female workers and is of particular significance to the lower income, as they do not benefit as much from the tax benefits. In a recent survey which the NTUC Women's Committee carried out among 1,200 union members, more than half indicated that cost is one major factor for them not to have more children. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also particularly happy that the maternity benefits of female executives, managers and confidential employees will now be given statutory protection. I will touch on this later in the debate on the Children Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill, as this is a matter which is not covered under the Employment Act.”
“He called on the people, Muslims as well as non-Muslims, to forge a better understanding of Islam as a moderate and rational faith. By his actions and words, Mr Goh had helped to maintain stability and injected confidence in the Muslim communityduringvery difficult and trying period. Mr Speaker,by his own admission, Mr Goh had said that he was not a natural politician. He took up the challenge of leadership because he saw it as a duty. He came from a poor family and had benefited from our meritocratic system. So his political involvement was a way to repay society for what it did for him. For 14 years as a Prime Minister, Mr Goh was indeed the people's Prime Minister. Humble and kind, he showed true qualities of leadership for all of us to emulate. On behalf of all Singaporeans, I would like to express my thanks to Mr Goh Chok Tong for his wonderful contributions to Singapore. His services will always be remembered.”
“In 1994, he set the tone when he stressed that "it is the Government's hope that all races will progress and enjoy the fruits of Singapore's success, and that Singapore does not want to see anyparticular group left behind." As Prime Minister, he had given tremendous support and encouragement to our community. He shared the dream of the Malay leaders to make the Malay community a "Community of Excellence". He has a genuine concern for the well-being of the community and theirability to adjust to a competitive global economy. Often, he was frank and open in discussing issues faced by the community, whether it was for moderation in practising Islam or urging the community to deal effectively with issues arising from dysfunctional families. He even set targets for us to meet our educational achievements, and I am glad to say that we have not disappointed him. Mr Goh Chok Tong strongly backed theestablishment of the Malay-Muslim Education Trust Fund to help the lower income Malay-Muslim families afford early childhood education.Mr Goh had done much in providing inter-racial harmony. He stressed that we must developthe sense of a Singapore family,that we are one people and that we sink or swim together as Singaporeans. Following the arrests ofsomepeople who were suspected to be members of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Mr Goh personally made a call to Singaporeans not to suspect fellow Muslims. Describing the JI as a group of misguided extremists, he urged Singaporeans not to misconstrue the evil deeds of the JIs as the teachings of Islam. Mr Goh stressed that Islam is not under threat, that Muslims are free to practise their faith within the context of our multi-racial and multi-religious society, like other Singaporeans.”
“As SLF Chairman, he did many things for the workers. Among the projects he started were the NTUC Pasir Ris Resort, a bursary award scheme for theeducation ofunion members' childrenand educational tour award scheme for model workers. Mr Goh also launched Medisave, MediShield and Medifund. He pledged that no one would be denied hospital care because he did not have money to pay for the treatment. As the First Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Goh promised to build a special home for NTUC in the heart of thebusiness district as a "signal that the workers are equal to the employers and Government officials in contributing to the prosperity of Singapore." Later, as Prime Minister, he saw to it that the funds were made available for the NTUC to carry out this project. We, in the labour movement, are indeed happy that the building was completed in time for Mr Goh to officially open it in May, some months before he stepped down as Prime Minister. As Prime Minister, he fully supported NTUC's efforts to upgrade the skills of our workers. When the Skills Redevelopment Programme was initiated by NTUC, Mr Goh Chok Tong's Government donated $100 million. And the NTUC Education and Training Fund, now stands at more than $60 million, thanks to a Government matching grant of $3 to every $1 raised by the labour movement. Mr Speaker, Mr Goh is a true friend of labour. He gave us voice, dignity and an important place in society. Last year, Mr Goh urged the Malay leaders to work together with the community to achieve its vision, like the Malay saying, "Together we go through thick and thin." This, in many ways, sums up the kind of support and commitment that he had given in helping to improve the status of theMalay community in Singapore.”
“(In Malay): Mr Speaker,Dwight Eisenhower had once said, "A platoon leader does not get his platoon to go by getting up and shouting, ‘I am smarter, I am bigger, I am stronger. So I am the leader for you.’." He gets his men to go along with him because they want to do it for him and they believe in him. That is themark of leadership. In a nutshell, this is how I see Mr Goh Chok Tong's style of leadership and his contributions to Singapore. In his 14 years as Prime Minister, Mr Goh has initiated many important policies for the good of the people. Andhe was able toselleven the most difficult measures because he had gained the trust of fellow Singaporeans. How did Mr Goh, the reluctant politician, win the confidence of the people? He did so by being himself. He did not set out to copy or be another Lee Kuan Yew. He had never said that he was smarter than all of us. As the Prime Minister, he hadto steer Singaporethroughan economic crisisin the late 1990s. He haddiscussions with union leaders on how to get out of the recession. Eventually, he was able to persuade workers to accept a 10 percentage point CPF cut on top of other wage restraint measures. Just as we were about to overcome the economic crisis, we were faced with terrorist attacks, the Iraq war and SARS.Again, Mr Goh was able to galvanise Singaporeans to think as one peoplein dealing with the crises. After each crisis, the trust between the people and Government became stronger. For this, we must thank Mr Goh Chok Tong for his inspiring leadership. We, in the labour movement, have known Mr Goh for a long time. In 1977, soon after he was elected a Member of Parliament for Marine Parade, he was appointed the Director of the Singapore Labour Foundation. He then assumed the position as Chairman.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether the Ministry will consider amending the Employment Act to allow the executives/managers access to the labour court. And I would like to repeat the point that it is access only to the labour court in terms of claims for arrears of salaries and other disputes and not access to other provisions of the Act, as the feedback is that the existing voluntary method of conciliation has been not so effective in helping executives/managers to resolve their disputes. And settling their claims in the civil court is too expensive for executives, Sir.”
“Sir, considering that we have been adopting this promotional self-regulation approach for a long time,and as the Minister of State mentioned, last year the Quality Class Award was also introduced,we had 300 complaints against private schools this year. How effective does the Minister of State think that these new measures would be in terms of curbing complaints against private schools and would we be very successful in drawing 150,000 foreign students by 2010, that being the target of the Singapore Government?”
“Sir, will the Minister consider extending the rebate period for businesses that continue to be affected upon expiry of the current rebate period?”
“Sir, the Minister did not answer the last question, ie, what happens to those who cannot even afford the pre-paid cash card?”
“Sir, I would just like to ask the Ministerwhether (a)he considers payment of 40% of arrears before reconnection of the utilities is too high; (b)Singapore Power will consider a lower payment before reconnection;(c)the Government can consider bringing forward the implementation period fromMay next year for the pre-paid cash card; and(d) what happens tothose who cannot even afford the cash card.”
“The concern of some patients is that when they are in hospital receiving treatment for the procedures for cardiac treatment, for instance, their medicines will also be subsidised up to the level of 65% or 80%. But the minute they are discharged, then the level of subsidy for the medicine goes down. I would like to ask the Minister of State whether the same level of subsidy could be extended once patients are discharged and have to go for follow-up treatment at outpatient clinics.”
“is really a welcome move, and also the subsidy for stents and other procedures.</p /> Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the explanation. The Medical Service Package is really a welcome move, and also the subsidy for stents and other procedures.”
“Sir, I have three supplementary questions for the Acting Minister. My first question is this. We have seen an increase in the number of cases where employers have been in arrears of wages, and over a number of years as well. I would like to ask the Acting Minister whether the Ministry would be considering increasing the penalties for employers who failed to pay wages to their workers because the current penalties in the law, obviously, are not a sufficient deterrent. My second question is: how many employers have been prosecuted over the years for non-payment of wages and salaries? The Acting Minister has described the procedure that workers could make use of in order to claim the arrears of wages, particularly after the Labour Court has made an order. If that is not paid, the worker could then apply for a Writ of Seizure and Sale in order to enforce the Labour Court's award. My third question is that usually in order to apply for a Writ of Seizure and Sale, the worker has to incur additional costs and he does not have the money to do that because, if he does not even have the money to purchase food for himself, he does not have the money to pay in order to apply for a Writ of Seizure and Sale. Would the Ministry be prepared to work with other agencies to see whether it is possible to have a waiver of these fees for a worker to apply for a Writ of Seizure and Sale when it comes to arrears in salary?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister this issue about getting members' views before a collective agreement is signed. With this amendment, does it mean that the Executive Committee cannot get their members' views and inputs before they sign the collective agreement? Does this amendment preclude them from doing so?”
“Sir, our experience shows that where there is a high level of trust, it is much easier for companies to implement change and workers are more receptive to wage freeze, wage cuts or even retrenchments. Where there is a low level of trust, Sir, restructuring becomes more bumpy and acrimonious. I am therefore happy that there is now a Code on Industrial Relations to codify some of the key guiding principles and ensure strong partnership between management and unions. However, Sir, for this Code to be truly meaningful, it must have the support and endorsement of the top leadership in the company and be implemented at every level of management. So I would like to ask the Minister what steps will be taken to strongly promote this Code among companies. One suggestion I would like to make is for the Ministry, together with the Singapore National Employers Federation and the NTUC, to organise a series of workshops and seminars on this Code so that everyone understands the part they have to play. Sir, in this highly competitive world that we live in, infrastructures, systems and technologies can be easily duplicated if countries have the means to do so. What makes us different from many countries is our strong tripartism and good labour-management relations at the enterprise level. Sir, in order to preserve this edge, it is important that we continue to invest sufficient time, effort and resources in this partnership. On this note, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“While the amendment prevents union members from overriding the collective agreements negotiated by the Executive Committee, there is no corresponding obligation imposed on employers so that the board of directors or the shareholders of a company can override a decision made by the management or disagree with the collective agreement that has been negotiated with the union. It is a fact that there are employers who drag their feet, resort to delaying tactics and who send representatives to the bargaining table without any mandate to settle with the union. So, Sir, in the absence of any provision imposing a similar statutory obligation on the employer, could the Minister tell us what steps the Ministry will take to impose similar obligations on employers to negotiate in good faith and to respect workers' and trade unions' rights during collective bargaining? Would this amendment, Sir, amount to a situation where unions are now required to negotiate with one hand tied behind their back, but employers have both hands free? Sir, thirdly, there are many who feel that this amendment alone is not sufficient and will not, by itself, result in good industrial relations. The law can provide a useful framework for unions and management to deal with each other in a rational and orderly manner. But, Sir, in today's context, one requires much more than just a civilised manner of dealing with each other. What is needed is a collaborative relationship built on trust and confidence, a sharing of mutually agreed goals, strong communication and fair and transparent rules. No law, however, Sir, can mandate all these nor is it something that can be built overnight.”
“Some see ratification by members as an important safeguard which will be removed with this amendment, as the Executive Committee will now no longer be accountable to their own members over such an important issue as their salaries and terms and conditions of employment. To some extent, in my view, this concern may be overstated as ultimately, members still wield the power over the Executive Committee to act in their interest. They can, for instance, refuse to re-elect an Executive Committee that has negotiated a collective agreement against their interest. And there is, of course, nothing to stop them from throwing out an Executive Committee mid-stream that has negotiated a collective agreement which they feel is not in their interest. Democratically, Sir, unhappy members can also vote with their feet and leave the union. These factors will, in my view, act as a natural constraint on the unions' Executive Committees who would, themselves, be affected by the collective agreement that they negotiated for their members to act in their members' best interest. Sir, nevertheless, the Minister's clarification on this point whether the amendment would indeed be detrimental to workers' interest is important, bearing in mind that this is a restriction that will now be mandated, instead of being voluntarily adopted by unions. In the latter event, one could still argue that members, when approving the voluntary system of non-ratification, have the final say on how they should be consulted. Secondly, Sir, there are also concerns expressed that this amendment is one- sided.”
“Sir, I rise in support of this Bill. In practical terms, this amendment will have little impact on the 63 unions affiliated to NTUC. Among our unions, the Executive Committee, as the duly elected body of the workers through secret ballot, can negotiate on behalf of their members and enter into binding collective agreements with employers. There are about 1,200 collective agreements registered with the Industrial Arbitration Court. Every year, about 300 of these collective agreements are renegotiated by our affiliates with no difficulty whatsoever. Sir, this provision, found in the constitution of our unions, empowering the Executive Committee to negotiate a collective agreement without the need for ratification by members, is voluntarily adopted and is not the result of any statutory requirement. Although the existing arrangement has worked satisfactorily for us, we are supportive of the move to enshrine what is already a widespread practice into our law as this will provide greater clarity and certainty in the conduct of industrial relations and minimise potential disputes due to the increased complexities of the workplace today. Nevertheless, Sir, there are some concerns that have been expressed over this amendment which I would like to highlight here and seek a response from the Minister. Sir, some people, like Mr Low Thia Khiang, a few moments ago, have expressed the concern that this amendment represents a step backwards and is not in the interest of workers. The issue is whether this amendment will deny individual members the right to have a final say on their pay package.”
“Sir, could the Senior Parliamentary Secretary comment on the recent media reports which stated that the fees to be charged by the Arts School are about $500 per month? Is this already determined? If so, could the Ministry look into making the fees more affordable for children from poorer homes, so that they are not excluded although they may have the talent?”
“Sir, is there a requirement for manufacturers to label their food if it is genetically-modified so that when consumers purchase it, they know that they are buying genetically-modified products?”
“Very often, it is very difficult for us to identify the causes because, unless the deceased leaves a note behind or there is some information gathered from the coroner's report, it is a mix of guesswork and speculation to understand what is actually going on. But there is enough evidence, not only from local but also from studies abroad, to show that there are some factors that we can point to, and I have mentioned that in my reply. But as to exactly what are immediate causes, I think it would be difficult for us to point to one particular factor. But having said that, Sir, the approach that we have taken in regard to the young people is a 4-pronged one. First, we try to equip our young with coping skills. So, we have embarked on programmes with MOE. MOE itself has a pastoral care programme. In fact, it has also ramped up some of the programmes to provide expertise in school to deal with children who may have problems. Second, apart from coping skills, we also go into early detection, where we work with frontline agencies. I have mentioned the example of the handbook with school teachers. We have trained Family Service Centre staff, professional service staff, and even the police have been involved in picking up some skills that they can use in order to identify suicidal tendencies among the clients that they come across. Third, we have public education programmes where we work with SOS and other agencies. The fourth approach is, of course, to provide treatment at the Child Guidance Clinic at IMH and other Government agencies. This is the 4-pronged approach that we have taken. But we understand the concern of the Member and will continue to study the data to find how best we can tackle this problem.”
“Sir, I want to thank the Minister for giving us the information, but it seems to me that although the programmes which the Minister has mentioned are programmes which are currently in place, the suicide rate among females aged 15 to 24 continues to be high. Are there any new intervention programmes that the Ministry can think of? For instance, the intervention programme mentioned between MCDS and MOE on children at risk may not necessarily target the specific group we are concerned, ie, those between 15 and 24. Obviously, MCDS, when working with MOE, colleges, polytechnics, secondary schools and universities may have to target the women in these areas. My question is: are there other programmes that the Ministry is thinking of and, specifically, will the Ministry be able to conduct a survey to identify what are the causes, so that we can have more targeted assistance programmes for them? Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I agree with the Member that we should be targeted, and that is why I have announced in Parliament that we are launching a new programme called "STEP-UP". "STEP-UP" is a programme where we will enhance the capability of VWOs for doing school-based social work, and this will include not only the secondary schools, but also the ITEs and junior colleges. So, we will try and reach out to the entire spectrum of the youth sector. I also mentioned in my reply that we will work with youth agencies and SOS for school children who are out of school, so that we can also target them. With regard to the study, we are continuously looking at the data to understand further what were the causes. I have mentioned earlier in my reply that there had been some research done by local academics.”
“Sir, would the study that the Ministry will be conducting also include a study on what would be the social implications of having such a casino on Singaporeans, in particular, their indebtedness, and how that would affect families?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister how long does he think this process of negotiation leading to the conclusion of an open-skies agreement will take, considering that there is already stability and the fact that Qantas will be already flying from Singapore in view of the recent developments here?”
“A point of clarification, Sir. I did not say that the Ministry is powerless and it cannot prosecute an errant employer. I am fully aware of that. Employers who violate any criminal law, or other work permit rules will face sanctions. I am speaking only in relation to the employment contract. Can the Minister clarify? If an employer refuses to come for a conciliation meeting arising from some employment dispute, has the Ministry the power to compel the employer to do so under the existing law?”
“All these three Conventions - Conventions 182 and 5 which have already been ratified and Convention 138, which has not been ratified - deal with the issue of elimination of child labour. Convention 138 stipulates 15 years as the minimum age for work. Under our law, Sir, I am aware that 14 years is the minimum age for work. Although there may be some concerns that if we ratified Convention 138, we have to change our minimum age for work, this should not be a major obstacle as in Singapore, it is rare to find young people below the age of 15 working, as most are in school. Sir, we can be proud of our labour standards as they are high. In this regard, we have much to gain by ratifying core ILO Labour Conventions, wherever possible, and thereby sending a clear signal that our employment practices are up to international standards. I would, therefore, like to urge the Minister to consider ratifying Convention 138 and, if so, to also indicate what would be the timeframe.”
“It is also possible, in my view, to allow foreign domestic workers to file their complaints or claims for arrears of wages or other benefits with the labour court, which is administered by MOM. In this way, there is a legal right for them to bring their claims against the employers in an inexpensive, speedy and simple manner. Although I am aware that the MOM currently helps foreign domestic workers to settle their claims, this is done unofficially. If an employer refuses to turn up for conciliation or to pay the foreign domestic worker, MOM has really no power to compel the employer to do so, which to me is an unsatisfactory situation. Sir, I urge the Ministry to look into this suggestion as it represents a progressive way of protecting our foreign domestic workers, and we are prepared to work with MOM on how to work out this regulation. International Labour Organisation Conventions Sir, first, let me congratulate the MOM for being very forward-looking in its approach towards the ratification of ILO conventions. Since 1965, Singapore has not ratified any conventions until a few years ago when it ratified Convention 182 on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and, subsequently, Convention 100 on Equal Pay for Work of Equal Value. This is indeed laudable, Sir, as these are core ILO standards that are linked to issues of equality and protection of children against exploitation for profit considerations. Sir, as Singapore has already ratified Convention 182, which is on the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and also Convention 5 which stipulates the minimum age before children can be allowed to work in an industry, it is my hope that the Ministry will consider also ratifying Convention 138.”
“Sir, many initiatives have been undertaken by the Ministry of Manpower in order to improve the lives of our foreign domestic workers. And I agree with the other speakers that in comparison with foreign domestic workers in many countries, the status and conditions of our foreign domestic workers here are generally quite favourable. Sir, the current approach, however, in dealing with the relationship of the foreign domestic workers and their employers is to leave it to the parties to work out the terms of the contract. MOM has rendered help by suggesting a standard contract for such workers, but again the approach is voluntary and it depends on the two parties, ie, the employer and the foreign domestic workers, to work out their terms. In this kind of relationship, the balance is, of course, never equal as a foreign domestic worker is not in an equal bargaining relationship. Sir, at last year's COS debate, I had argued for some form of regulatory protection for foreign domestic workers as, unlike other foreign workers, they are not covered under our Employment Act. MOM's reply was that it was not practical to regulate domestic work in regard to hours of work, rest days and overtime work in a home environment. Sir, I am raising this issue again this year because I feel that we can and should provide some minimum standards of protection in our laws for foreign domestic workers. I agree with MOM that it may not be possible to regulate the working hours and overtime work because the nature of their work is such that it is difficult to measure the exact working hours. But, nevertheless, I still think that it is possible to stipulate other minimum standards covering issues like rest days, sick leave or annual leave.”
“In particular, I would also like to hear the Minister's reaction on the two points about size, and how to also help Singaporeans make discerning choices that will not be harmful to them, bearing in mind that although, currently, we do allow the use of CPF funds for investments, not many are able to make that kind of discerning choices.”