Mary Liew
Singapore
“In conclusion, while policies are implemented with good intentions and since MediShield Life is here to stay, can the Government take the time to clearly explain the scheme and policy to all Singaporeans, so that they can understand MediShield Life and know how they can now have access to affordable medical care?”
“Madam, companies must recognise that bullying and harassment are not acceptable. If such behaviour is tolerated and allowed to take place, it will reflect poorly on the organisation. It will affect morale. It may also lead to poor performance and lost productivity and will even damage the company's reputation.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like, therefore, to call on all parties to "walk the talk of tripartism" in the spirit of what our Prime Minister calls our National Treasure and work towards greater partnership and communication between all Government agencies, employers and unions so as to achieve pervasive tripartism.”
“I hope that the enforcement of the MLC will serve as a deterrent against errant employers. Singapore is a responsible maritime nation and we have the structure, as well as capable manpower resource, in place. More work has to be done by all relevant stakeholders in the coming months, before the MLC Act enters into force on 1 April 2014.”
“I am very heartened to hear the Minister's response. Just one supplementary question: will the Minister consider working closely with MPA to recognise the sea time served on board navy ships for these seafaring maritime graduates as part of their career sea time to be accumulated for their Certificate of Competency (COC)?”
“I would like to thank the Minister of State for her very comprehensive answer as well as assurance. I just have one clarification and that is – as far as the union is concerned, we will do our best to build up the Singapore Core. However, it takes the concerted effort of the tripartite partners as well.”
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Every one of 74 lines we hold for Mary Liew, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 2.
“Madam, I have one supplementary question. In view of the SRS and with regard to the increase in inflation rates from time to time, will the Minister consider increasing the cap of the SRS?”
“In conclusion, while policies are implemented with good intentions and since MediShield Life is here to stay, can the Government take the time to clearly explain the scheme and policy to all Singaporeans, so that they can understand MediShield Life and know how they can now have access to affordable medical care? With these comments, Sir, I support the introduction and recommendations of MediShield Life. Page: 110”
“Will the Government consider encouraging employers to adopt the implementation of portable medical benefits, either through additional tax exemptions or other incentives? Thirdly, while the elderly and the lower income workers have subsidies to help them afford the premiums, I am concerned for another group in our community. These are our non-working mothers who toil day and night on a full-time basis taking care of their children so that their husbands can pursue their careers with greater peace of mind. Most non-working mothers have no income or not much CPF savings and may not have enough to pay for the MediShield Life premiums, especially as they age. Likewise, for the single parent, who has to juggle the responsibility of raising their children and working to support themselves and their children. Can the Government provide assistance to non-working mothers and struggling single parents who are unable to keep up with the higher MediShield Life premium payments? Lastly, while MediShield Life serves to address medical cost, we must not underestimate the role a healthy lifestyle plays in the prevention of critical illnesses. It is an individual responsibility of every Singaporean to take care of our health. Many Members of the House Page: 109 have said this eloquently earlier. Staying healthy is being a responsible Singaporean. We do not want to be a burden to our family members and future generations. The Government has, through the Health Promotion Board (HPB), done well thus far with many initiatives to promote healthy living and lifestyle. Can the Government elaborate on the effective reach of the HPB initiatives introduced? Will the HPB be undertaking more efforts to promote healthy living to keep health a priority in the minds of Singaporeans?”
“In implementing MediShield Life, will the Government also consider implementing an annual cap on the out-of-pocket payments incurred by Singaporeans? This is to ensure that only necessary procedures are prescribed to patients. In addition, what more can the Government do to give assurance and peace of mind to Singaporeans that the cost of premiums will not escalate after five years? Secondly, MediShield Life is very much all-encompassing and the Labour Movement is concerned about resource wastage and the duplication of medical insurance coverage for Page: 108 Singaporeans. It is in the interests of the employers to minimise these areas of duplication and to optimise the money spent on medical insurance. Employers should not choose the easy path of shifting their responsibility for their employees' health and well-being by channelling the burden of medical care back to the Government and, ultimately, to taxpayers. In the interests of employees, we hope that employers will consider reallocating their budgets set aside for group insurance premiums to provide portable medical benefits that ride on MediShield Life that provides even higher insurance coverage and hospital stays in higher ward classes. By diverting this budget to MediShield Life, the benefits stay with the employees. Portable medical benefits go towards being a benefit for both the employers and the workers. The employers are able to offer better medical insurance coverage for the workers, which is an added incentive for employment in our tight labour market. Correspondingly, our workers will still get to enjoy the insurance coverage when they are no longer with the employer, either by choice when they leave, or in unfortunate circumstances when they are retrenched.”
“I will keep it short and sharp. Mr Deputy Speaker, Singaporeans are worried about the rising cost of healthcare. This impact is felt when Singaporeans are suddenly diagnosed with serious illnesses and, even with insurance coverage, the medical fees erode a significant portion of their savings. Those who are not covered by the medical insurance are even worse off. The comprehensive report by the MediShield Life Review Committee is timely and I am heartened that the Government is introducing enhancements to healthcare in Singapore and will be implementing the MediShield Life scheme by end of 2015. Singaporeans can now look forward to these enhancements, which will allay their concerns on the affordability of healthcare in Singapore. It is comforting to know that Singaporeans with prior medical history of pre-existing illnesses and not previously covered under MediShield, will now be insured. Seniors can also now have peace of mind to enjoy their golden years as well. The Labour Movement also welcomes the recommendations to raise claim limits and lowering co-insurance rates, previously at 10% to 20%, to now 3% to 10%. This will certainly help our workers contain the out-of-pocket expenses for exorbitant medical bills. Sir, however, there are a few concerns that I would like to raise. Firstly, while the recommendations will substantially reduce the costs of large hospital and medical bills for most Singaporeans through the reduced co-payments, the deductibles and the Medisave, it is still inevitable that new medical treatments, technology and prescriptions will contribute towards the escalation of medical bills. This means that the possibility of Singaporeans having to incur out-of-pocket expenses for medical treatments remains a reality.”
“Madam, companies must recognise that bullying and harassment are not acceptable. If such behaviour is tolerated and allowed to take place, it will reflect poorly on the organisation. It will affect morale. It may also lead to poor performance and lost productivity and will even damage the company's reputation. Therefore, it is in the best interest of employers to promote a safe, fair and healthy workplace environment for their employees. Madam, I am also heartened that this Bill enhances the provision to protect public sector employees, including public service workers. I would like to ask the Minister if this protection also includes our public transport workers, including our bus captains and taxi drivers. Madam, at the end of the day, enforcement is the key to this new Bill and I hope that the Minister will share with us how the enforcement can be tightened up and implemented smoothly. With that, Mdm Speaker, I strongly support the Page: 96 Bill.”
“Closer to home, Singapore experienced its first cyberbullying death when a 16-year-old took her life by jumping down from the block. She was accused of being a "loose woman" by her ex-boyfriend on Facebook after his attempt to salvage the relationship failed. Deeply affected by the flaming online and the judgements by her schoolmates, she committed Page: 95 suicide. These precious young lives are forever gone and more must be done to ensure that something like this never happens again in Singapore. Therefore, there is an urgency to teach the right values and cyber etiquettes to the younger generation since they will eventually be the future pillars of our society. This Bill is a step in the right direction to protect the victims. However, turning specifically to the workplace, are both employers and employees aware of what constitutes workplace harassment? There must be proper channels for affected employees to file a complaint should there be an occurrence of workplace harassment. Companies should include this information in their employees' handbook so that information is readily available. Employers must also be obligated to take sexual harassment more seriously, and work towards either preventing workplace sexual harassment or processing and dealing with harassment complaints better. This is not something new as other countries, such as Malaysia as well, already have in place a Code of Practice against Sexual Harassment at the Workplace since 1999. The Code outlines the statement of purpose, legal definition of harassment, description of behaviours that constitute harassment, how employees should handle harassment, how companies should handle complaints, what kind of disciplinary actions must be taken and the names and phone numbers to lodge a complaint.”
“Mdm Speaker, I applaud the Minister for seeing the urgency to introduce the Protection from Harassment Bill. Unlike the past, when bullies were confined to a handful from school or playground, today, the prevalence of bullies is limitless in cyberspace. For too long, many hide behind the anonymity of the keyboard, getting away with it, while the victims suffer distress and embarrassment. As the Minister has passionately shared earlier, it is both shocking and disturbing that Singapore has the second highest rate of online bullying, among youth aged eight to 17, out of 25 countries, second only to China, in a survey done by Microsoft. A straw poll conducted by Cyber Wellness also found that cyberbullying has risen in the past four years. What is even more alarming is that these are the kids who are only in Primary and Secondary schools. This group of students, who are our future generation, are partaking in cyber bullying or being bullied or harassed. What will become of them when they reach adulthood? Will this behaviour or trauma be carried forward to their future workplaces? It leads me to ask next, is this law applicable to all school-going children? And what more can the Government do to stop or punish cyber bullying in schools? It is puzzling that even with talks and education on cyber wellness, Singapore still has the second highest online bullying rates. What more can be done? I would like to ask the Minister if it is compulsory for every school to hold safety talks to educate the students, teachers, as well as parents, so that they know the gravity of cyberbullying. In October last year, a 12-year-old American girl jumped to her death after being a victim of cyberbullying. One of her alleged tormentors apparently even boasted about her role online.”
“Would the Minister consider giving more subsidies for these special needs children? Physical Abuse of Elderly”
“Sir, the Home Ownership Plus Education Scheme was introduced back in 2004 to help improve social mobility of small families from the younger generation. One of the eligibility criteria was that the wife or mother has to be aged 35 or below. I would like to ask: how many families have benefited from the HOPE scheme? What is the amount spent on this scheme? When was the last review of this HOPE scheme? Sir, as women are getting married and having children at a later age, would the Government consider reviewing the eligibility criteria to extend it to those beyond 35 years old? With Singapore having a low fertility rate, would the Minister consider helping families with more than two kids? Moving on to special needs children, very often, mothers with special needs children are unable to take on full-time jobs due to a lack of schools that provide full-day care. There is also a lack of resources within schools to provide individual attention for these children. I would like to ask the Minister a few clarifications. Firstly, what is the number of children with special needs and how many teachers are trained to teach them? Is the number of teachers sufficient? Secondly, some schools with early intervention programmes for infant and child can only offer two or three school days each week for special needs children. Would the Minister consider putting in more resources to provide five full-day care in school for these special needs children? Thirdly, what are the training schools, centres and places for the special needs children with different needs, and are there sufficient and suitable training for those children beyond 18 years of age? Page: 170 Lastly, many special needs children will have medical conditions and require long-term medical care.”
“Madam, the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package aims to help working couples balance work and family commitments. It encourages shared parental responsibility, with fathers playing a more active role in raising children. A recent NTUC U Family Happiness Poll showed that only 50% of the respondents agreed that their companies have been implementing more family-friendly workplace measures in the last two years. Can we take further steps to ensure this percentage increases significantly in another two years' time? The poll also shows the difference in attitudes of working mothers and fathers. For example, working mothers prefer access to flexible work arrangements, family-friendly workplace culture and access to family leave scheme, while working dads prefer workplaces with career progression, family-friendly workplace culture and job security. Moving forward, the differences Page: 91 must be taken into account. Businesses should be encouraged to provide holistic support for working caregivers with elderly and special needs dependants. This means providing a four-tiered framework that consists of: firstly, provision for flexible work arrangements; secondly, access to family care leave; thirdly, provision for family support schemes and/or facilities; and fourthly, non-discrimination of career progression for working caregivers. Can the tripartite partners come to an agreement on how we can take a concerted effort to ensure and help working caregivers to stay in and/or return to employment? Lastly, can the Government and trade associations play a role in issuing family-friendly policies for their members so that family-friendly workplaces become pervasive? Screening Foreign Domestic Workers”
“The senior-care leave will send a strong signal that we especially place a strong emphasis in our Asian Society which is a strong proponent of filial piety and positive family values. Eldercare Leave”
“Therefore, I would like to urge all parties to consider having a grant which is more outcome-based. Companies recognised for their efforts in FWAs could even be certified, similar to the People Developer certification, given to organisations which excel in people development. This certification will further help workers identify companies who offer FWAs and can even be a form of recruitment and retention tool when jobseekers apply for jobs. This is especially important when we want more women to return to the workforce. Mdm Chair, we may not have reached the FWA standards of many developed countries, but I am confident that with further improvements and with the Government and its Ministries' support, more companies will adopt FWAs in their workplace. Senior-care Leave Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Madam, our population is ageing rapidly. Our family size is getting smaller. We encourage our seniors to be cared for within their homes and the community. We also want families and extended families to look after their seniors. Our seniors have various needs to be tended to. Many need to be sent and fetched to and from their medical check-up and appointments, and others need to be sent to rehabilitation facilities. When these seniors sustain any emergencies and crises, it may throw the family Page: 89 members and caregivers' schedules off balance, especially if they are working. Thus, the call for formal recognition and legislation of senior-care leave, preferably by both the public and private sector employers. Legislating this will send a strong signal to employers on pro-family practices. A suggested period of up to one week annually per worker would be a good number to start off with.”
“I would like to call upon the Minister to extend funding of lactation facilities to building owners, so that employees of tenants can benefit as building in economies of scale is a cost-efficient solution that will benefit many workers. 3.00 pm Secondly, it is difficult for companies to meet the minimum 30% utilisation rate, required to enjoy FWA's incentives, especially for companies with a large workforce. Would the Minister consider recognising companies who have made efforts in providing incremental FWA utilisation rather than having them meet a certain specified percentage? For example, if a company with a workforce of 1,000 employees decides to offer FWAs to 100 of their staff, they would not be Page: 88 able to benefit as they did not meet the minimum 30% utilisation rate. However, 100 employees on board FWA is still a significant effort and we should be supporting companies for such initiatives. In terms of administration, onerous tracking needs to be done as companies have to keep records of each employee's utilisation of FWAs for at least six months, before they are eligible to submit their claims. For big companies, this is a tedious process if there are a lot of employees. For SMEs, it can only pose a problem as they may not have automated IT systems to capture all the data and so it has to be done manually. Can the Minister look into easing this administration process to make it more friendly? Moving ahead, the current WorkPro scheme should serve only as a guideline and companies should be allowed the flexibility to introduce their own policies and processes to meet their needs and still benefit from the grant. There is no "one size fits all" solution as every company's situation is different.”
“Madam, it is really encouraging to hear from the Senior Minister of State that the WorkPro is making some progress. However, more can be done. As I have already covered quite a few points during my main Budget speech, I will not repeat them here. I would like to touch on the Work-Life Grant Component which is a step in the right direction to help workers to have a more balanced work life. Here are some of the areas of concern to be improved, so that both employers and employees can benefit from this programme. Firstly, under the Developmental Grant for Workplace Improvement and Job-Redesign, there is a one-time grant of up to $40,000 to defray the cost of implementing work-life strategies. However, the guidelines are currently rigid, according to the feedback given by companies, and that companies need to introduce two new FWAs. Enhancements to existing FWAs are only considered where presented on a case-to-case basis. Would the Minister consider recognising all forms of enhancement by reviewing the guidelines and to offer additional grants? This grant also co-funds up to 30% of the expenditure on IT infrastructure but capped at $10,000. For companies with genuine IT needs who allow their employees to work from home, $10,000 may not be enough to set up or upgrade servers to allow remote access for work. Will the Minister consider funding a certain percentage of the IT system, or can the cap be raised? Madam, mothers who return to the workforce after maternity leave are sometimes faced with the problem of proper facilities at their workplace.”
“Madam, the pleasure craft industry is an off-shoot of our maritime and hospitality industry that is centred around Singapore's four marina clubs, namely, Raffles Marina Club, ONE Degree 15 Marina Club, the Republic of Singapore Yacht Club and Marina at Keppel Bay Club. Luxury multi-million dollar yachts and pleasure boats owned by the wealthy are berthed here as we encourage them to come to Singapore to work and play. According to the Business Times in 2012, Singapore's pleasure craft industry commands a cool US$45 million or approximately 13% of the Asian market, which is estimated to be worth US$345 million a year. As an industry associated with the affluent, we have identified this sector as one with a high potential for Singaporeans if given the opportunities to earn good wages. On 1 January 2013, MOM discontinued the issuance of Landing Passes by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and imposed a work pass requirement for foreign crews working onboard a Singapore-registered pleasure craft. Further to that, a progressive reduction of the dependency ratio was introduced over five years – from one Singaporean to four foreigners, to one Singaporean to two foreigners by 2018. These initiatives give opportunities for Singaporeans to work in the pleasure craft sector and give time for the industry to adapt during the transition phase. Page: 39”
“Can this five-year time lapse be reduced to two years if we Page: 31 are to remain relevant? Secondly, will the Minister consider tripartite determination of a national wage range for different jobs? Through the tripartite consultative process, we now have the Progressive Wage Model for the cleaning sector. Extending this to other sectors would be a good progression to determine a wage range to commensurate with PME jobs. This is not a call for a minimum wage, but a conscious tripartite effort encompassing professional associations, including the unions and industry bodies, to determine the fair wage to be paid to PMEs in different sectors. This would be a more comprehensive extension for the role of the National Wages Council. Thirdly, simply open up any newspaper or online job ad and you can see many jobs in the market today that require someone to be a degree holder – even if it could be a simple and entry-level marketing or administration job at times. If this is to be the trend, will the Minister extend the funding to help citizens in terms of scholarships and bursaries for a University education, since the phenomenon has become more of a necessity than the norm. Governmental stimulus or policy is crucial in allowing our talented and hardworking PMEs, who will be the rank and file of tomorrow, to flourish and succeed and lead better lives in this Singapore we call our home. Workforce of the Future”
“Mdm Chair, in this knowledge-based economy, globalisation and technological advancements can greatly improve productivity and output. Computers are now smarter, can access more data and, in certain sectors, have even replaced many workers' jobs with just a click of the mouse. As we embrace the wave of technological advancements, we must also look out especially for PMEs even in the service sectors and in office and administrative roles. If workers and PMEs are not multi-skilled or up-to-date with new skills, they will be vulnerable to retrenchment at a faster rate. The employment statistics released by MOM indicate that in 2013, 11,400 workers were laid off, 390 more than the year before. If more is not done for our Singaporean PMEs to stay employed or employable, this figure may continue to rise, in line with technological advancements. Firstly, can the Minister identify PMEs working in low-growth sectors and launch, nation-wide, an intensified and concerted effort to help them be trained for alternative jobs in high-growth sectors? This is to ensure that they will be protected against redundancy. Assistance can also come in the form of funds required for training, should they make a mid-career switch, especially if they are in their 40s. For example, present funding support for Part-time or Executive Diplomas in our national institutions are restricted to a five-year time lapse upon completion of the Diploma before the applicant is allowed to embark on subsequent courses funded by the subsidies. With globalisation and a knowledge-based economy, we must constantly stay ahead of global competition through innovation and better productivity. This means that continuous training, learning and education are a necessity for all Singaporeans to stay competitive.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like, therefore, to call on all parties to "walk the talk of tripartism" in the spirit of what our Prime Minister calls our National Treasure and work towards greater partnership and communication between all Government agencies, employers and unions so as to achieve pervasive tripartism. FinalIy, I thank the Deputy Prime Minister once again for introducing this new raft of measures and initiatives in Budget 2014 for our businesses and Singaporeans. I hope that we can streamline the application processes for these funding initiatives and subsidies, so that it will be easier to access them, or it would have defeated the purpose and the spirit with which they were Page: 104 introduced. With that, Mdm Speaker, I support the Budget. 4.42 pm”
“These transport initiatives are a step towards enhancing the commuters' experience, but what about the experience of Bus Captains? These initiatives may be misunderstood by the workers that they have to drive faster in order to meet the requirements set by the various agencies. It would then be prudent for the Government agencies and employers to actively engage unions before the introduction of any new policies as they inadvertently affect our workers. These policy changes affect more than 7,000 Bus Captains from SBS Transit and SMRT. The unions and Bus Captains are on the ground and are able to provide feedback on the operational viability of these schemes and perhaps even offer better solutions. Tripartite consultation can be seen in full effect prior to the passing of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) Bill, where there were a total of 20 Tripartite Working Group official discussions and numerous smaller scale meetings and deliberations with various stakeholders over the course of the last seven years to prepare Singapore for the MLC implementation. Of course, not all policies need years to be implemented, but the main point is that all stakeholders, heavily affected by policy changes, were in consultation to ensure any difficulties for any parties were mitigated before the introduction of the policies. Such a concerted effort has resulted in a Bill that the stakeholders feel invested in and, therefore, can easily uphold, as their viewpoint is heard. Efforts like this must be viewed as necessary and serve as a model for all policy making. Ministries and Statutory Boards should lead the way and develop KPIs for their staff and officers in fostering good industrial relations within the tripartite framework.”
“Since mothers with older children still have the main duties of taking care of their children, can the concession rate criteria be extended to working mothers with children under the age of 14 instead of 12? Moving on to tripartism. Mdm Speaker, in my first Budget debate, I reiterated the point made by Prime Minister during the NTUC National Delegates Conference in 2011, that "Tripartism is our national treasure". This is, indeed, true and we have also seen "Tripartism for All" at work, with the most recent examples of consensus among tripartite partners on Progressive Wage Model which was adopted by the Government in the licensing for our cleaners who can now earn at least S$1,000 a month. I look forward to the recommendation of the Security Tripartite Committee to level up to the Progressive Wage Model. I would like to applaud these initiatives that help our low-wage workers, all through proactive pervasive tripartism where negotiations take place between Government representatives, employers and the unions. There are various other sectors where the spirit of tripartism can be improved. Open communication is essential in ensuring that policies cascaded from the national level are not misunderstood. I would like to applaud LTA for taking the bold step of introducing the Bus Service Reliability Framework (BSRF). The scheme aimed to improve the transport system in Singapore, to solve the overcrowding issues and transport delays. These are good initiatives that benefit the nation and economy as a whole, but when introducing these programmes, Government agencies and employers should also take the operational viability of our Bus Captains into Page: 103 consideration.”
“Programmes, such as the Back2Work With U by NTUC WDS, specifically help place women back into the workforce by reaching out to them, providing them with training and advocating better work-life harmony so that they can better manage work and family care. The joint effort from e2i and the Labour Movement showed a marked increment in the number of women returning to the workforce. As of November last year, they have successfully placed about 23,000 women back to the workforce. While we applaud these efforts, they are merely the tip of the iceberg and more of such successful and targeted initiatives should be introduced to encourage and help the remaining women to return to work and be a part of the Singaporean Core workforce. Fifthly, progression for women. While women are given opportunities for training and career development at the workplace, it is not uncommon for them Page: 102 to turn them down. This is because women are tasked with being the main caregiver in most families and it is harder for them to take on training and development after their working hours. The solution may be as simple as further development of working mothers through e-training resources which are currently lacking. Lastly, privileges for working mothers. Can the Government consider expanding the criteria for Foreign Maid Levy? According to MOM, at the end of 2010, there were slightly above 200,000 female domestic workers in Singapore. That is equivalent to about one domestic helper for every five households. The current maid levy is $265 per month and the Government offers a concessionary rate of $120 per month to Singaporeans with young children below 12. If we want to encourage more women to leave home to work or remain in the workforce, can we expand the criteria?”
“In the UK, besides the policy of returning to the same job at the same pay after maternity leave, should the employer show that the job no longer exists, the Page: 101 mother must be offered alternative job with similar terms and conditions. Secondly, protection through creating a culture supportive of procreation and caregiving. With a declining birth rate and ageing population, there have been campaigns, advocacy and even laws enacted to encourage childbirth and the care for our elderly. It is important to provide a workplace culture supportive of procreation and caregiving so that mothers and/or caregivers can continue to be active in the workforce. Other than infrastructure, such as childcare and eldercare centres, it is vital that employers offer flexi-work arrangements. This will ensure that employees need not have to live with the dilemma of choosing between caregiving or pursuing their careers. Will the Minister consider advocating the Right to Request FWA by employees, which does not automatically ensure that the employee is given FWA, but commits the employer to give due consideration to the request for flexibility? Thirdly, protection for children of working single mums. Single unwed mothers are often faced with the burden of being the sole breadwinner and their children already started off disadvantaged. Can the Government extend the benefit of the Baby Bonus to working single mums so their children can benefit equally with other children? Can the Government consider this stance for the sake of the child? Fourthly, more resources should be allocated for Back2Work With U Programmes. If we are to keep growing our economy, it is important that enough resources are put into encouraging and helping stay-home moms who wish to return to the workforce.”
“Thirdly, to look into reviewing the current monthly salary ceiling of $5,000 to reflect longer term wage increases of our middle-income group. Lastly, women from the Pioneer Generation were largely homemakers and have little or no CPF savings. They have contributed significantly towards the nation by having more children and raising their families. Those below 80 years, who qualify for subsidised MediShield Life premiums, may not even have the means to afford to pay for the balance. Can the Deputy Prime Minister ensure that they are covered by MediShield Life through further assistance and support? Mdm Speaker, "CPF no enough". Minister, please explore other options before CPF cuts in future downturns so that workers' savings for housing, medical and retirement will not be affected. Moving on to the concerns for the women and family. As Singapore moves away from dependence on a foreign workforce, it is vital to cultivate a family-friendly workplace. Companies must recognise that by meeting the work-life needs of employees, they will be able to improve their staff turnover rates which eventually translate into cost savings. But more can definitely be done to improve the work-life balance. The labour movement has been actively lobbying for more initiatives and I would like to raise six suggestions for your consideration. Firstly, protection for women employees going through childbirth. Can the Minister consider increasing paid maternity leave to six months and up to six months of unpaid maternity leave so that a working mother can take enough time off to care for her newborn child? Can they be protected from being penalised for devoting time and energy to childcare? They should be allowed to return to the same job at the same pay at the end of their maternity leave.”
“This means that more than 50% of Singaporeans do not have sufficient money in their CPF for their basic retirement needs and more than 40% of Singaporeans do not meet the Medisave Minimum Sum. A 2012 survey of 2,000 Singaporeans by Mindshare revealed that 65% do not believe that they can retire comfortably in Singapore, especially with the ever-increasing cost of living. Mdm Speaker, based on such reflected statistics, can our workers afford to retire adequately? I would like to call upon the Government to consider, firstly, supporting the Labour Movement's call to restore CPF rates for our workers aged 50 to 55 years old to be on par with our younger workers. Secondly, review the CPF contribution rates for a longer term so that our Singaporeans, including the younger generation, will have more savings to retire on. As it is, our workers are already contributing 20%. As unionists, we are understanding that any increase in the CPF contribution rates must take into consideration the economic conditions of the day. However, with longer life expectancy and greater needs for retirement and healthcare, we hope that the tripartite partners can meet to determine a fair Page: 100 longer term target for CPF contributions that will also take care of the interests of our workers. Mdm Speaker, for a worker with a monthly wage of S$2,000, an additional 3% monthly will be S$60. This S$60 may be a small sum to the employer. However, for the worker, this would be S$720 annually and in a career across 30 years, even without factoring in any annual increment and interest, this would be more than S$21,000 additional savings to retire on. This would make a significant difference for the workers.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to participate in this Budget debate. I thank Deputy Prime Minister Tharman for an inclusive and all-encompassing Budget that not only recognises the contributions from our elder Singaporeans, but also addresses the hopes and aspirations of younger Singaporeans. Madam, this is a heartfelt generous Budget and I should not be asking for more. However, it is part of our human nature to ask for more and, therefore, it will be "ab-normal" for me not to ask for more. Anyway, my fellow labour Members of Parliament have already shared about the 4Ps framework, and it is within this 4Ps framework that I would Page: 99 like to focus on and highlight three areas of concern, namely, CPF, Women and Tripartism. Firstly, CPF contributions are important to Singaporeans as it is essentially savings for our retirement needs and, in a broader sense, our housing and medical needs. Mdm Speaker, I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for responding positively to the call of NTUC to increase the CPF contribution rates for workers, especially for those aged 50 to 55. Singaporeans are now living longer – the 50s of today are the new 40s of tomorrow – and it is, indeed, timely to peg the CPF contribution rate to those of our younger workers. During my first Budget debate in 2012, I raised my concern about inadequate savings of workers in their CPF accounts for financial independence upon retirement. Although the CPF contribution rates have increased, my concern is whether we have a long-term target plan to make sure that it will be adequate for workers. Mdm Speaker, it is worrying to see the data from the CPF website that only 45% and 48.7% of Singaporeans met the Required Minimum Sum in 2011 and 2012.”
“I hope that the enforcement of the MLC will serve as a deterrent against errant employers. Singapore is a responsible maritime nation and we have the structure, as well as capable manpower resource, in place. More work has to be done by all relevant stakeholders in the coming months, before the MLC Act enters into force on 1 April 2014. I am confident that the MLC Act will not only protect seafarers' rights, but in the long run benefit all responsible shipowners, thus, keeping the shipping industry vibrant and attractive. Sir, I support the Bill. Sir, I would also like to add that, as you can see, I look somewhat incomplete this evening because my fellow Nominated Member of Parliament and bipartite partner, Mr Teo Siong Seng, has to leave for an overseas meeting. And he has asked me to convey to this House that he and SSA are ardently Page: 89 supporting this Bill. And I thank you for this.”
“Implementation, in itself, is going to be a huge challenge and I hope that MPA can give substantial focus and scrutiny into how we address these challenges: Firstly, with the increased number of vessels registering in Singapore and calling at our ports, are the current manpower levels in MPA sufficient to cope with the added responsibilities of quality inspection on the working conditions Page: 88 on board ships for compliance? Secondly, will there be adequate training resources to ensure that the MPA's Flag State and Port State Control Officers are equipped with the additional relevant competencies to conduct these inspections? Thirdly, how will the authorities ensure compliance of the Act by all ship owners and ship managers? Lastly, will MPA's Port State Control Officers ensure a "no more favourable treatment" by detaining foreign ships that do not comply with the MLC, so that there is a level-playing field for our Singapore shipping owners and employers who have put in significant resources and effort to ensure compliance? This journey towards implementing the MLC has made the various stakeholders more aware of the working and living conditions on board ships and, thus, more accountable. With this understanding, shipowners are now working on making improvements. Seafarers are also more appreciative of their employers' efforts in ensuring the provision of a conducive work environment. With the coming into force of the MLC, and as a unionist with the SMOU, I hope to see less occurrences of seafarers suffering from unpaid wages and seafarers who are abandoned. To put it into perspective, since the year 1993, SMOU has intervened in more than 447 cases, helping seafarers from different nationalities to recover some US$15 million of unpaid wages.”
“It is heartening to know that the very nature of pervasive tripartism was demonstrated through this process where all tripartite partners were actively involved in the formation of the national determinants for compliance with the MLC that led to the current legislation of this Bill. Seafarers can now look forward to fair terms of employment, decent living and working conditions onboard ships. This will include minimum standards for social protection encompassing medical care, health protection, a formalised structure for complaints and welfare. Being the first Asian country to ratify this convention also sends a strong signal to the world. Singapore, being one of the world's busiest ports of call, is stringent in our requirements to ensure decent living for all seafarers onboard vessels which fly the Singapore flag. This is the embodiment of Singapore's core values, where we leave no worker behind as the nation progresses. I would like to strongly encourage this spirit of tripartism to prevail as our Tripartite Working Group partners continue to work on the regulations and enforcement policies. Having a convention on paper is not good enough. The dangers that seafarers face are very real when they are away from home for months, sailing the vast oceans, braving the ever-changing climatic conditions, and words on paper, if they are not put into action, Sir, will do nothing to help them. We cannot condone issues, such as non-payment of wages, piracy, abuse, social dumping and failure of repatriation in Singapore. We aspire to be an International Maritime Centre which we are proud to call our own.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the ILO's Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), 2006 is a Seafarers' Bill of Rights that aims to achieve decent work for more than 1.2 million seafarers around the world by providing employment and social protection. The MLC covers almost every aspect of work and life on board ships. It heartens me that Singapore is the first Asian country to ratify the MLC on 14 June 2011. Singapore contributed significantly towards the ratification requirements for the convention to come into force on 20 August 2013. In fact, we were pleasantly surprised and delighted that ILO chose Singapore as the launching pad for the implementation of the MLC and it was organised within a short span of time onboard Neptune Orient Lines' "APL Yangshan". There were live feeds of the interviews being broadcast all over the world. The efforts, collaboration and hard work put in by our tripartite partners, namely, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), Singapore Shipping Association, Singapore Maritime Officers' Union and Singapore Organisation of Seamen were historical in showcasing to the world that with pervasive tripartism, anything is possible. Page: 87 Sir, to ensure that Singapore would be ready for the implementation of the MLC, I commend the efforts and hard work put in by the Ministries of Manpower and Transport and, especially, the MPA. The MPA initiated the Tripartite Working Group where a total of more than 20 official meetings, as well as countless smaller scale discussions and deliberations with various stakeholders took place over the last seven years.”
“We should consider restricting the probation period of contract workers to one month from commencement of the contract. The other consideration pertaining to contract work would be the period of continuous employment. When good contract workers are offered an extension to their employment contract, some employers insert a break in between employment contracts to circumvent the accumulation of the period of continuous employment so that they are not eligible for benefits like retrenchment payouts. I would like to suggest that the Employment Act protect the workers such that as long as the worker has not been employed elsewhere between the employment contracts, the worker is deemed to have been under "continuous employment". I understand these aspects of contract employment will be looked into in Phase 2 next year but I would like to reinforce that it is important for us to address these lapses sooner rather than later. In conclusion, Madam, the amendments are positive steps forward to protect our workers, but I hope that these issues I have raised on eldercare leave, restrictive clauses in employment agreements and the issues faced by contract workers be given due consideration by the Government and be incorporated into the proposed amendments. With these comments, Madam, I heartily support the Bill. 5.30 pm”
“They are sometimes masked as non-competitor clauses. Is it fair if a trained accountant is no longer allowed to practise accountancy anywhere else if he resigns? Or if a professional trainer is prohibited from training in another company or in an individual capacity after resignation? Such restrictive clauses are unfair to the workers because it prohibits the use of their professional skills to earn a decent living. How are the workers going to earn their keep and feed themselves if they cannot make a living doing what they are trained or skilled to do? The right to work should continue to remain a right of the worker. The responsibility is on the employer to retain their workers through employment incentives, and not restrictive clauses. I would like to ask the Minister: in the second phase of the review, is there a possibility to abolish the use of restrictive clauses in employment agreements altogether? Lastly, contract workers. Offering workers contract employment instead of traditional full employment has become more prevalent in Singapore today. Amendments to the Employment Act to improve protection for contract workers are not addressed in the existing amendments, and I do hope that this will be a priority as contract workers in Singapore need protection as well. Contract work offers short-term employment. When viewed from the perspective of a one-year work contract compared to the possibility of working Page: 91 for some 40 years perhaps till retirement, there is almost no job security. If a worker goes through three months' probation for a one-year contract, this results in having only eight months of job security because, in the final month, the worker would be worrying about where his income will come from when the one-year contract expires.”
“Medical developments have allowed our elderly family members to live longer and stay mobile. However, it does not mean that they do not need care or assistance at all. The Civil Service took the lead in December 2011 with the introduction of the two-day parent-care leave. A medical certificate is not required to be eligible to apply for parent-care leave. Their annual leave is also not affected. Since the Government took the lead two years ago, only some enlightened employers have introduced it. I have urged for the legislating of eldercare leave at our NTUC's National Delegates' Conference in 2011 and again at our Ordinary Delegates' Conference last month. Mdm Speaker, you too spoke about it passionately recently. Can the Minister look into making eldercare leave Page: 90 mandatory? It is about time that all our workers are given the flexibility to manage the added demands of caring for their ageing family members. Secondly, restrictive clauses in employment contracts. Many world economies are faced with issues related to unemployment, but our Singapore Government, together with our tripartite partners, has continued to create good jobs for Singaporeans, and we are thankful for that. Working in Singapore is now a necessity, due to the rising cost of living expenses and to build our retirement savings. Employment contracts in Singapore are often fair for both employer and worker, where the employment and termination terms of the employment agreements are concerned. However, there are restrictive clauses that are overlooked by the workers and subsequently used as reasons for termination or even to the extent of preventing workers from seeking other employment. Restrictive clauses prohibit workers to work in a similar job for another company after they resign.”
“Mdm Speaker, I am heartened that enhancements have been made to the Employment Act to better protect our workers in Singapore. Our Government's commitment to make legislative amendments to accommodate the shifts in our workforce and workplaces is indeed commendable. The Bill has been extended to offer protection to our PMEs in this workforce. This is significant, taking into consideration our economic growth and global prominence as a regional launch-pad into the Asian markets. It is inevitable that the PMEs in our workforce today will become the rank-and-file workers of tomorrow. Thus, they deserve employment protection that the changes to the Employment Act offer. Today, I would like to touch on three areas. Firstly, eldercare leave. Our younger workers today have different aspirations. They look for work they enjoy, they want to have fulfilling careers and a better-quality life. The introduction of the Enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package earlier this year and its incorporation into the employment legislation was an incentive to younger working Singaporeans to get married and have children. It helps reduce the dilemma of caring for the child with enhanced paternity, maternity and childcare leave. This was a milestone because it forces us to rethink our approach to work and life, and know that with higher productivity initiatives at work, a fulfilling life outside work is indeed now a possibility. Singapore is also facing the challenge of an ageing population and the numbers of Singaporeans who are above 65 are expected to grow from 9% in 2010 to 20% by 2030. Many filial Singaporeans face the prospect of caring for ageing parents who are vulnerable and need to be taken care of.”
“I am very heartened to hear the Minister's response. Just one supplementary question: will the Minister consider working closely with MPA to recognise the sea time served on board navy ships for these seafaring maritime graduates as part of their career sea time to be accumulated for their Certificate of Competency (COC)?”
“He was with a multinational logistics company for two-and-a-half years and was terminated in 2011 from a Senior Manager position. Mr Wong was bullied and humiliated before his colleagues and subordinates, and terminated without valid reasons. Today, Mr Wong has recovered, thankfully, and is now actively promoting an anti-workplace bullying movement, encouraging employers to put in place policies that will protect Singaporean employees. Workplace bullying is amongst the issues that Singaporean PMEs do face at work, just like in Mr Wong's case. A recent Zaobao article cited, from TAFEP, complaints of an increase in hiring discrimination in workplaces and also reported more cases of foreign managers hiring their own fellow countrymen and not Singaporeans. Legislating against workplace bullying, Madam, could be a step too far to start with. However, I would like to ask the Minister to look into setting up platforms for the grievances of PMEs, to be heard and documented, as many are doing so, in vain, on social media. We must further establish guidelines to hold employers accountable should an unreasonable number of cases within the organisation rise. I am glad that the Government has tightened the eligibility for Employment Passes and I am also glad to hear the Acting Minister reassuring us just now that our people will remain at the heart of our policies. I would like to join hon Member Mr Patrick Tay to call upon the Minister to institutionalise a labour market test for PMEs similar to the practice in Hong Kong, Australia and others. Can the Minister enlighten us on the timeframe? Family Care Leave”
“Madam, I have spoken and raised some issues during my recent Budget speech. Can the Minister comment on: One, legislating the rights of employees to request for flexible work arrangements; Two, extending maternity leave from four to six months; and Three, granting additional incentives to encourage and assist women to return to work? Aside from the issues concerning women, today my concern is also for PMEs. Two-thirds of Singaporeans will hold PME jobs by 2030. This translates to 1.25 million Singaporeans, compared to 850,000 today. Madam, Singaporean PMEs are most concerned about the Employment Pass issued, which had increased over the years from 99,200 in December 2007 to 173,800 in December 2012. During the recent Budget announcement, I was heartened to hear that the Government will be exploring into new industries that would create jobs for our workers, such as robot operators and material scientists, and are investing in the emerging space and satellite industry through a S$90 million Satellite Industry Development Fund. However, the question on Singaporeans' minds is, will there be another influx of foreign talents to support these industries? My question to the Minister is how do we balance this influx with the current promise to reduce or maintain the number of Employment Passes being issued? Secondly, there is a growing number of Singaporeans losing their jobs to foreigners and who have expressed being intimidated and bullied. This is also a result of foreign talents hiring their fellow countrymen. Page: 104 Madam, Mr Wong is one such Singaporean among many who has suffered the emotional trauma of redundancy shams, orchestrated by foreign talent to benefit another foreign talent.”
“Unwed mothers choose to keep their babies despite the difficulties that they face because they do not want to destroy a life. These parents need help from the Government, as an unwed parent has to take care of the child single- Page: 36 handedly. I, therefore, would like to ask the Government to also include a child born to an unwed mother to be covered under the Child Development Co-savings Act and extend three of the below benefits to them: first, extended childcare leave; second, infant care leave; and third, qualifying/handicapped child relief. Madam, I am heartened that the Government will be spending $3 billion to develop the pre-school sector. I would also like to ask the Minister, beyond the development of physical infrastructure, how many more professionals do we need to train, and how much of that fund will be allocated towards, firstly, the physical training infrastructure and institutions for training pre-school and childcare professionals; and secondly, the structured training and career development for pre-school and childcare professionals? Indeed, Madam, it is high time that we need to improve the image of our pre-school and childcare professionals because they impart life to our children. Single Parents”
“Mdm Chair, I would like to thank the Government for accepting a number of NTUC proposals and for introducing the range of maternity and childcare benefits in the recent Marriage and Parenthood (M&P) package. It helps alleviate the financial burden of setting up families, encourages the sharing of parental responsibilities and enhances work-life balance. I am supportive of these measures that are available to most parents. However, I would like to urge the Government to extend these benefits also to single unwed mothers. The NTUC Women's Development Secretariat started the WeCare For U Project in 2009, to help single mothers build greater resilience and independence through various intervention programmes. The emphasis of the projects organised are also focused on helping parent and child to build stronger emotional bonds. As at February this year, we have reached out to 1,463 comprising of 487 single mothers and 976 children. Many of these women feel excluded as they are not entitled to the M&P benefits. The M&P package was intended to encourage Singaporeans to marry and start families. I believe in the institution of marriage. It is important as it forms the foundation for a happy family. These policies are intended to give our children the protection, care, financial and emotional support from the day they were born. Unfortunately, there will be instances where a child is born outside a marriage. If these incentives are not offered to unwed mothers, it is the children who will suffer more than the parent. What matters most is the child. The issue is not the circumstances of the mother, or if the child was conceived out of wedlock. In principle, how would a child born outside of marriage be able to be considered socially mobile if the child was disadvantaged at birth?”
“Can our Government provide opportunities for all children to start on an equal footing by: (a) institutionalising preschools to ensure standardised quality, and to make it affordable for all Singaporeans, similar to our primary and secondary schools system; and (b) institutionalising tuition and enrichment programmes in schools by incorporating these into a full-day curriculum. This so-called "Student-Care" can be Edusave-funded. Tuition and Learning Support”
“Madam, what Singaporeans hope for is "A home with a strong Singaporean identity and sense of belonging". However, many Singaporeans do not feel this way where our education system is concerned. One such example is Mr T K Lim. Mr Lim and his wife Jo are working class parents with four children. Their eldest daughter passed her "A" Level last year and was accepted by the University of Western Australia to pursue BioMedical Science (Double Major) degree but she was rejected by NTU and NUS. With three other younger siblings, she did not want to impose on her parents financially and decided to retake her "A" Level in the hope of getting into our local university this year. Page: 85 What is upsetting for this family and many Singaporeans is that they do not understand why there are so many foreign students with low command of English who are able to apply and enter our local universities, as such, depriving Singaporean children a chance to pursue their dreams. Madam, many young Singaporeans who want to fulfill their dreams of holding a degree but have no places in our local universities and do not want to burden their families, end up in private institutions, taking on hefty loans to pay for their degree and start their lives in debt. The system requires review so as not to deprive our children of a place in our local universities. Next, while well-off children can have better access to preschool education as well as tuition and enrichment classes, others do not have equal opportunities for a head-start in life.”
“I would like to thank the Minister of State for her very comprehensive answer as well as assurance. I just have one clarification and that is – as far as the union is concerned, we will do our best to build up the Singapore Core. However, it takes the concerted effort of the tripartite partners as well. And I just want to ask if the Minister would look into any incentives to incentivise our employers so that they can provide the berth places to these cadets. Because the feedback from the SMA as well is that they have to worry about looking for a berth place for these cadets before they can bring them in to train them. So, I hope that the Minister of State can look into it. The other aspect is the dependency ratio. I would like to just share that, I have already written this letter last year in early December to MOM to look into it but I was informed that MPA is still working on it. I hope that I can hear some response soon.”
“If Mr Omar had not lost his job to the foreigners, he would be earning over $4,000 a month with two days off for every six days he works. Page: 55 Furthermore, because of the current dependency ratio, foreigners are employed on Singapore-flagged ships in much better conditions. Whereas Singaporeans can only find employment, on foreign-flagged ships which are in poorer conditions. I would like to urge the Minister to work with MOM to review the current dependency ratio of disadvantaged Singaporeans in the harbour craft sector. We must further plug the loophole. Companies are currently taking advantage by fulfilling this ratio with local administrative staff, instead of seafarers. This situation has disheartened many of the seafaring officers from revalidating their certificates. Most of them are unable to afford the course fees. I hope that the Minister will look into providing financial assistance in the form of subsidies and training allowances to this group of less well-off seafaring officers, who are out of job and need to revalidate their expired certificates, so that they can return to working onboard vessels in the harbour and earn decent wages. Madam, why should well-paid jobs on better and newer vessel, benefit only the foreigners and not our Singaporeans? To achieve our 2030 vision of having 20% Singaporeans seagoing officers on board Singapore-flagged ships, there must be constructive Tripartism. Lastly, if we are truly committed to building a Singapore Core, I believe the target of 20% by 2030 can be achieved.”
“Furthermore, the commitment of a dedicated training ship will be seen as our Government partaking in a stake to build a Singapore Core that will compete in a global environment as well as build our resilience for manpower needs in essential services locally to serve shipyards, harbour crafts, shipping companies and other related companies to serve Singapore as a Maritime Hub. I urge the Minister to assign just one ship for training purposes. Madam, I would now like to shift my focus from foreign going to the local and home-trade officers categories. While we continue to train our officers, another group of our Singapore Core continues to face a more urgent and basic bread-and-butter issue. Local and home-trade Singaporean seafarers who, at one time worked in our harbour, today face unemployment. Madam, in our recent dialogue with members, many feedback that over the years, their jobs were taken over by foreigners who today manned most of our vessels in harbour. Personally, I am also concerned about security issues. As such, Singaporeans seafarers were disheartened, and gave up their hope to revalidate their certificates to be employed. One of the many examples is Singaporean, Mr Omar, presently aged 59, started sailing in 1978 and by 1998, at age 45, his monthly wage was $3,000. Seafarers like Mr Omar were hired on contract. By 2006, employers of Singapore-flagged ships were hiring lower wage foreigners instead of Singaporeans, and Mr Omar, then aged 53, lost his job. He managed to find employment onboard sand barges within the port. He now works 12 hours a day with only two Sundays off, earns a basic wage of $1,500 with overtime pay – his average monthly salary is less than $3,000.”
“In the mid-1980s during the recession, many viewed seafaring as a sunset career as wages were low for Singaporeans who were competing with low-cost foreign seafarers. However, today the scenario has changed. An entry-level third officer for foreign-going vessels can earn an average of S$3,800 per month. A sea captain can earn from S$10,000 to S$25,000 a month depending on the type of vessel. The S$10,000 monthly wages of a captain is more than three times our national median wages in 2012. After some years at sea, should these seafarers decide to come ashore, there are executive and management career opportunities in the maritime industry. Many are also earning no less than what they used to earn at sea. Today, out of some 20,000 officers in more than 4,200 Singapore-flagged ships, only about a staggering 1,605 are Singaporeans. This is tragic, because these are well-paying jobs with good career prospects and good wages. I strongly believe we must change this situation and work towards 20% of Singaporeans employed on Singapore-flagged ships by 2030. It is my aspiration to see more of these 20,000 well-paid jobs going to my fellow Singaporeans and we need to step up our efforts to show Singaporeans how attractive these careers can be so that they can choose the right education Page: 54 path. If we can train 500 cadets or more per year, if our shipping employers make available training berths on their ocean-going commercial vessels and more Singaporeans can have the opportunity for an exciting and promising sea career, we will be able to grow this Singaporean core to more than 8,000 Officers out of the 20,000 seagoing officers. I would like to ask the Minister to look into ways to incentivise our employers to provide training berths to train our Singaporean cadets.”
“My tripartite partner has just spoken so it is the union's turn. Madam, the Budget 2013 initiative of tightening foreign worker policies has been most consistent with what Singaporeans have hoped for – "A home with a strong Singaporean identity and sense of belonging". As we continue to grow Singapore as an international maritime hub, we must now shift our focus back to the number of Singaporeans within the industry. The maritime industry is a key industry that contributes more than 7% of GDP. MOT and MPA have contributed greatly in growing our fleet to more than 4,200 Singapore-flagged ships. The growth of our maritime industry not only benefits our economy; it also translates to 170,000 jobs in the maritime sector. In the last COS, I urged the Government to look into plans for maritime manpower development and I am thankful that the MOT and MPA have, in the Page: 53 last year, started the Special Limits Marine Engineer programme and continued to train Singaporeans as Nautical Officers under the Special Limits Officers Programme. The WDA, e2i and SSA have also shown their support to the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU) where I am the Executive Secretary, in our Tripartite Nautical Training Awards (TNTA) programme which was introduced to train those who are not academically inclined, thus giving these Singaporeans a chance they would have never otherwise been given to join this industry. It is heartening to see more Singaporeans coming forward to apply for these programmes to fulfil their aspirations to sail as Seafaring Officers. Furthermore, these programmes also provide an opportunity for our low-income Singaporeans to improve their social mobility with decent work and good wages.”
“During the first day of training, she appeared aloof and apprehensive. As she was trained to join the retail industry, she was not sure if she could withstand the gruelling hours of standing after staying at home for the past 17 years. With the encouragement from the trainer and her course mates, she became more confident and cheerful and looked forward to her new employment.”
“It is time we set up a cost control or review committee under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to study the overall impact of all price increases, be it transport or daily necessities, to the overall inflation rate, so we can monitor the multiplier and spiralling effect of these increases. Thirdly, women in our labour force. Madam, we have a labour crunch in Singapore today. MOM's Labour Force Report 2012 reflects that although we have some 942,000 economically active women in Singapore, we also have some 525,000 women who are aged 25 years and above who are economically inactive and not working. If I exclude women who are 60 years and above, there will then be about 272,000 women who are economically inactive. Madam, NTUC's Women's Development Secretariat (WDS) under your leadership in 2007, pioneered the Women's Back2Work with U Programme with a focus to help women to return to the workforce by equipping them with the skill and competency to readjust to modern work environment and requirements and, at the same time, to match them with their potential employers. NTUC also introduced the Jobs on Wheels programme in 2012, bringing available jobs directly into the heartlands to women. As at 2012, NTUC has trained some 16,500 women out of 17,570 women whom we have assisted and have found jobs and returned to the workforce. I would like to share a story of how much help and time is involved to help Mdm Jenny Chua in her 50s, return to work after a 17-year lapse. Jenny Chua chanced upon NTUC WDS when she attended the Jobs on Wheels programme. Page: 100 She was delighted to know that NTUC will be able to help her return to work. She responded positively when the staff called and did a screening with her to gauge her eligibility for the two training modules.”
“However, in a recent Mercer global ranking of most expensive cities to live in, Singapore has moved up the ranking steadily from 11th position in 2010, 8th in 2011 and, in 2012, became the 6th most expensive city to live in. According to the same study, the annual household income required to lead a "comfortable" retired life in Singapore is the third highest among Asia's major economies, behind Australia and Hong Kong, at $48,773. The survey found that this figure is 68% higher than what was needed in 2011, whereas the median gross monthly income from work, including the employer's CPF contributions of full-time employed residents, rose over the year 2011 by 7.1% to $3,480 in 2012. With these staggering numbers, I foresee Singaporeans trying their whole Page: 99 lives to have adequate retirement savings by, perhaps, taking on a second job to put aside more money for their retirement to supplement their CPF savings for a better retirement income. If the high cost of living persists and is not addressed today, it will escalate into a bigger problem that is difficult to reverse in 20 to 30 years down the road, especially if inflation gets the better of any wage increases. Madam, this impact will be felt most among our lower middle-income group and our elderly population. Inflation in Singapore for 2012 has gone up by some 4.6%. Although MOM has reported that wages have also increased last year by 7.1%, what is significant is that the income gap in Singapore has also widened. Social cohesion in Singapore will be eroded when the poor believe they cannot work their way up. Are there more measures to reduce the widening income gap? I am concerned for our Singaporean workers, who have put in a hard day's work and still have to struggle with their basic needs.”
“Mdm Speaker, thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in this Budget debate. I would like to thank the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Finance for an Inclusive Budget which is pro-workers and a Budget that addresses the hopes of Singaporeans for "A Better Singapore". I would like to raise three areas of concern. Firstly, Wage Credit Scheme. I welcome the Budget initiative on the Wage Credit Scheme (WCS) which helps companies to restructure their operations and, in turn, share productivity gains with their workers by paying them higher wages. For the Government to co-fund 40% of wage increase over the next three years is indeed commendable. However, I have three points that I would like to seek clarification from the Minister. Firstly, during the implementation process, how can employers be held accountable that their employees will indeed enjoy the subsidies through wage increase? Secondly, plugging some of the loopholes in the scheme where the companies can increase wages as one-off variables. Will the Government insist that some form of balance should be reached on these increments where any normal increment, service increment and productivity that has been realised and can be sustained, should go into the built-in basic wages? As such, it should be a combination of built-in and variable increases and not just one-time bonuses. Thirdly, should the companies be unable to sustain the increased wage cost in the fourth year, will workers then face a freeze in wage increment and, for some, even a wage cut? Would the Government then consider extending the WCS after the third year? Secondly, cost of living. Mdm Speaker, another area of my concern is the cost of living in Singapore. What we hope for is "A Singapore with affordable living".”