Tan Cheng San
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we know that the bus routes are now quite long. Travelling from one terminal to the other will take about two hours. It is quite difficult for anyone to control for two hours without answering the call of nature. I do hope that the Minister for Communications will consider this point.”
“In recent years, in order to support the National Wages Council's recommendations, trade unions have actively set up productivity committees under their branch unions to increase productivity. This is in keeping with the national policy.”
The complete record
Every one of 19 lines we hold for Tan Cheng San, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account.
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir,I do not think we require a very big space. It can be just a latrine like those provided at wayang sites.”
“I am very sorry that he has not given me a favourable answer. I would like to know when it can be done. This is not a very difficult question to answer.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we know that the bus routes are now quite long. Travelling from one terminal to the other will take about two hours. It is quite difficult for anyone to control for two hours without answering the call of nature. I do hope that the Minister for Communications will consider this point. I hope the Minister of State will answer this question.”
“Sir, the Senior Minister of State has said that up to the present time there are 10 bus terminals which have no sanitary facilities. Will the Minister concerned provide temporary sanitary facilities at these places?”
“During the peak hours many bus lanes are obstructed by some buses which have no time schedule to keep and that causes other buses which have a time schedule to keep to move out of the bus lane, otherwise it would disrupt all the bus schedules badly. Yet, buses leaving the bus lane is illegal and it is also extremely unsafe for the commuters. It also directly affects the safety of other road users. Although the trade union has complained to the authorities which then became busy for a while, but there was no result and it was the end of the matter, Fourthly, bus bays. On the dividers in front of the bus bays usually some plants are planted for decoration and the branches of these often obstruct the view of the bus drivers. Moreover, because of their length, when the buses move into or out of the bus bay, the buses inevitably run into some branches. thus causing unnecessary danger to commuters and also causing unnecessary wear and tear of the buses. Fifthly, bus stops. Some bus stops are sited very close to traffic lights. At present some buses do not have automatic doors and this is very dangerous because some commuters would try to get up or down the bus before the traffic lights. This can cause unnecessary accidents. Therefore, I hope the Minister concerned will try his best to cut down on red tape and simplify the procedures and would take note of the above points in order to ensure that any plans or measures for the improvement of public transport would not be hindered or delayed.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 1101 By the efforts of the Government, the trade unions and the bus company, the common objective of tripartitism has step by step been realised. In the past two years, our bus transport system has greatly improved, as a result of the efforts of the Government in this respect. On the Government side, there are a few ministries and agencies which are in close touch with the bus transport system, that is, the Ministry of Communications, PWD, Housing and Development Board and the Ministry of the Environment. But because of red-tape and the complicated procedure of these ministries or agencies plans or measures on how to improve public transport were very often delayed or could not be implemented. Now, let me touch on a few measures for the improvement of bus services which have been shelved, delayed or not yet been solved. Firstly, bus depots. Because of the great number of buses, the bus company should have some well-equipped bus depots in order to repair at all times the buses that have broken down. However, this question of bus depots has' yet to be solved. Only the Braddell Road Main Depot has shown some progress. Secondly, sanitary facilities at bus terminals. The Government, trade unions and the bus company all fully understand that there is an urgent need for good sanitary facilities at bus terminals. The bus company has therefore applied to the authority concerned. However, because of red-tape and the complicated procedure of these ministries or agencies there has been no reply although applications were sent in to the authorities concerned years ago. Thirdly, bus lanes.”
“(9) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of item (b) of subhead AAA 3020.”
“If this is so, why should the Ministry of Labour intervene when the union negotiates and comes to an agreement for better terms to its members?”
“It is an offence for the union to even enquire whether the company wishes to make the application. Similarly, when approvals are given, the unions are not informed. Consequently, several companies make their own announcements when they make the application and when approvals are received. This definitely is unfair to the unions because they have to hear about the additional payments from the employers and in many instances after the payment is made, Such practice makes the union members feel that the company is the benefactor and more generous and that the union is in a helpless position and useless to them. When a company which has paid more than the frozen quantum refuses to apply for approval for the continuation of the payment of additional quantum, the Minister should direct the company to apply for approval and let the Ministry of Finance to decide whether the company has the capacity to pay or not. The Ministry of Labour is very keen in according equal treatment to all the employees. When the trade union has got better conditions of service or remunerations for its members, the Ministry will see to it that the non-unionised workers will also be accorded equal treatment. Once the unionised workers get certain benefits from the employer, the Ministry of Labour would quickly see the employer and urge the employer to accord to the non-unionised workers equal benefit. On the contrary, when a trade union has concrete evidence to show that a certain employer has been giving non-unionised workers higher annual wage supplement, the Ministry of Labour officials would say that they could not help the unionised workers to get equal treatment because they were not given the power to deal with such an employer to give such equal benefits to them.”
“A widow once told me that if her husband had not paid heed to his employer's threat to sack him if he were to visit the Government doctor during working hours, he might still be alive today. Because of the seriousness of this matter, I hope the Minister for Labour will pay attention to it and properly amend the Employment Act so that the workers will be entitled to sick leave on certification by the company doctor or a Government doctor. Alternatively, if there is a difference in the diagnosis of these two doctors, then the diagnosis of the Government doctor should be upheld because he is more neutral and there is no conflict of personal interest involved. According to the existing law, it is an offence for a trade union to claim for anything in excess of frozen quantum but the law does not make it an offence for an employer to pay less than the frozen quantum. 6.45 p.m. Employees are accustomed to expect a certain quantum of Annual Wage Supplement on a fixed date, under the terms of Collective Agreement. At the 11th hour, many companies do not pay the frozen quantum on the pretext that they have no capacity to pay. Would it not be fair for such companies to apply to the Arbitration Court for variation of Collective Agreement or apply to the Minister for Labour to reduce the quantum well in advance so that the employees will not be taken by surprise if they do not receive the quantum of Annual Wage Supplement that they are entitled? This will also not give the workers cause to suspect any foul play, otherwise it will appear unfair to them. If a company wants to continue to pay the annual wage supplement more than the frozen quantum, it would have to get the approval of the Minister for Finance. It is now up to the company to decide whether to apply or not.”
“The principal company should also be responsible for the workers to join a trade union for their interest. Sir, on the question of medical facilities provided for the workers, according to the present Act, any sick leave could only be allowed on the production of a medical certificate issued by the company doctor or in the absence of such doctor, by a Government doctor. When the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation complained about its members not receiving good medical care because of restriction under the terms of their contracts, the company doctors immediately protested. According to recent newspaper reports, some doctors have confirmed such restrictive regulations in respect of medical charges. In view of the restriction on medical charges, nobody believes that company doctors would be so generous as to give expensive medicine to employees of a company because they know that the employer will refuse to pay such expensive medical costs. Therefore, we can come to only one conclusion, i.e, under these circumstances, employees will not be able to enjoy adequate and fair medical care. Worse still, if an employee is not satisfied with the diagnosis by the company doctor, he is not allowed to see a Government doctor. Employers also understand that Government doctors are neutral. From the point of professional ethics, when there is a difference of opinion between two doctors, one should not challenge the other. There are a few local organisations who neglected these medical ethics. Instead, they instigated certain companies not to recognise the diagnosis by Government doctors. Because of these differences of opinion, the life of the patient is at stake.”
“Sir, young people of Singapore do not want to engage themselves in laborious and heavy work, particularly in building construction work. There are reasons for this. Generally, such work is contracted out to contractors. There are chief contractors, contractors and sub-contractors. The workers do not have any safeguards over their employment. They do not enjoy paid holidays or double pay for working on rest days. They do not enjoy paid sick leave, annual leave, or maternity leave under the Employment Act. All these unreasonable and unjust working conditions are found among workers on building sites and also in places where the contract system is done. These workers do not enjoy all these benefits. The only way to do away with this anomaly is to organise the workers under contract labour and unionise them. But as soon as the contractor comes to know that the workers have joined the union, he will immediately dissolve his company and sack all of them. This means that as soon as the workers under contract labour unionise so as to protect their interests, they will lose their jobs. Some private companies also resort to the same tactics as the contractors by sacking their workers and hand over the job to the contractor. This happens very often in the recent past. Let the Labour Ministry find out from the Registry of Companies how many HDB worksites and buildings have been used by contractors to put up their offices. So I hope the Minister realizes the plight of these workers and take necessary action to amend or enact the relevant Act so that workers of contractor can enjoy all those benefits provided by the law. The principal company should be responsible in awarding such benefits similar to what is provided in the Workmen's Compensation Act.”
“In recent years, in order to support the National Wages Council's recommendations, trade unions have actively set up productivity committees under their branch unions to increase productivity. This is in keeping with the national policy. In order to support the Ministry of Labour's effort in preventing industrial accidents, trade unions have also actively set up industrial health and safety committees under their branch unions. All these facts enumerated above have demonstrated the contributions made by trade unions in our social progress and economic development. Therefore. I hope the Government will also consider allowing the trade unions to purchase industrial land to build trade union houses to serve our workers. When any worker meets with any difficulty, he could promptly go to the union for consultation. I also hope that the Government will also consider providing recreational and sports facilities around trade union houses so that our workers can take part in these activities after work. 5.07 p.m.”
“They have great responsibilities in respect of the economic development of our country. When we look back to 1968 when the British military forces planned a withdrawal from Singapore, our economic prospect was then not at all optimistic and nobody could predict the fate that was facing us. However, under the able leadership of the PAP Government we have passed and overcome many an economic difficulty. In the interest of the nation and for the long-term interest of our workers, at that time our workers had resolutely taken up the challenge of a patriotic mission and they accepted the Employment Act, 1968 and the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act, 1968. That we have today's prosperity is also due to the workers' resolute action taken then. Therefore, our workers have made indelible contributions towards our nation-building. Today, trade unions not only take part in negotiations for working conditions and the benefits of our workers but also take part in national and social activities. The National Trades Union Congress has resolutely taken up the task of organising cooperative supermarkets in order to curb the increasing prices of consumer goods. In order to respond to the Government's call for more women to engage themselves in production work, trade unions have also resolutely taken over or set up creches. In order to be more involved in social activities, the trade unions have organised kindergartens, health centres, issued primary, secondary and university scholarships to children of union members, sponsored family planning courses, organised various cultural and recreational activities, actively promoted sports activities, visited homes for the aged and taken part in blood transfusion, and so on.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the 1977-78 financial policy of the Government contained in a Motion moved by the 28th February, 1977. When the world economy is slowly recovering, it is very correct for the Finance Minister to announce in his Budget for the new financial year measures to increase taxes on cigarettes and tobacco and liquor which are consumer goods, not daily necessities. In the field of technical and industrial training, the Government is emphasising the training of skills in the engineering trades, metal machining, and fabrication as well as on selected fields of precision engineering. This is a piece of good news to our workers, because through industrial and technical training the skills of our workers will be raised so that the products will be of a better quality. This in turn will raise their productivity and improve the workers' remuneration comparatively. Because of this, our workers with better skills, increased productivity, and increased income will be able to live a better life than before. On the other hand, because our products are of good quality and with increased productivity, our products will be able to compete better in the international markets, thus stimulating our economic growth. In order to meet the needs of our commerce and industry for their rapid growth the Government has allotted more land, expand communication network and increased our electricity capacity. This policy will directly promote our economic growth and help to solve the employment problem of our people. In the meantime, the Government is allocating land for civic organisations, such as churches, youth associations and others for them to build their headquarters or offices. Trade unions are also civic organisations.”
“Until the mass rapid transit system is set up, the Singapore Bus Service Ltd, will continue to be the mainstay of our public transport system. In order to raise the standard of service, the Government should therefore consider setting up canteens and toilets at bus terminals for the convenience of bus workers. Also to facilitate industrial workers and to encourage more blue collar workers, the Government should consider asking the Company to provide more buses in industrial areas during peak hours for the convenience of the workers to travel to and from work. In order to encourage more women to join the labour force, all private organisations and trade unions should not shirk the responsibility of building their own creches for the care of children to help working mothers. The NTUC has been negotiating to take over a creche in Toa Payoh, while SILO has already taken over a creche at Kallang Bahru for this purpose. The other organisations, whether private, industrial or employers, should also contribute to our social welfare undertakings. Therefore, the Government should encourage these organisations to respond actively in supporting, taking over or establishing creches. 4.07 p.m.”
“This will lead to industrial peace thus encouraging our economic development and advancing us towards the target of tripartism. With tripartite co-operation of the Government, Employer and Labour, we shall be able to struggle for our economic development so as to realise our objectives of nation building. In addition to giving protection and safeguard to the well-being, security and health of our workers. I feel that if the facilities and measures could be extended to cover also the fields of recreation and sports, then our workers will be able to lead better lives and be more contented. The Productivity Board will strengthen its work to promote the productivity of workers, and will formulate programmes for such purpose. Generally, employers always regard higher productivity as a duty on the part of the workers. They expect workers to work harder and still harder, but neglect to improve the method of work and the tools of production. The Productivity Board should therefore get the employers to improve the method of work and tools of production. The Board should also formulate incentive schemes for the workers to raise their productivity. In the past few years bus transport has improved significantly. We must thank the Government for its effort. It is also the result of sincere cooperation between capital and labour. In the past few years the Singapore Industrial Labour Organisation has improved the working conditions of bus workers. As we all know, the bus workers have to get up very early for the morning shift duties. Usually they will have to get up at 4.00 or 5.00 am. They will have to retire, if on night shift, in the small hours of the day at one or two o'clock. Their duty is to provide commuters with safe and comfortable service.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion thanking the President for his speech delivered on 8th February, 1977. The Presidential address points out that the Government holds firm the simple truth that to get from each his best, rewards and recognition must go to those who consistently excel in high performance. This will encourage the workers to work more diligently and to lead better lives. On the other hand, it will also stimulate our economic growth so that our products can be more competitive on international market. The Government will allocate more funds for the setting up of training centres to train our workers in higher skills so as to prepare them for precision work. This will directly improve the skills and standard of our workers so that the quality of our products will be better and more sophisticated. In the end, our products will be more competitive in the international market. The training of our workers should ensure that it will achieve the objects envisaged. That is, the workers should acquire higher skill to enable them to do precision work. On the other hand we should look out for employers who abuse the name of training by not actually giving adequate training to the workers. It is stated in the Presidential address that the Ministry of Labour: `will continue to work with unions and employers to contribute to economic growth through the promotion of a stable and peaceful industrial climate, the fostering of a disciplined and productive workforce and the safeguarding of the welfare, safety and health of our workers.' This is good news to our workers as it will enable our workers to have a better and more stable living and to enjoy their family life.”