Yeo Guat Kwang
Singapore
“Madam, a supplementary question. Many are concerned that with the rising manpower cost and manpower shortage, whether the standard of cleanliness and the hygiene level in the hawker centres will also be affected.”
“The Government should consider implementing new disposal standards like Taiwan and the cities in China, as well as roll out assistance schemes similar to the Innovation and Capability Voucher (ICV), to encourage the local F&B industry to bring in new technology and provide businesses with grants to purchase kitchen waste disposal machiner…”
“Madam, the Minister of State mentioned that instead of having a one-stop, he is suggesting to provide a better first-stop. So, I hope the Minister of State can elaborate further on how this first-stop can really help.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to seek a few clarifications from the Minister. The Minister mentioned that the Bill targets those dormitories that are housing 1,000 workers and above. But this Bill's name is "Foreign Employee Dormitories Bill". Why do we not call the Bill the "Purpose-Built Dormitory Bill"? That is, we call a spade a spade.”
“I would like to ask the Ministry: why does it not just group all these regulations together under this Bill and apply it to all? Madam, as the legislation is allowed time to take effect, I would also want to urge the Government to continue close consultation and engagement with the operators and migrant worker residents especially, as wel…”
“This is a Bill that touches everyone in one way or another: some of us are pet owners, others are potential pet buyers, business owners, and some of us may be neighbours to pet owners.”
The complete record
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“Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong announced the first LRT system in February 1996, and thereafter the Government has also announced LRT systems in Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol, and the people were very excited about this. After this, the residents in the other estates have been waiting and waiting, and yet they do not hear any news of LRT coming to their new towns. I would like to ask the Minister whether we are going to extend our LRT system to the other residential estates. Sir, apart from the rail network, our road network should also be improved. Last year, in the Budget debate, I mentioned that ERP is a specific and effective cure, but not a panacea. We must expand our road network and to clear some of the bottleneck situations in some of our roads. It is like a patient who has an artery blockage problem. If necessary, we may have to get a specialist to put in a stent, so that the blood vessels will be free again. Otherwise, we may even have to perform an operation on them. Sir, our CTE is like a blood vessel which is almost incurable. Recently, many private residential estates were developed along the CTE. In the north-east area, in my constituency, with the completion of Hougang new town and with Sengkang and Punggol 21 rapidly developing, with about 1,000 units being completed every month, I hope we could have a new blood vessel there, so that these areas will not suffer a stroke and become paralysed. We also do not wish to see the CTE having more and more ERP gantry points. Otherwise, passing through the CTE will be a problem because we have to pay ERP all the way.”
“Sir, most people in Singapore basically understand that as a small nation with limited land to use, we need to have a set of highly efficient land transport system and a vehicle control system, to make sure that our roads are free flowing. The roads and rail networks are like the blood vessels in our body. If the blood vessels are blocked, then the body will be partially or completely paralysed. Singapore is the only country in the world that has successfully implemented the COE and ERP systems. However, we cannot just depend on all these control measures, because clothing, food, accommodation and transportation are the four essential conditions in our life. When everybody wants to own a car and there are not enough roads for the cars to move, we have to do something. We have to build a very good network, a rail network or an integrated public transport system. These are very important to us. The rail network has progressed very rapidly in the last few years. The MRT system enables us to travel from east to west and from north to south. The Airport line and the North-East Line will be completed in 2001 and 2002 respectively. An effective MRT system has also let us to make optimum use of our land. I would like to know whether the Government has any plans to extend the rail network to all the major residential estates, so that they could be linked up. In 1995, the former Communications Minister, Mr Mah Bow Tan, and the GPC Chairman, Dr Tan Cheng Bock, visited many countries in the world, and recommended the LRT system in 1995. The LRT will become an important mode of transport in our HDB estates.”
“On the locally-produced Chinese programmes, there is another aspect that we should pay particular attention to, that is, the children's programmes. I am glad to notice that in recent years, TCS has also attained some breakthrough in the children's programmes. For example, there are a number of very good children's programmes which are very popular. My children are faithful followers of these programmes. TCS should produce more such programmes that are educational and appealing to the children. Hopefully, they will pull the children away from over-indulgence in computer games.”
“Sir, in the past few years, there has been remarkable improvement in the standard of Chinese programmes produced by TCS. Many TV programmes have won not only the praises from the audience but many international awards as well. This is very heartening indeed. Our media are different from other countries because they have to take into consideration the multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural characteristics of our society, apart from keeping a high sense of social responsibility. Under such constraints, TCS is still able to maintain its credibility by not simply lowering its taste to please the public, and has even managed to produce some quality programmes. This is indeed very remarkable. Sir, apart from producing a number of TV serials with local flavour such as Stepping Out, they also produced some very good current affairs and informative programmes, such as Cultural Escapades, Asia - A New Horizon, The Forensic Detectives, Tuesday Features, Focus, etc. They are very good and have received good comments from the audience. They are informative and interesting, commanding very high viewership. As Mr Seng Han Thong has said, there are a lot of channels and a lot of programmes available to the viewers. I hope that TCS could reinforce our current affairs section, so that they will be able to produce more excellent Chinese informative programmes. As for recreational programmes, I feel that so long as MITA can give TCS more flexibility to purchase better programmes from other countries, that is enough. But for current affairs, they must have high credibility. They have to take into consideration our neutral position. We have to put in more money and more human resources to improve the quality and quantity of our current affairs programmes.”
“Therefore, now that we have done well in our economic development, we should spend more resources to popularise cultural activities among our people. In recent years, there has been a breakthrough in the promotion of culture and arts in Singapore. The Government has already made great efforts to build up a "cultural garden". We are no longer a cultural desert. However, I hope that on this basis, the Government should finance and support our cultural organisations so that they can do better. I also hope that the National Arts Council and MITA would bring arts and culture to our working place so that our workers will have the chance to enjoy some artistic performances. The NTUC spends about $80,000 every year to sponsor some 20 cultural activities for our workers, but that is not enough. I hope that the NAC and MITA would consider encouraging and financing more arts groups to bring their activities to reach out to the workers. Perhaps we should also give discounts on concert admission tickets to our workers, like what we do to our SAF personnel, so that our workers would have more opportunities to enjoy the various cultural performances. Sir, I hope that when these cultural bodies are putting up their performances, they could perhaps set aside one special show for the workers. I also hope that our cultural organisations would consider putting up some not so heavy performances for our workers to appreciate.”
“Sir, I have read an article in which the author wrote about his stay with his friend in the countryside. His friend was a blind man. During his stay there, every morning, he and his friend would take a walk at the woods nearby. One day when he came back from the walk, his friend asked him, "Did you have any new discovery in the woods today?" The author replied, "No. Isn't everything the same here every day?" His blind friend was very surprised by his reply. He said, "How could it be? Did you not notice that yesterday's flower buds are in full bloom today? The wild strawberries are giving out the fragrance of ripeness. I think they must have ripened." The author was shocked when he heard what his friend had said. His blind friend seemed to have seen more than he did. Although they had a walk together, the effect was quite different. Actually, the principle is very simple. Very often, we look but see not what is around us. Our sensibility is not as acute as the blind man. We have eyes, but we do not pay attention to what we see. We can only feel that there is pressure from our work and we have forgotten the pleasure that we can derive from mother nature. Sir, we should spend more time to promote more cultural activities to widen our scope and to let us enjoy the pleasure in life. Let the melodies and musical notes open the eyes in our soul, so that we can really enjoy life. Cultural activities will not only make us relax but also give us a better harmony and balance in our life. I remember that when I was young, I watched a lot of shows put up by the children's drama groups, eg, a musical by the name of "Tiny Screwdriver" left an indelible impression on me, and I learned about our traditional values through these performances.”
“I think it is timely for the PSD to review the percentage of additional Medisave contribution and the $350 annual cap for outpatient subsidy for our civil servants under the MSO scheme. I would also like to urge the PSD to work a mechanism to ensure that such provision will be adjusted as medical costs increase with time. Sir, with the cost cutting measure, our civil servants had their wages cut by 6.2% through the annual variable and monthly variable components. Now that we have "V-shape" recovery, the Government, as an employer, should recognise the public sector employees' sacrifices. As the recovery is an uneven one, their pay cut has not been fully restored. I hope the Government, as an employer, could consider recognising the sacrifices of the civil servants by giving them a one-off special Medisave contribution.”
“Sir, with an aging population and rapid business reorganisation and restructuring, more companies will retrain workers in order to stay competitive and profitable. Workers who experience periods of unemployment in between jobs can no longer look forward to life-time employment in a single company. It is therefore in the workers' interest to make benefits provided for them portable, so that they have adequate protection as they move from job to job. Employee medical benefits are prime examples. Currently, these are not portable in the private sector. It makes it harder for older workers to change jobs or find new jobs after retrenchment, especially if they have some medical condition. New employers would be reluctant to take these older workers and will take them as a burden of the older workers with the medical expenses. I am glad that the Government has adopted a portable medical benefit scheme for the civil servants since 1994. With this portable Medisave-cum-Subsidised Outpatient (MSO) scheme, our civil servants are given an additional Medisave contribution of 1% in lieu of the traditional hospitalisation benefits. The officers can use the money to pay for his or his dependant's inpatient bill or for a more comprehensive medical insurance such as IncomeShield. In addition, there is another subsidy for outpatient expenses for the officer and his eligible dependants capped at $350 per year. This scheme is portable as the officer can keep the additional contribution in his Medisave account. I would like to suggest that PSD also consider making the $350 subsidy for outpatient treatment portable. Instead of keeping the sum that is not used, the balance should also go into an employee's Medisave account. Sir, the MSO scheme has been in place for six years.”
“The public sector should also consider ways to streamline different schemes of service, better deploy staff, and respond to the higher expectations of a more educated workforce and sustain high productivity gain. Now let me cite the example of PSB. From 1996, clerical officers were transformed into administrative executives. With 80% of school leavers going for higher education, PSB found it difficult to recruit clerical grades. It was not just a change in title. PSB redesigned the work process, in consultation with the union. The job content was expanded to incorporate higher end administrative duties. The salary scales were also adjusted. A comprehensive training programme was put in place to help existing staff to acquire the new skills for the enriched role and more responsible tasks they have to perform. This project enables PSB employees to pursue more development programmes to enhance their employability. They are now enjoying better career progression path and a more rewarding work life. 1.00 pm I hope the Public Service Division will also consider such work design initiative for applicable job areas in the public sector to increase the value of the existing jobs and provide structured training for employees to develop new competencies. As our civil servants upgrade their skills to take up these high value added jobs, they will be more employable and be paid more. The work redesign programme should be widely considered in the public sector, not only to create greater efficiency but also to better deploy manpower to areas where there is staff shortage, such as school's office to help ease teachers' administrative workload.”
“Sir, for the past decade, companies in the United States have been continually restructuring their operations to make themselves leaner and more profitable. Now other countries, including Japan, are doing the same things. In Singapore, we have seen companies restructuring not because of economic difficulties, but to become more competitive. Globalisation and the rapid change in technology are altering the way companies operate and the way we work. Are we ready for such drastic changes to our working life? We could try to dig in our heels in an attempt to stop these changes. But this would not serve any good. If we insist to resist change, we will do ourselves more harm than good. Instead, we need to react fast and prepare our workers early to face the challenge. Work has to be redesigned to successfully meet the new demands of the knowledge-based economy and sustain competitiveness. For example, companies have to redesign their work process to be more responsive to customers. Staff have to be empowered with more knowledge and technology to create more value. While work redesign is not a new concept, it has taken on a new dimension brought about by our ageing society and higher retirement age. Presently, retirement age is set at 62 but, in due course, it will be raised to 67. Besides creating greater efficiency in work processes, work redesign can help workers stay employable for life, through customising work processes for this specific purpose. Work redesign will also remove the stigma attached to some low-level jobs. Moreover, the higher the productivity gain, the better chances there are of our workers to receive better earnings and able to enhance their quality of life.”
“But I hope the Government would consider higher tax relief for those who look after their parents by making an effort to stay nearby or in the same HDB estate with their aged parents. Such people should be given higher tax reliefs. Mr Speaker, Sir, we are moving in this fast-paced competitive world, and as the Chinese saying goes: "Know yourself, know your enemy and you will fight a 100 battles and win them all." We must know our weaknesses and our strengths. I also recall reading an article by IDEA of London suggesting a looser monetary policy, keeping our wages at a competitive level and containing our industrial and commercial property prices as the key strategy that we should consider. I agree with these suggestions. As far as our wages are concerned, we have taken steps to make them competitive. It is only proper that we also align our industrial and commercial property prices to make them even more competitive. As a labour movement, our first priority is the well-being of our workers. We must see to it that they have jobs. When we negotiate wage increases, we always take into account two factors: (1) productivity gains; (2) the ability to pay by the company. But wages form only part of the overall business costs, and, in fact, only a small part. It would also be good if the non-wage costs, particularly Government charges, could be held down so that companies can continue to operate profitably in Singapore and our workers will have good jobs. It is only then that we would be able to create a good environment of doing business for the companies and our workers will be able to have better jobs and enjoy higher standard of living.”
“For those who were able to keep their employment, many had to accept wage freeze or wage cut to help the companies tide over the difficult times. We should therefore thank all the workers for their understanding and sacrifices. I am glad that the Government has decided to top-up $250 in each worker's CPF account. It is certainly a good gesture to reward our workers for the sacrifices they had made. This will also help to strengthen the trust in our leaders. I hope the Government will consider the suggestion that such CPF top-ups for workers should continue whenever there is a good budget surplus until the CPF cut is fully restored. Mr Speaker, to the majority of our rank-and-file workers who earn a basic salary of less than $2,000 per month, the sum of $250 is equivalent to about 2% of the employer's CPF contribution. I am also very glad that the ordinary Singaporeans are not left out in this year's Budget. The service and conservancy charges, utilities and rental rebates for HDB residents amount to $154 million. If we take the CPF top-up, the contributions to Medifund and Eldercare Fund, individual income tax relief and so on, the total giveaway is more than $1 billion. This is a glowing testimony that ours is a caring Government. However, our economic recovery is not exactly an even one. Some sectors of our economy are not quite out of the woods. Quite a lot of workers are not free from worries. They will be happier if the once-off personal income tax rebate could remain at 10% and everybody will be happy. I also welcome the additional tax relief for the maintenance of parents. It is a good incentive.”
“Mr Speaker, this year we have the good fortune to debate our Budget on a happier note. Our economy has got out of the difficulties brought about by the regional financial crisis. A friend of mine has drawn an analogy of the ups and downs of our economy. He said that each time we entered the Year of the Tiger, our economy would face difficulty. From the financial crisis in 1998, the recession in 1986 and the oil crisis in 1974, it seemed to have formed a pattern or a rule of some sort. Fortunately, after the Tiger Year, we would be able to jump up again like a rabbit, followed by the vitality of the Year of the Dragon and the dance of the golden snake. The prospects seem bright again. Sir, this may well be a great coincidence. In reality, we cannot blindly believe in this kind of rule and our economic development cannot be taken for granted. We are able to go through the difficulties because of the strong tripartism that we practise in Singapore. When the time becomes better, we should spare no efforts in enhancing the strong partnership and nurture our togetherness as a nation - one country, one people, one Singapore. Our tripartite partners have to constantly work closely to strengthen our competitiveness so as to expand our economic pie. In this way, we would be able to safeguard our workers' jobs and also help to improve their quality of life. Mr Speaker, Sir, another main reason that Singapore was able to recover so quickly is Singaporeans' ability and willingness to see the big picture and accept the bitter medicine to help nurse our economy to health. This kind of selflessness helps us to recover quickly. During the economic crisis, many companies closed down and thousands of workers were retrenched.”
“Sir, in terms of the frequency and capacity of the bus services that are provided in Sengkang, are they at a satisfactory level?”
“This amendment was made at the request of NTUC as it is administratively more convenient. The amendment also allows unions to change their financial year to coincide with the calendar year rather than stick rigidly to the current financial year from 1st April to 31st March. The labour movement supports this change as it affords more flexibility into the system. The amendment also allows for the register of trade unions to be kept and maintained in an electronic form. The labour movement supports the change as this facilitates the global trend towards data entry and captured in electronic form rather than in paper form only. Sir, the review of penalties is long overdue as the existing fines imposed have not been reviewed for more than 30 years. However, by looking at purely the rate of increase, which in some cases by 100%, it is a significant jump. And I hope the Minister could clarify. Mr Speaker, Sir, on the whole, these proposed amendments merely make technical modification to refine the system. It provides greater flexibility for unions with these changes and should therefore be supported.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at present, undischarged bankrupts can hold office in trade unions. Apart from the requirement of age and nationality, the only other restriction imposed on any office holder is that he should not have any prior criminal conviction, especially those involving criminal breach of trust or criminal intimidation. I support the amendment of sections 30 and 43 to disqualify undischarged bankrupts from holding office in trade unions or being appointed as trustees to the union. This is in line with other legislation, such as the Companies Act and the Societies Act, which impose similar restriction on office bearers. Our trade union movement supports this amendment which arose partly because of our own request made in the past. It gives greater protection of trade union funds. Sir, under the current provision, any union that wishes to buy or lease any land which is more than 4,047 square metres must first obtain the consent of the Minister for Manpower. With the new amendment, there is no restriction imposed on unions on the purchase or lease of local land of any size. However, for purchase or lease of overseas property, the consent of the union members or delegates is now required. Although this is a new restriction, it will accord better protection to members from risky overseas investments. On behalf of the labour movement, I also welcome the amendment on change in application of union funds. This amendment allows the trade unions to use the money received from compulsory contributions for purposes other than those originally intended. To make such a change, unions need only to seek the consent of their delegates, instead of having to get all members' consent as is currently provided.”
“Sir, would the Ministry allow for all those who have opted out of the scheme to opt in again? Would the Ministry also take action to help the public to understand the risk that they take by opting out from such a scheme?”
“May I ask DPM why a 5% rebate for public transport is not considered? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, we have to manage the recovery and move on. When we run into a crisis, we have to introduce measures to buffer the crisis. When we emerge from the crisis, and put it behind us, we must gradually wean ourselves off the measures so that the next time we run into a crisis again, we can apply them again. It is like the CPF. When we run into a crisis, we make a 10% cut. As soon as the crisis is over, we have to begin to restore it. If we bring it down and we hold it down, and say, no, it is too comfortable, let us leave it there, we will never come back up again. Similarly, with rebates on transport, on health and on other items. If we bring it in and leave it there, then the next time what do we do? The next time we must have a 10% rebate, and a 20% rebate. Eventually, we will have to give free bus rides, or pay people to ride buses. Therefore, these are adjustments which have to be made. They are not going to disappear overnight because some of the rebates last till next year, some of them run out this year. It is something which is not pleasant to do but which we cannot avoid.”
“Sir, last year, when we announced the cost cutting measures, there was a 5% rebate for public transport which will also expire at the end of this year. Could the Deputy Prime Minister enlighten us whether this will also be extended?”
“Sir, the labour movement has supported the cost-cutting measures. We believe that such collective efforts help to save jobs for our workers. As DPM has just mentioned, it is too early now for us to declare victory and, in fact, we know that the recovery is uneven. Some of our sectors will still have a wage freeze, for instance, the cement industry and so on. May I ask the Minister: is it the right time to have such a big salary adjustment, that is, the 13% and 29% increase for top civil servants and political appointees?”
“EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the proceedings on the item of business under discussion be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Debate resumed.”
“Last year, 99 workers died in industrial accidents, and 162 others were permanently disabled. There were 897 confirmed occupational diseases, with 674 suffering from noise-induced deafness, and 132 others from industrial dermatitis. Occupational disease cases with permanent disability for the last three years, from 1996 to 1998, were 96. Our workers deserve a safer working environment. Healthy living is as important as a safe working environment. Healthy workers are more productive. Enhancing the quality of life of workers is the primary objective of a trade union. Job creation, job security, a safe working environment and good wages will be meaningless if our workers are unable to reap the benefits because of their poor health. In conclusion, the survival of Singapore depends, to a large extent, on our ability to continue to be relevant to the market place in the world. This primarily rests on the skill levels of our workers. But this alone will not be sufficient. The skilled worker will be of no use when he continues to be on medical leave or he works under the impending dangers to his health and life at the workplace. This is an awesome challenge that requires no less than a full commitment from the Government, the employers and the unions working hand in hand. This is a very important area that we must look into. So all the three partners in the prosperity of Singapore must work together closely to implement measures to ensure the safety of our workers, how to safeguard our human resource as our asset. Sir, our workers are our very important asset and we have to face this new challenge to enhance our work safety.”
“The National Health Survey 1998 showed that hypertension has increased to 27% of the population recently and for high cholesterol, it has gone up to 24%. Diabetes affected 9% of the adult population. The situation is more alarming among the older people. Among those in their 50s or older, half of them have hypertension, 2 out of 3 have high cholesterol, and 1 in 5 is diabetic. For those in their 60s and above, it is even more alarming. Over 3 in 5 have hypertension, half have high cholesterol and 1 in 3 is diabetic. More than half had not been previously diagnosed and this is also very alarming. They do not know that they are having health problems. Another area of concern is that 3 in 4 think that Singapore is a stressful place to live in. Although a little stress is good for motivation in work, chronic stress could lead to serious health breakdown. Mr Speaker, Sir, we hope to see more employers carrying out workplace health programmes to help the workers look after their health. There is a need to set up a structural framework such as a simple annual health screening to detect health risk factors and medical problems among the workers early, so as to prevent complications and disability. A follow-up programme can then be established at workplaces to help promote healthy lifestyle, encourage people to exercise regularly, and have regular health checks. It is just as important that workers choose healthier diets, learn to cope with stress and say "no" to cigarettes. We need to further improve occupational safety and health at the workplace to minimise the number of industrial accidents and incidence of occupational diseases. Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of offenders paying composition fines for infringement of safety rules increased from 2,617 in 1997 to 3,218 in 1998.”
“But we should not be too quick to pop the champagne as the article went on to say and I quote, "And they (Singapore and Hong Kong) cease to be competitive in tasks such as technical support and accounting. Hong Kong and Singapore will need to improve general education levels to prepare their workforce for more sophisticated white collar jobs." Indeed, the article cited a study by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) that Singapore fared poorly as far as the quality, cost and availability of skilled labour are concerned. So companies that require large numbers of manual workers will continue to be moved out of Singapore to cheaper locations. To stay employable, our people must have a good grasp of the core skills. We must be able to do this, otherwise our workers will have to suffer from unemployment and hardship because of severe structural unemployment. In the knowledge-based economy, workers must have a reasonable degree of skills and know-how. If workers are not up to it, they will find it difficult to find jobs here and you cannot compete with others. On the other hand, when we are facing the challenges of the 21st century, we have to build up our heartware and social cohesion so that we will not be phased out. We must not overlook the consolidation and the maintenance of the heartware. I hope that the employers will cooperate with the unions to provide a better and safer working environment to ensure that the employees enjoy good health. The modern computer may be attacked by virus and it becomes paralysed. Likewise, the workers' productivity and efficiency may be affected by illnesses or occupational hazards that cause them to be unable to work effectively. This is a matter which we must look into seriously.”
“As one of the social partners, the labour movement in Singapore has over the years, strengthened its commitment to harmonious industrial relations as well as raising productivity at the workplace. Our unions understand that a better life for workers and their families is only possible when investments are forthcoming and good jobs are available. To ensure this, all the tripartite partners should continue to work closely for a harmonious industrial climate and industrial peace. So, we have to help our workers acquire the requisite skills to meet the challenges that lie ahead and give them the relevant and proper knowledge and skills that we can continue to remain competitive. Today, with the increasing global competition, jobs that are deemed the iron rice bowl may well become a thing of the past. This kind of long-term job security does not exist anymore. Our goal is how to ensure life-long employability. As the old Chinese saying goes, "as you live till an old age, you must keep on learning". This is even more true today as we move towards a knowledge-based economy. As Mr Matthias Yao had said, our workers need a completely new set of skills, very different from those applicable to our early years of industrialisation. Our workers must continually upgrade their skills and knowledge so that they will be able to perform better than others. It is only then that they will be able to operate computers and other advanced equipment. We need workers to constantly make use of knowledge and perform better. A recent article in the Far Eastern Economic Review observed how countries like Singapore had scored well in labour rankings, aided more by factors like political stability, infrastructure and telecommunications.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion standing in the name of Mr Davinder Singh. Before I begin with my speech, I must say a few words in fairness to our sage mentor Confucius. On Monday, Mr Chiam See Tong said that the philosophy in Singapore is authoritarianism because it is based on Confucianism. He could not have been more wrong. Confucianism advocates a benevolent government like what the famous Tang poet Du Fu described in one of his poems, "Build thousands of homes to shelter the poor and make them happy." Confucianism emphasizes "cultivating the moral characters of oneself, putting the family in good order" as a basis of the people-focused philosophy in ruling the country. Due to time constraint I am unable to spend time to explain the details to Mr Chiam in this House. Let me cite him a historical fact to prove him wrong. Just imagine, if Confucianism is authoritarianism, then why had the first Emperor of China, Qing Shi Huang, to bury alive the Confucian scholars and to burn the Confucian books? Mr Chiam's one-sided evaluation of Confucism and the NCMP's lopsided criticism of the President's Speech reminded me of the story about a blind man describing the elephant, as told to me by my teacher when I was a little boy. Mr Speaker, Sir, I think we have some real-life examples here. When we discuss national issues and topics affecting the daily lives of our people, we should first make some in-depth studies and research from a macro view. We should not generalize and be lopsided in our assessment. Otherwise, we will be like the blind man who caught hold of the elephant's trunk and said that the elephant was like a snake. One of Singapore's key competitive strengths is its active and effective practice of tripartism.”
“Sir, as the Minister has said that he is likely to accept my suggestion, will he set a timeframe for the tripartite committee? And would he agree that if there is a clear disciplinary procedure in a company, there should be no conflict of interest for executive staff to join the rank-and-file union of the company?”
“Sir, the reports in the Straits Times of 23rd August 1998 and 17th November 1998 highlighted the plight of an increasing number of students at our schools who are unable to pay for their school fees and textbooks. Sir, the qualifying income of $530 for our MOE's assistance scheme is too low. The main household income of a 1-room flat was reported to be $630 way back in 1987. Last week a resident came to seek my help at my meet-the-people session. He earned a monthly income of $650, has four school going children to support, two in secondary and two in primary schools. I think we should consider the per capita. I hope the Ministry will do a comprehensive review of the matter.”
“I am confident that the changes to the teacher training system that I have outlined, will bring us closer towards realising our vision of Thinking Schools, Learning Nation. I believe I have also answered many of the points raised about teacher training by Members of this House.”
“Furthermore, to help NIE stay closely attuned to the actual classroom situation in schools, my Committee has recommended that MOE and NIE should systematically plan for the cross-posting of NIE lecturers and teachers as part of their career development, to give them wider exposure to different aspects of the education system. Experienced teachers will be posted to NIE as adjunct lecturers or full-time staff. NIE lecturers will also be posted for short stints in MOE HQ or the schools. At the end of the day, it is important for newly-trained teachers to feel confident that the training that they have received in NIE is practical, realistic and prepares them well for the situations they are likely to face in school. NIE has done a good job thus far, but increasingly as our schools evolve, we will need a closer partnership between NIE, MOE and schools to ensure that teacher training keeps in step with the rest of the education system. A joint Committee has already been formed between MOE and NIE, and various working committees have started deliberating on the implementation details that will bring NIE's curriculum, teaching methods, as well as its organisational systems and processes to be in line with our changing emphasis in teacher training. Singapore's success in the 21st century depends on the ability of the education system to equip our young with the skills, values and mindsets to cope with an uncertain future. Our teachers, who have been entrusted with this responsibility, must exemplify these same attributes. A strong, nimble and responsive teacher training system will be critical in developing these attributes in our teachers.”
“This is to give due recognition to the efforts put in by teachers to upgrade themselves. Over a period of time, we hope to see more of our non-graduate teachers upgrading to degree status, and more graduate teachers going on to obtain higher qualifications. This is in line with our vision of a Learning Nation, and is a positive development for the entire Education Service. Not only will it enhance the professionalism of our teachers, it will also boost the standing and morale of the entire Education Service. Finally, my Committee also studied how we can strengthen the partnership between MOE, NIE and the schools. Just as teachers are role models for their students, NIE lecturers are role models for their teacher trainees. Foundation training in NIE must therefore be a model of the very same effective practices expected of teachers in Thinking Schools. In this way, trainee teachers will have personal experience of the desired values and attitudes, creative teaching methods, the use of educational technology and so on, and these trainee teachers will be fully equipped to practise the same when they are posted to schools. At the same time, as Mr Loh so rightly pointed out, there are many new teachers that we have recruited into the Education Service. They bring with them fresh ideas. We must be open to these ideas, both within NIE as well as the school system. Through suggestion schemes, the WITs culture, and greater sharing opportunities, we hope to create an atmosphere, a culture of receptiveness and an attitude of continuous improvement amongst our entire teaching force.”
“But for the majority of the classroom teachers, upgrading will be in the form of training conducted either by the school, the cluster, the Teachers' Network or NIE. Our teachers are entitled to 100 hours of training each year, which is slightly more than the two weeks of training provided by some companies as quoted by Mr Iswaran. We recognise that there are many demands placed on the teacher's time today, so we are always looking at various ways to give teachers more time for their professional development. We are already stepping up recruitment as much as possible, so that we can allocate more teaching and non-teaching resources to schools, and this will give principals more flexibility to meet the training needs of the teachers. My Committee has come up with a number of proposals to make continual training more "teacher-friendly". First, courses will, in future, be structured in a more modular form. This will enable teachers to offer courses in smaller "bites". They can progress at a pace that they are comfortable with. Second, continual training will, as far as possible, be delivered through distance learning or by having NIE lecturers go down to schools and cluster centres to facilitate training sessions. This is to minimise inconvenience to the teachers. Continual training will become very much a part of a teacher's school life. At present, most continual training courses are offered as standalone courses, which do not lead to any form of certification or significant milestones. My Committee has recommended that an accreditation system be developed to enable teachers to gain credits for relevant modules attended, so that they can eventually chalk up enough credits for professional certification or higher qualifications.”
“The Ministry will implement this with effect from 1st January 2000, and will factor this into consideration when allocating resources to schools. The final decision on how new teachers are to be off-loaded will rest with the principals. The principals are people on the ground, and they are in a better position to decide how best to allocate resources to meet the needs of their teachers. The above initiatives on Initial Teacher Training are aimed at providing teachers with a strong foundation of skills, knowledge and values, and helping them to settle in the new schools comfortably. In this respect, our senior teachers, whom Mr Loh also spoke about, who have accumulated years of teaching experience, can make a valuable contribution by serving as mentors, by hand-holding and guiding these new teachers who have just started their career in teaching in the schools. Let me come now to the second broad recommendation of my Committee. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang and Mr Iswaran as well as Mr Loh, have spoken on the need for in-service or continual teacher training. Indeed, the skills and knowledge our teachers acquire at the initial teacher training stage will not be enough to see them through their entire career. Our teachers will need to constantly refresh their skills and knowledge to keep up with the latest developments in education. They should see initial teacher training and continual teacher training as a continuum. We are opening up more opportunities for teachers to pursue further studies. With the liberalisation of the Study Leave Scheme in 1998, 384 non-graduate teachers were granted in-principle approval to pursue full-time undergraduate studies last year. This represents a nearly five-fold increase in the numbers granted approval, compared to the previous years.”
“We want to open up the degree programme to those polytechnic diploma holders who have gone through the NIE Dip-Ed programme and have taught in the schools for a certain period, particularly those who have demonstrated good performance in the Education Service. For some polytechnic diploma holders who are able to meet NIE's pre-requisite requirements, we can even consider them for direct entry into NIE's degree programme. With more polytechnic diploma holders upgrading through degree programmes, the proportion of our graduate teachers will rise further in future. Foundation training alone will not bring teachers fully up to the basic level of competency needed for them to function effectively in schools. MOE and schools themselves have an important role to play in providing induction and basic training during the teacher's first year in school. The Ministry has started centralised induction training for all newly-trained teachers. In addition, guidelines are being drawn up to help schools conduct their own school-based induction training to attune the new teachers to their particular school culture and ethos. My Committee has recommended that all new teachers be given four-fifths of the normal responsibility load in their first year. This off-loading of new teachers is in recognition of the fact that new teachers in their first year have special needs of adjustment and training and will need time for this. They will only be given the normal load upon confirmation at the end of their first year in school. The new teachers will spend the released time on classroom observations of experienced teachers and undergo on-the-job training, including co-teaching with more experienced teachers.”
“Together with those `A' level recruits who take the BA/BSc cum Diploma in Education programme at NIE (and who number about 100 to 150 per year), graduate teachers constitute roughly 60% to 62% of our trained teacher output each year. However, the Diploma in Education (Dip-Ed) course, which takes in both `A' level and polytechnic diploma holders, is recruiting fewer `A' level entrants over the years. This is mainly because `A' level holders now have much more opportunities to pursue either a university or polytechnic education as compared to before. As a result, more of our new non-graduate teachers are polytechnic diploma holders. 5.45 pm In 1996, we recruited 226 polytechnic diploma holders and 293 `A' level holders for the Dip-Ed course at NIE. Last year, the number of polytechnic diploma holders recruited was 436, almost double the figure two years ago, while the number of `A' level holders has declined by 15%, to about 250. We can expect this trend to continue. These polytechnic diploma holders will bring with them different strengths and weaknesses from their `A' level counterparts. This means the teacher training curriculum must be flexible enough to cater to the needs of the teacher trainees with different academic backgrounds. At the same time, we will ensure that the training is rigorous and that there is no compromise in standards expected of our trainee teachers. Besides reviewing the curriculum, my Committee has recommended that the NIE BA/BSc cum Dip-Ed degree programme be re-positioned to attract academically stronger polytechnic diploma holders. Currently, direct entry into this programme is restricted only to `A' level holders. There are good polytechnic diploma holders who may be interested in teaching.”
“In this one year, we not only have to provide them with pedagogical and content training but also imbue in them the values and mindsets required of teachers in the new teaching environment. Given the limited time available, it is not possible for NIE to achieve everything. We have to prioritise and decide which components of teacher training are most critical at this foundation stage. If developing the character and motivation of our students is of utmost importance, then it must be so for our teachers also. Our primary emphasis at the foundation training stage should therefore be on values education for teachers, followed by knowledge and some core skills and competencies. What is values education? By values education, we mean a commitment to the mission of the Education Service, an understanding and appreciation of the philosophy and evolution of our education policies, knowledge of national and regional issues that affect Singapore, commitment to the maximal development of the student as well as commitment to their own, that is, the teacher's own continued professional and personal development. Towards this end, my committee has drawn up a set of Desired Outcomes of Initial Teacher Training which will henceforth guide the design of the teacher training curriculum. Other changes are also having an impact on some programmes of the foundation training. The profile of the intake into the Education Service is changing. The majority of our trainee teachers, about 1,000 to 1,100 out of the 2,000 per year, are graduates from NUS and NTU, who do a post-graduate diploma in education. These form the backbone of our graduate teaching force in the secondary and primary schools.”
“They must facilitate the students' learning, teach them how to access and critically evaluate information and how to arrive at solutions to problems. Second, teachers are also role models for their students. They need to exemplify the values and attributes we desire in our students. These are not just about fundamental moral values as such. Our teachers must strive to be role models in thinking, learning and innovating. If we desire our students to be inquisitive and think for themselves, then the teachers must encourage the spirit of questioning and experimentation. To help students develop their different abilities to the fullest, the teachers must know almost instinctively how to recognise those abilities in their students in the first place and be knowledgeable about how to help their students with special talents or needs. In other words, the teacher must have a different set of teaching skills and a different mindset towards teaching altogether. To help teachers meet these challenges, my committee has reviewed the current teacher training system and come out with broad recommendations which can be categorised into three main areas: (1) improving initial teacher training; (2) encouraging teachers to continually upgrade themselves; and (3) strengthening the partnership between MOE, NIE and schools. Initial teacher training covers two stages - the foundation training which the new recruits receive or undergo at NIE, and the induction and on-the-job training that they receive up to the end of their first year in school after graduation from NIE. The majority of our trainee teachers spend only one year undergoing foundation training in NIE.”
“For example, last year, 1998, out of 4,000 graduates who applied, only 1,600 were selected, of whom about 1,100 eventually took up our offer of appointment. However, recruiting good people is only the first step to building a quality Education Service. We have to equip them with the right skills, values and attitudes required of teachers in Thinking Schools. Teacher training is therefore a very critical node in our entire education system and crucial in realising our vision of a Learning Nation also. In March last year, I chaired a committee comprising senior MOE and NIE officials to carry out a fundamental review of the teacher training system. The objective of this review was to better prepare teachers to meet future challenges in the light of changes taking place in our education system. The Committee has now completed its work. Its recommendations have been accepted by the Ministry and will be gradually introduced this year. I do not intend to go into the detailed recommendations, but will instead outline the broad directions proposed by the committee. But I would first like to highlight two key challenges that our teachers are facing, given the changes taking place in our education system. First, our teachers need to cope with a new type of learning environment where the teachers may not always know more than the students. Our students today have access to a tremendous amount of information through the Internet and other resources. Their learning is no longer confined to the classroom. Teachers must be prepared to explore, experiment and learn together with their students. This is a departure from the old paradigm where teachers were dispensers of knowledge.”
“The demands on our teachers today are very great. In recruiting new teachers into the Education Service, we not only have to look at the academic credentials, but also have to assess their aptitude and interest for teaching and other factors, such as character, personality and values. It would not be realistic for MOE to aim to recruit only from the graduate pool. NUS and NTU currently produce about 9,000 graduates each year. As it is, MOE is already recruiting about 1,000 graduates each year. This is about one out of every nine graduates. If we recruit only from the graduate pool, it would mean 2,000 out of 9,000 graduates, or one out of every 4.5 graduates. This would drain the other sectors of the economy of graduate manpower. On the other hand, we must have teachers of sufficiently high academic qualifications so as to uphold the high professional standard of our teachers as well as their standing in the eyes of the parents and the community. MOE's target is to recruit teachers from the top one third of each cohort. We need to set a target so that our teachers have standing, as I said before, with the students, parents and the wider community. This means that we will be recruiting from the university graduates and `A' level holders pool and the academically stronger polytechnic diploma holders. This would enable us to strike the right balance between minimum qualification and what is realistically achieveable. On top of academic credentials, MOE looks at the applicant's aptitude and interest in teaching, communications skills and values, and so on. These are important attributes as teachers are the role models for their students. We have maintained stringent selection criteria in spite of the larger intakes over the last few years.”
“I would like to thank the last few speakers for raising this matter as well as some earlier speakers, including Dr Tan Boon Wan, on the importance of teacher training. Indeed, whether we are able to achieve our Desired Outcomes of Education depends critically on teachers in schools and to meet this challenge, the Education Service needs to recruit its fair share of good people and train them to do the job well. I would like to inform the House a little bit about the nature and size of the challenge that the Education Service faces. Currently, the Education Service has nearly 24,000 teachers. To maintain the current staffing position, it is estimated that MOE would need to recruit an average of 2,000 teachers annually over the next 10 years to compensate for retirement and attrition. The more teachers we can recruit, the more resources we can give to our schools. The Ministry has stepped up its recruitment efforts over the past two years. For both the 1997 and 1998 recruitment cycle, we recruited an average of about 2,000 teachers. These are significantly higher than the 1,000 we were averaging between 1994 and 1996. After accounting for retirement and resignations, the net increase in teacher strength in the last two years averaged 650 per year. We have plans to recruit 3,000 teachers over the next two years. This represents a stepping up of recruitment by 50% over the regular annual intake. We are making good progress. We have had lawyers, accountants and engineers joining the teaching profession and many of them, after they have started teaching in the schools, tell us they find the job immensely challenging and satisfying. We certainly hope that as many of them as possible will continue to stay with us even when the economy recovers.”
“Sir, 30 years ago, I was studying in Primary One. In those days, a rainy day will bring me and my classmates extra delight because we would be happily moving our desks and chairs from one corner to another corner, where the roof was not leaking, and we would move our desks and chairs there. This was because the roof of my alma mater was made of attap leaves. In the last 30 years we have achieved remarkable economic development. Today, I was told by my contractor friend that roofs of our school buildings are made of titanium, a precious metal. Sir, I am very pleased to note that our students are receiving good education in beautiful country-club-like premises and serene environment. However, education is an on-going "heartware" engineering project. It involves heavy investment in human resources. Investment in software (Teacher Training) is more important than investment in hardware (Building). I hope that the Ministry of Education would place more emphasis on the strengthening of our teacher-training programme and the development of curriculum. More funds should be allocated to fortify our curriculum packages, and enhance the efficacy of pedagogy. Provide more training and retraining opportunities for our teachers. This will be beneficial to the students who are the future masters of our nation. The Senior Minister of State for Education (Dr Aline K. Wong): Sir, thank you very much for giving me a chance to come in at this point. I have been waiting the whole afternoon to speak on teacher training because teacher training is absolutely crucial to all the wonderful things that we talk about, the changes in the education system and the desired outcome of education.”
“Sir, we have clearly seen a marked improvement to our public transport system over the past decade. Our people are now enjoying more comfortable and convenient services. Our bus services have been continuously improved, and the MRT network is expanding all the time. The "Star of Tomorrow" - the LRT will be making its debut soon. For all these, credit must be given to LTA and all our transport workers. In our strive for excellence and our spirit of wanting to do better than the best, I hope that the Ministry of Communications will continue to explore ways and means to further improve our public transport system, particularly on how to enable our commuters to reach their destinations faster and let our workers reach their places of work in a shorter time. We have to work harder on this. Between comfort and shorter travelling time, I think I will choose the latter. From a random survey I conducted on our workers, I discovered that they have to spend a lot of time on the road going to and returning from work. Let me give you an illustration. A worker who goes from Choa Chu Kang to Tuas will need about 1 hour and 30 minutes (including waiting/transfer time). From Jurong East to Tuas, it takes about 1 hour 20 minutes. For those who live in Yishun and if they want to go to Ang Mo Kio Industrial Park, or for those who stay in Bedok going to Loyang or Upper Changi Industrial Estate, they will need about an hour on the road. I hope that the authority will seriously explore more effective ways to shorten the time needed by our workers on the road. For the sake of the welfare of our workers, I would again earnestly urge the Ministry of Communications to build MRT stations at industrial estates along the MRT lines, such as the Sungei Kadut Industrial Estate.”
“What we need there is a bypass. Apart from the NEL (North-East Line), we need also a NEE (North-East Expressway) because the CTE is fast becoming a totally blocked artery which is beyond remedy. 2.30 pm”
“Sir, since its implementation, the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system has been proven to be significantly effective in changing the travelling pattern of road users and in alleviating road congestion. I can remember that prior to the introduction of the road pricing system, driving along CTE between 8.00 am and 9.30 am was a nightmare. Now, we can even accurately forecast the number of minutes we need to travel from the north to south to get into the city area. As such, I agree with the Government's intention to continue developing this scheme and to expand the area of coverage of the ERP. However, I hope that the Government will not treat the ERP as a panacea for all ailments. In my view, the ERP is only a convenient and inexpensive "Po Chai Pill". If the problem is not very serious, it can be taken for some quick relief. But for the heavily congested bottlenecks, we have to think of something else. Sir, let me give you an illustration. Blockage of cardiac blood vessel is quite common nowadays in Singapore. During the initial stage of blockage, it can be cured by medication, just spend more money and take the more expensive special medicine for it and the blood vessels may be cleared. However, if the condition turns worse, then the patient will have to go for surgery and the specialist will insert a metal stent in his blood vessel. If our roads are in such a situation, LTA should consider building some viaducts or tunnels to clear the congestion. As for total blockage where the blood vessels are beyond remedy, a bypass cannot be avoided. Sir, consider the Northeast part of Singapore where my constituency is situated. With the rapid development of Hougang, Sengkang and Punggol 21, some 1,000 residential units are being churned out every month.”
“I urge the Government to put some funds aside from the levies collected to organise extra-curricular activities for foreign workers. The ECA outside their working hours shall not only keep foreign workers away from doing mischief but also probably make them better workers.”
“We can see foreign workers on weekends congregating at different parts of Singapore, depending on where they came from. On Sundays, we see the Indian foreign workers gathering at the Tek Kah area. The Thai workers congregate at Beach Road Golden Mile area, and the Filipino maids gathering at Lucky Plaza at Orchard Road. At the moment, there are no sporting, recreational or cultural programmes organised for them. They just loiter around in those places. Some sit at whatever places they can find on the roadside, on railings or public chairs, if there are any in the vicinity. They have nowhere to go. Their wages are low. They do not have any spare money to spend. Whatever spare cash they have is probably sent home to their impoverished families in their own countries. The Government is estimated to collect about $21.6 million on fees and charges in FY99. Much of this money are contributions by the employers of foreign workers. I think it is equitable or fair that some of these funds, say, about 2%, should be ploughed back to the foreign workers in the form of organised, recreational, sporting, social or cultural activities. As it is, nothing is done for foreign workers outside their working hours, except for the efforts of the hon. Member, Mr Loh Meng See, who was reported in the press to have organised sports and games for foreign workers in his constituency at Kampong Glam. I congratulate Mr Loh for his concern for the foreign workers. It is reported that crime is on the rise in Singapore and many instances of crimes are committed by foreign workers. If something could be done to keep them occupied, the incidence of crime involving foreign workers may drop.”
“I would like to know how effective this has been and whether there are any more control measures being planned to promote self-regulation in the construction industry. Throughout the years, there were reports in the newspapers about social problems we face with the vast increase in the number of foreign workers. MOM should help our employers to build proper outside dormitories and develop a comprehensive management system to address the issue of housing for foreign workers. This is something which is of great concern to our people, because if too many foreign workers live in our housing estates, it would create some social problems. With the economic downturn, many contractors have been hit by poor business, and hence face cash flow problems. Is the Ministry considering granting some flexibility with regard to late payment of levy and levy bond for genuine cases? Lastly, with the measures taken by the Government so far in boosting business competitiveness and cutting costs to preserve jobs for our workers, would the Ministry be able to provide some indicators on how successful we have been, and how effective is the cost cutting package that was introduced? Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang has touched on the social problems of our foreign workers. He says that there is a need to give better housing to foreign workers. I would like to touch on the recreational activities for foreign workers. The foreign workers are now a common sight in Singapore. We see them in all construction sites, whether public or private ones. We see them in all our shipyards. We see them in our factories and in our homes. Singapore would not have been able to make such great economic progress if it were not for the labour contributed by foreign workers.”
“Sir, in the world today where competition is very keen, the progress and development of nations are determined more and more by the quality of its people. Therefore, the Government has taken the correct approach in emphasising on continuous and life long training and retraining for our people. We have managed to deservingly earn a reputation for having a first-rate and a world-class workforce. The challenge therefore is how we can maintain and even improve. In the military strategy of Sun Tze, he said the strength of an army does not depend on large forces. Rather, one must concentrate the forces. And this was taken from Sun Tze's Art of War. In my view, besides helping Singaporeans to upgrade and compete more effectively in the marketplace, we must reduce our dependence on foreign workers. While I am not belittling the contributions of foreign workers, their presence is not without any cost. I strongly urge the Ministry of Manpower to tighten its criteria and selection on the admission of foreign workers, so that not any Tom, Dick and Harry can gain employment in Singapore at the expense of Singaporeans. If there are jobs that Singaporeans do not want or cannot do, then by all means foreign workers can be considered for employment. Today, in Singapore, we have more than 400,000 foreign workers and at least half of them are employed in the construction sector. Therefore, I would like to know if the Ministry has any plans in the pipeline to encourage the development of automation and buildable designs in the construction industry. I believe this will help to reduce our dependence on foreign workers, and also we can improve our productivity in the construction industry. Last year, the Ministry introduced a new work permit allocation system for the construction sector.”
“I hope that the Ministry of Health would allocate more resources to encourage and facilitate private sector management to take a preventive approach in dealing with employees' health. Instead of just providing healthcare benefits, companies should invest money in programmes that will help improve their workers' health, and thus cut healthcare costs. Mr Roger Smith, the retired CEO of General Motors, as quoted in a publication, said that, "For every $1 we have spent on wellness programme, $3 are returned in increased productivity over a 3-year period. And of course there are dramatic reductions in absenteeism and on-the-job accidents." I suggest the Ministry conduct a cost and benefit study at our workplaces and devise some form of incentives such as tax incentives for companies with structured Workplace Health Programmes.”
“Sir, surveys in America have shown how critical it is to have a healthy workforce. According to these surveys, more than 60% of all diseases are caused by lifestyle risks. Poor dieting habit is associated with leading causes of death. In general, overweight workers have 30% more hospital days and 48% more health-care claims. In Singapore, we are also facing a shift in disease profile from the infectious diseases to lifestyle diseases. The major causes of death in recent years are cancers, stroke and heart diseases. These are related to our lifestyle and what we eat. Moreover, an aging workforce is emerging. The percentage of workers in the 40 to 59 years age group has increased from about 24% to 35% of the workforce. Although an older worker need not necessarily be physically less fit or has negative implication on productivity, we must accept that older workers are more prone to illnesses. So, the challenge is to keep the aging workforce healthy through all kinds of disease preventions and health promotion. As at June 1997, the annual average days of hospitalisation leave is 10 days per employee and it has been estimated that more than $400 is spent on healthcare for each employee in Singapore every year. This works out to a total of $500 million for the Singapore workforce. The unrestrained, rising health costs can adversely affect the competitiveness of our economy. It is, therefore, in the interest of every company to take an active interest in the health of its employees. NTUC has taken the initiative to launch the Workplace Health Programme in August last year with the support from the Ministry of Health, Singapore Sports Council and the NTUC co-operatives.”