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.”
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“Within this three-way structure, while the Government plays an important role, the employer is another important pillar. Currently, only 5% of employers have adopted the Portable Medical Benefits Scheme; I hope MOM can Page: 60 introduce more incentives, such as tax deductions, to encourage more employers to redesign their medical benefits. Finally, whether MediShield Life can ensure people have no worries when they fall seriously ill and need to be hospitalised depends on not just the Government. Medical providers, employers and each of us must contribute by staying healthy and making sure there is no wastage of medical resources. Only by making the efforts together can we build a sustainable healthcare system. I support the Motion. 4.27 pm”
“With the implementation of MediShield Life, all employers should take this opportunity to restructure their employees' medical benefits to maximise employee benefits and avoid wastage. With MediShield Life, employers would no longer need to be concerned with cost issues associated with employing older and part-time workers, back-to-work women and people with pre-existing conditions. MediShield Life is for all and for life. I am not sure whether keeping the current scheme is an option. I feel all employers should take this opportunity to improve their medical benefits so that all Singaporeans will be better taken care of. The Group Hospitalisation and Surgical Plan is, in fact, an unguaranteed cheque. In the last few recessions and in the economic restructuring process, we saw many workers who could not get this cheque cashed in times of need. So, I hope employers can make up their mind to reform their medical benefits. I understand that in the past few years, higher rentals and a tight labour market have driven up the overall business cost. While cost is the most important consideration on the employers' mind, for employees, medical benefits are the thing they value most. Hence, employers should give priority to this concern. From now to the end of 2015, employers have more than one year to prepare for this new scheme through the Tripartite platform. The Singapore Business Federation and Singapore National Employers' Federation should work together with unions to help employers understand the benefits and urgency of restructuring their current medical benefits. For a long time, our model has been depending on partial contributions by employers, employees and periodic Government top-ups.”
“I urge our medical providers to be prudent and carry out only essential and critical treatments so that we can keep insurance claims at an accurate level and that premiums will not inflate unnecessarily. The basic principle of any insurance scheme is risk pooling. The Government has committed $4 billion to help Singaporeans join MediShield Life. This is a right move. I hope the Government can strengthen Singaporeans' awareness of staying healthy and introduce measures to promote a healthy lifestyle, thereby preventing the ballooning of healthcare expenses. An old gentleman told me that he welcomed the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life with joy and happiness, but he emphasised that although the schemes were good, it was best not to utilise them! Let me use a few verses to summarise: "MediShield Life protects everyone. If you become seriously ill, no need to worry. The premiums will be steady for five years. But in the sixth year, it will jump. Page: 59 Hope the Government can extend a helping hand and improve communications to reduce anxieties. Even with a medical safety net, it is most important to stay healthy!" I hope everyone in Singapore will do his best to allow MediShield Life to achieve its target so that we have peace of mind when we are old or sick. Now that we have deepened and enlarged the scope of our national medical insurance, I urge employers to take this opportunity to adopt portable medical benefits for their employees. If employers say no, we have to understand why. Is it due to lack of resources or intention? Is it because they do not want to or they are not able to do it? Mr Teo Siong Seng said that employers should be allowed to keep the flexibility offered by their current medical benefits arrangements. I do not understand this.”
“Singaporeans and their families will no longer face the predicament of not being able to pay for large medical bills due to serious illnesses. This insurance scheme, which is "for all, for life", is most timely in our rapidly ageing society. Page: 58 Often, we hear people say that, in Singapore, you can die but you cannot afford to get sick. But in fact, in Singapore, we have not seen anyone who cannot receive treatment because he is unable to foot his medical bills. In addition to the current 3M framework, the introduction of MediShield Life and CHAS will render this old saying obsolete. It also shows that the Government is determined to build an effective medical social safety net that gives Singaporeans peace of mind when they are ill. I hope that the Government will pay more attention to explaining the details of MediShield Life. At the same time, Singaporeans should also try to understand it with patience. Although MediShield Life looks simple, it is quite complicated when implemented, because it has to look after everyone's interests. The communication efforts should focus on the elderly who will benefit most from the scheme. I urge the Government to adopt the same communication modus operandi as the Pioneer Generation Package to explain to the elderly the benefits of MediShield Life. I hope the Government can introduce various measures in the future to ensure that the revision of the premiums of MediShield Life would be within reasonable limits. We cannot solely depend on the Government to control the premiums; medical providers and hospitals should all play an important role. This is because the biggest factor influencing the premiums is the claims amount.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Speaker, the MediShield Life is a significant milestone in our healthcare reform and is a clear demonstration of the Government's will to improve the healthcare insurance safety net for Singaporeans, especially those who have fallen through the cracks in our current system. The MediShield Life, in tandem with revamps of MediShield in the earlier years, is yet another reform which provides a comprehensive cradle-to-grave medical protection for Singaporeans. This is probably a first in the world. Although other countries have similar systems, ours have our own unique features. We do not insure from the first dollar but focus on protection against serious illnesses. By doing that, we make sure the premiums are affordable to all. More importantly, the Government provides permanent, transitional and additional premium subsidies so that no one will ever lose their coverage because they cannot afford their premiums. For the pensioners, Public Service Division (PSD) announced a series of measures last week to ensure that they will continue to enjoy comprehensive medical benefits and will not lose out because of the introduction of MediShield Life. Madam, MediShield Life is a new, yet not completely new national healthcare insurance scheme. To put it simply, MediShield Life is built on the foundation of the current MediShield, then "plus 2, reduce 2 and multiply by all". The two "pluses" mean the increase of coverage and claim limits; the two reductions mean the reduction in co-payment and deductible. "Multiply by all" means that everyone will be covered, even those with pre-existing conditions who could not join any insurance scheme previously.”
“Madam, while working and housing conditions were not the cause of the Little India riot, we cannot take for granted that a riot may not occur on such basis. So, I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower whether there is a severe shortage in supply of housing for migrant workers. And how would MOM ensure that there is an adequate supply of housing for migrant workers, as well as how to further improve the living conditions of all the migrant workers? We also have to actually ensure that the employers proactively and actively play their role to ensure that they manage the foreign workers well in their workplaces.”
“I hereby quote the motto of my alma mater, Nanyang Junior College, which is, "Together We Build". Whether there will be a better tomorrow for all of us, depends not just on each individual's effort or the efforts of a select group in the society. A better tomorrow and a better home can only be achieved if everyone works together and helps one another. I support the Motion. 2.19 pm”
“The experiences of these companies reflect an unwavering spirit and offer us a new vision for the F&B industry, as well as the coffee shop trade. I hope that SMEs will emulate their examples and breakaway from their limits, tap on the Government's assistance to achieve a better tomorrow – so that every SME will be a better company, every SME job will be a better job and every SME worker a better employee! Mdm Speaker, we are all excited about the new vision presented by the President. In my opinion, the Government should take a serious view of the issue of income disparity. However, we must not only focus on how big the gap is, but also strive to ensure that everyone lives a better life, to lift those at the bottom without limiting those at the top. The tripartite partners should support the Progressive Wage Model by NTUC. At the same time, they should pay special attention to help workers whose wages are at the bottom 10% to 20%, so that they achieve greater wage increases than other workers. Compared to the Pioneer Generation, Singaporeans of today have a better foundation and more resources than before. However, to create a better home for ourselves, we must ensure that the pioneering and hardworking spirit of our ancestors lives on. We cannot enjoy the shade provided by trees planted by others and forget that we are in the tropics. As a little red dot near the equator, we must ensure that the trees planted by our ancestors will be more well-rooted and grow bigger and stronger, so that our next generation can live more comfortably. As we pay tribute to the Pioneer Generation, the same pioneering spirit must be imbued within us. The entire nation, including companies and the society, must stay united and strive together with vision.”
“What Quayside Dining has done is to introduce a "no-frills" and "self-service" concept into a hotel dining environment and pass on the cost savings from employing fewer staff to consumers. This partnership had brought about a win-win situation to both business and consumers. From the business perspective, this arrangement helped to reduce their manpower cost and allowed them to operate at the same level with a leaner workforce, while ensuring employee satisfaction. From the consumers' perspective, they can continue to enjoy hotel quality dining at very affordable prices. With the success story of Quayside Dining, I urge more SMEs to think out-of-the-box and seriously consider how to create new service models that will leverage on the partnership of businesses and the consumers to deliver a win-win situation for both. Money does not fall off from trees, neither will there be bosses who give wage increases to their employees for no reason, or employees who would want to kill "the golden geese". For wage increases to be sustainable, there needs to be "job up, productivity up, salary up, skill up", that is, productivity, skill, wages and jobs must be upgraded in tandem. Just like the game of mahjong, it cannot continue if any one of the players is absent. All four factors must increase in tandem to ensure wage increases and job security. This is the direction that the tripartite partnership must work towards. Page: 25 These companies have different backgrounds and face different situations and they have also encountered setbacks. But the difficulties did not deter them from trying and innovating and, ultimately, achieving success in identifying future challenges and trends, developing technologies, exploring new business models and attaining the "4Ups".”
“Though these arrangements may seem easy to implement, bakery owner Wei Chan says the challenge is in ensuring that they stay that way, as it is easy to lapse into old work processes and habits due to familiarity. Our SME owners must resist temptations to maintain the status Page: 24 quo and persist in their efforts to remodel their business. Wei Chan is planning to implement Kaizen to further improve the management of workflow. Pine Garden's example shows that neighbourhood shops can also overcome challenges and forge a new way forward, with the help of Government assistance schemes. Transforming our local businesses requires a multi-party, multi-stakeholder approach. While SMEs transform themselves, the mindset of consumers must also change. Consumers must realise that with the current labour crunch, our businesses have to depend more on new technology and are operating on a leaner workforce to meet business demands. Consumers must understand that it is not business as usual and they too can play a part to co-create better customer experiences and help our SMEs morph into the SMEs of tomorrow. Quayside Dining is an example where both business and consumers have successfully partnered up to create a new dinning experience. The F&B industry is one of the hardest hit sectors in the current manpower crunch. To cope with the shortage of service staff, Quayside Dining introduced a self-service kiosk where diners can make their own hot beverage using a self-service beverage machine, dispense house-pour wines from an automated wine dispenser, pick up their own food and cutlery from the service counter, and return their own trays when they are done.”
“We can imagine that in the next one or two years, more modernised coffee shops will be increasingly prevalent, food quality and hygiene will be more consistent, work processes will be more precise, streamlined and safer. With changing business models, coffee shop owners can also work towards their vision of a totally transformed coffee shop business. I hope the rest of our SMEs can take a leaf out of their stories, future-proof themselves, and transform into SMEs of tomorrow by tapping on the Government assistance schemes to adopt cost saving technologies, upgrade their operations so that both the company and employees can benefit. Our SMEs do not always have to implement costly solutions or make radical systematic changes when they re-model themselves. Sometimes, all they need is to explore new workflow processes. One way is to reorganise their workflow process and company layout by using the 5S principles. The 5S originated from Japan and, in English, the 5Ss stand for Sort, Systematise, Shine, Standardised and Self-discipline. The 5S is a workflow design concept where companies try to organise their work space to maximise efficiency, effectiveness and space utilisation. Pine Garden Bakery is an example of a company that has applied the 5S principles effectively, with the help of SPRING Singapore. By redesigning their kitchen and store layout, they manage to optimise their workflow so that their staff can move seamlessly from one workstation to the next. Their baking ingredients are stored systematically in standardised format and their equipment are arranged in such a way that those that are commonly used are within easy reach.”
“Chang Cheng Group will reduce staff headcount at each outlet by half, restructure their workflow through the use of technology and to do more with less, so as to cope with the reality of shortage of manpower in the local service industry. While technology can help businesses increase their operation efficiency, businesses need to explore new models of operation to increase their market share and set them apart from their competitors. Cheng Cheng Group is modernising and transforming the way coffee shops are run. Using sophisticated analytics, Chang Cheng Group is able to forecast the amount of ingredients needed at each outlet and make timely deliveries of the required quantity to their outlets, cutting down on food wastage. Fu Cheng, another neighbourhood coffee shop chain, is also planning to install customised dishwashing machines at its outlets with the help of e2i. This will make the dishwashing process simpler and safer. Kim San Leng Coffee Shop plans to outsource the Page: 23 dishwashing process. With the current practice, one worker can only wash two pieces of cutlery manually every minute, while a partially automated dishwashing machine can wash four. If the dishwashing process is outsourced, an off-site machine can wash more than 10 pieces of cutlery in a minute. Workers do not have to come into contact with detergent, their work is simplified, more precise and safer, more suitable for older workers and women returning to the workforce. The presidents of the Singapore Kheng Keow and Foochow Coffee Merchants Restaurant and Bar-Owners Association told me that both associations would strive to help their members increase productivity and competitiveness through the Government assistance schemes.”
“This arrangement helps to relieve the challenges faced by the company due to the shortage of frontline staff and Chang Cheng Group is able to enjoy significant cost savings and reinvest those savings to fund other programmes that lead to even further savings and greater efficiency. With 250 outlets that dish out mixed vegetable rice, zi char, crab specialties and western fine dining, Chang Cheng Group inevitably faces the issue of quality control. To ensure that there is consistency in food quality across all its outlets, Chang Cheng Group exploited the advantages of new food processing technologies. With processing facilities equipped with meat cutters, automatic tenderisers, potato peelers and vegetable processers, Chang Cheng Group is able process more than three tonnes of poultry, meat, seafood and sauces daily. That is not all. Chang Cheng Group is currently in the process of developing an integrated HQ that combines warehousing, food processing and cooking. With the new integrated HQ, all food processing and cooking will be done at a single location, quick frozen and sent to the outlets for reprocessing using induction cookers and convection ovens. For the next step, Mr Koh says that with the changes in foreign manpower policies, Chang Cheng Group will further adjust the ratio of work done in the centralised kitchen and frontline to 80:20. His company plans to tap on the assistance from e2i and various Ministries, to develop and adopt more new food processing technologies, so that 80% of the work processes can be completed in the integrated HQ and make work "Easier, Smarter and Safer" for all their workers.”
“Using three key examples from the F&B sector, I shall illustrate how some of our local SMEs in our neighbourhood have successfully made use of technology to future-proof and re-model their operations into the SMEs of tomorrow. I urge our SMEs to emulate these success stories. The first example that I would like to quote is Chang Cheng Group. It is an example of how a local SME has future-proofed and transformed itself into the SME of tomorrow. From its humble beginnings as a mixed vegetable rice stall in a Toa Payoh coffee shop, Chang Cheng Group today operates approximately 250 outlets, employing more than 1,500 staff. Their current success can be attributed to three factors – namely, astute identification of challenges and opportunities, developing centralised processing facilities and latest food processing technologies, exploring new operating models and caring for their employees. When Mr Ricky Koh started operating a mixed vegetable rice stall in 1994, he understood intimately that the main challenge faced by hawkers was operating cost. While a number of his peers tried to increase their profit margin either by reducing their serving portion or compromising on the quality of food, Mr Koh saw an opportunity to radically change the way hawkers conduct their business and sought to create a modern F&B chain. Page: 22 He understood that the best way to reduce operating cost was through automation and redesigning the workflow and to utilise the principles of economies of scale through centralised processing. Currently, all food ingredients and sauces are processed in two facilities. With centralised processing, work is split between the centralised kitchen and frontline in the ratio of 60:40.”
“[Please refer to Vernacular Speech. ] Mdm Speaker, at the start of the Second Session of this Parliament, I am glad to know that the Government will continue with the broad directions set out earlier to make Singapore an inclusive society, by making social policy changes to address the needs of Singaporeans. While we strengthen our policies and debate on the best ways to build the Singapore that we aspire, we must continue to ensure that Singapore remains a full employment economy. This is because the labour movement firmly believes that the best welfare for Singaporeans is full employment. We want to allow everyone who wants to work to have a job and to work for as long as one desires. Therefore, we must continue to strengthen our unique Tripartite advantage. The Government must also continue to pay attention to the development of our SMEs, so that these companies will continue to be the foundation of our economy and provide a wide range of job opportunities for Singaporeans. We cannot just focus on helping SMEs cope with current problems. We should also help these local companies look to the future, to create a future vision for their company. We must help our SMEs future-proof and re-model themselves. First, they need to forecast and anticipate future trends and challenges that will radically affect their bottom line and change the way they conduct their businesses. Second, they need to develop or adopt the latest technologies and explore new operating models so that they can stay ahead of the competitive curve and ensure that they remain relevant in the midst of change.”
“Seniors need to adopt a positive mindset towards ageing. We also need to create an environment that our seniors feel welcomed and included so that they can live a happy and healthy life. Many seniors and soon-to-be seniors also want to remain engaged and independent as they age. Madam, we need to have more programmes and initiatives that can support these seniors to stay healthy and active. Could the Ministerial Committee on Ageing (MCA) and MOH provide an update on how it is promoting active ageing and also tell us whether such programmes have benefited our seniors? (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We often say that, "An elder at home is a treasure for the family." We also say that health is the real treasure. If you are old and healthy at the same time, then you are really a "double treasure". But if you are old and sickly, then you become a medicine bag. Hence, before providing various quality healthcare services to our elderly, the Government should also provide more resources for them to stay healthy, so that our elders can become more vigorous with age, instead of being infirm and sickly. Review of Wellness Programme”
“For the centralised cleaning arrangement, most of the hawker centres will not have space for NEA to arrange for centralised washing to be possible. If that is the case, will the Ministry consider off-site centralised cleaning arrangements? Or may be coming up with a hybrid system?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act 1970 has now been extended to cover all indoor places and some common areas where public are likely to congregate. The Act has largely been successful in curbing smoking in the indoor premises, where it is required by law for managers of these premises to enforce the smoking prohibition rules. Enforcing the Act in the common area, however, still remains as a challenge. I would like to ask if NEA has plans to step up their enforcement to ensure that our common space remains healthy and free from the harmful effect of second-hand smoke. What is the long-term direction of the Ministry to further protect people from harmful effect of second-hand smoke? Would the Minister limit smoking in only designated smoking areas or zones? During my house visit, quite a number of residents gave feedback that their neighbours smoke at the window near the kitchen. What is worse is that these Page: 174 neighbours would sometimes just dispose off their cigarette butts by throwing them out of the window and these butts have left burnt marks on the residents' laundry. I would like to know whether the Ministry will look into setting a channel to allow residents to seek redress against such un-neighbourliness behaviours. ABC Waters Projects”
“Despite efforts to increase the awareness of recycling food waste, the rate of food waste recycling in Singapore still remains at about 12%. More can be done to increase the level of food waste recycling in Singapore. I would like to know whether NEA will implement more measures and explore more ways to recycle food waste in Singapore. In Mandarin, Sir. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, up till now, there are still many elderly hawkers who have no clue to the future plans and management policies for the new hawker centres. They told me that before it was the Government who sang, "will you still love me tomorrow"; now it is their turn to sing to NEA, "will you still love me tomorrow". The hawkers want to know whether there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Government must ensure that these elderly hawkers would still have a bright future. More importantly, many people who are interested to become a hawker would like to know whether there are enough opportunities for them to share the new sunshine.”
“One of the suggestions given by the Hawker Centre Public Consultation Panel is to outsource the running of some hawker centres to social enterprises, so that disadvantaged individuals can set up F&B stalls at a low cost and risk. At the present moment, there are no social enterprises in Singapore with deep expertise in managing hawker centres. I would like to know how NEA will help these social enterprises to do this. I would also like to know what are some of the possible safeguards that NEA will put in place to ensure the viability of such hawker centres and also how will the interest of the stallholders in these centres be better protected. Next, the shortage of dishwashing and collection staff at the hawker centres has resulted in used cutlery and plates being left all over the tables. This has also led to a deterioration of the general public hygiene and cleanliness in the hawker centres. The increased level of rats and the related problems in markets and food centres have further compounded this problem. How would NEA Page: 170 ensure that the hygiene and cleanliness standards of hawker centres are maintained? To manage the problem of low productivity and lack of dishwashers, there are proposals to centralise the dishwashing of hawker centres. Some hawkers however are reluctant to adopt the centralised dishwashing method because of the additional cost and the need to replace all their existing plates and cutleries with the standard ones. Would NEA consider some incentives to help all these hawker centres to adopt a better way of dishwashing, so as to solve all these problems that have been mentioned? Next, annually, Singapore produces almost approximately 700,000 tonnes of food wastage.”
“All the founding members of this Association have pledged their commitment to a list of 52 benchmark standards covering living facilities through cleanliness and hygiene, and so on, to ensure that these are up to the standards. I would like to urge all the relevant agencies to work together with them to ensure that all these standards get into the code and to be used to accredit and professionalise the industry. I hope the relevant agencies could also expedite the clearance of this set of standards and help to get the operators of dormitories, including those that are factory-converted, to adopt such a standard. Mr Chairman, in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, foreign workers have been contributing to our economic development. Page: 145 Considering this, we must ensure that there is adequate supply of foreign worker dormitories and recreational facilities for them. The lack of either will add to our social cost. The Government should systematically accelerate the construction of foreign worker dormitories and recreational facilities, and make sure they are effectively managed.”
“Mr Chairman, the foreign workers in the construction, marine and manufacturing sectors are only allowed to stay in dormitories. However, due to the shortage of dormitory housing space, it is not unusual to find workers in these sectors living in makeshift housing facilities usually carved out of private premises, such as old shop houses or factories and so on. With the shortage of dormitory space, dormitory rental prices also have gone up from $150 to $170 in 2009 to about $300 per month, almost double. This increase signals not only the failure of supply to keep pace with the demand of the market, but also explains the trend in the last few years that dormitory planning focused on maximising the bid space at the loss of the recreational and social amenities within the dormitory developments. As Chairman of MWC, I would like to know how MND will ensure that the supply of dormitories would be able to meet the demand. I also hope that the space for recreation and social activities will be incorporated into the building of such plans for the dormitories, particularly the new ones. MWC also hopes for more recreational centres to be built. We have seen some positive efforts by the Government agencies recently. At the moment, there is a total of four recreational centres. I would like to know what is the plan the Government has for the migrant workers to have a wider range of social and recreational options. Sir, to strengthen the overall living standards in the dormitories, MWC also mooted the formation of the Dormitories Association of Singapore in early 2013.”
“Madam, the Lift Upgrading Programme aims to retrofit all the HDB flats built before 1990 with lifts to serve every household. However, currently, there are still approximately 200 HDB Page: 119 blocks that because of cost or architectural reason are unable to benefit from the programme. There are four such blocks in Ang Mo Kio/Hougang. One of these is an HDB block that consists of only eight maisonette units. I would like to know whether the Ministry has found any alternative and considered some other options, like lift chair, bubble lift or so-called hydraulic lift. That would help to resolve the issue for some of these residents who stay in such a block, as until today they still cannot benefit from the LUP. Besides LUP for all the residential blocks in HDB, residents also see that some of the Multi-Storey Car Parks (MSCPs) have undergone LUP. They hope that all the MSCPs could be provided with lifts as the population is ageing. I hope MND would clarify the plan of having lifts for all the Multi-Storey Car Parks and let us know what is the timeline for this. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I hope that MND can find a feasible solution as soon as possible for the 200 HDB blocks whose lifts cannot be upgraded and install lifts at all multi-storey carparks. This will allow our elderly residents to live safely, comfortably and happily.”
“MOM can also support the labour movement in its Union Safety Agenda for Everyone at Work (U-SAFE) initiatives by providing WSH expertise in its industrial cluster effort. For example, the aerospace and aviation cluster work group involving the management and union members has already come up Page: 93 with a plan to see how they can address the issues of lightning. Together, the group has managed to identify some areas of concern and at the same time come up with practical solutions and recommendations and make the workplace significantly safer. I urge MOM to provide more resources and support to such sectoral initiatives at the workplaces. Besides providing expertise, MOM can also help develop guidelines for WSH risks identified. Since workers and, by extension, their family, stand to lose the most when safety lapses occur, MOM must also safeguard workers' well-being by providing them a secure channel to report such lapses. I request MOM to strengthen such a channel to have sufficient protection for workers so that they can report lapses without any fear. Lastly, on top of the current mandatory safety orientation courses for workers, I hope that MOM could do more to help the large number of migrant workers, who come with different work practices and culture, to equip them with work safety knowledge so that they can also proactively and productively help us in identifying lapses of safety at their workplace and work safely with their local co-workers.”
“Mdm Chair, in light of the recent increase in the number of worksite related incidents, I would like to repeat my earlier message to our tripartite partners that behind every worker is a family waiting for them to return home sound and safe at the end of every work day. To achieve the WSH 2018 vision of an accident-free workplace for Singapore, MOM must send a stronger and clearer signal to employers that workplace safety must never be compromised. What are MOM's plans to influence a breakthrough in the WSH outcome and performance in our workplaces? I would like MOM to also review the WSH Act and put in place a stronger deterrent framework that empowers MOM to enforce stronger proactive prevention and remedial actions on recalcitrant employers who had actually wilfully and blatantly breached work safety guidelines. At the same time, MOM must continue to strengthen the working relationship with employers by rolling out structured initiatives and programmes to help them be WSH-ready. For SMEs particularly, there is a need to provide them with the "how" and the "what" of the WSH system that they could actually be able to adapt very easily to be WSH-ready and identify the risks at all workplaces. Madam, one way to define whether workplaces are WSH-ready is to determine whether they have carried out appropriate WSH Risk Assessment and at the same time find recommendations on how to close all these "gaps". For sectors which were "low WSH awareness, relatively higher risks" like hospitality, transport and logistics, education, and cleaning industry, we hope that the Ministry could provide more support and resources, and work with tripartite partners to customise WSH programmes that are targeted at all these areas to also address the issue of the risks identified.”
“The benefit is definitely significant. Next point – fair and proper treatment for migrant workers should extend beyond the workplace into their living environment. The major dormitory operators in Singapore, under the advice of the MWC, have already come together to organise Dormitory Associations of Singapore, and have a self-initiated collaboration with SPRING Singapore to formulate some form of Page: 37 accreditation standards for the industry. I want to call on MOM to encourage as well as participate actively in this collaboration and also lend its endorsement to this set of standards. I would like MOM to consider making this set of standards a regulatory bottom line for the industry to guide the enforcement and prosecution of those who fall below the standards of care, hygiene and amenities. I would also like the Ministry to tell us whether there are plans to build more recreational centres for all the migrant workers in Singapore. Madam, connected to the issues of living conditions and the standards of work is also the issue of transportation for the migrants. So, I would like to also ask the Ministry whether they have a plan to ensure that such transportation remains accessible and is safe for all migrant workers between their workplace and their "play" place. Madam, we would also like to urge MOM to really look into how they can work more closely with the NGOs to strengthen the dispute resolution mechanism for all migrant workers to ensure that there will be amicable resolution of all disputes. Segmentise Service Sector for Quotas”
“I hope the MOM would also work with the unions, as well as the Migrant Worker Centre (MWC), to put in place some form of standardised all-model contract for migrant workers or sectoral guidelines covering all the key terms and conditions for employment, living and social amenities in Singapore and yet, at the same time, incorporating the terms or guidelines into the permit approved documentation, and also translate this into a language that they can understand, so that they all know what they are really coming for. Of the grievances handled by the MWC over the last four years, a large share is due to the calculation and payment of salaries. While the mandating of payslip issuance to the workers has been put in place in the pipeline – MOM has set a two-year implementation target – but to avoid such salary disputes further, I hope the Government will reconsider mandating electronic payment of salary through Giro for all workers, particularly of all the Work Permit holders, as it is already the case for all the S-Pass holders currently. Mdm Chair, I commend the Ministry for the willingness to review the "one employer from entry to exit" rule at the moment. I hope the Ministry will review this, however, because this control has created an environment that discourages aggrieved migrant workers from coming forward to report the infringements of their employers as they fear being repatriated even if their grievances are legitimate. I urge the Ministry to allow a change or transfer of employer scheme for all the Work Permit holders, for example, one, workers who have reached the end of their terms of employment; two, workers who can prove legitimate grievances against their employers; three, workers who have obtained their existing employer's consent to change employers.”
“Madam, we all recognise the need to complement our workforce with migrant workers, but rather than recruiting by headcount, employers should recruit migrant workers for the skills and value that the migrants can bring to the job. MOM should help our employers to keep their better foreign workers for longer, rather than to encourage the churn of new migrant workers into Singapore which will facilitate illicit profiteering by the errant overseas employment agencies, and the young and unskilled migrants are able to come here for the low-skill jobs just simply by paying more money to the intermediary. We need to actually emphasise the skills and productivity in our recruitment process. I urge the MOM to have a skills and performance-based standard as a condition for Work Permit renewal for migrant workers. This will increase the overall skills profile of our migrant worker population. Better skills and qualified workers are also easier to upgrade and integrate, more productive and are also less likely to come with the burden of a large agency debt. Page: 36 Besides skills certification, currently, there is also no standard contract for the migrant workers and this leads to malpractices and exploitation by overseas agents promising terms and conditions that distort and misrepresent the true state of the working and living conditions here.”
“I am happy to be told that the Singapore Furniture Association will be organising an overseas delegation to study trends in innovative marketing amongst their international counterparts so as to find ways to deal with the challenging domestic furniture market and changing purchasing habits of the younger generation, creating a new market model with help from the Government. I hope other business associations will learn from their example. I believe the best welfare we can provide for Singaporeans is to ensure full employment. Tripartite partners must strive to ensure that Singapore's economy continues to grow healthily in order to continuously create better job opportunities, so as to improve the lives of Singaporeans. For this reason, we must recognise that SMEs are at the core of our economy. During this period of transition and transformation for the SMEs, we value every job and every SME employee. The Government must pay attention to the development of SMEs and continue to create jobs for Singaporeans. I support the Budget. Page: 151”
“Even now, many enterprises choose to be dependent on foreign workers, and they even believe that if the Government can increase the quota for foreign workers, their problems will be solved. But there are no "ifs" in life, only results Page: 150 and outcome. There is a common saying that "the one riding the bicycle will never catch up with the one driving the BMW". This clearly illustrates the importance of choosing the right platform and technology. Even if we want to ride bicycles now, we will feel that we are not up to it due to old age. That is why many on the road choose to travel by battery-operated bicycles. Hence, we cannot hang on to our past practices. A business owner told me that our competitors are already going faster and we know that going uphill is not easy, going downhill is the easiest. However, if we choose to stay on the same spot, even if there is a road ahead of us, there will be no future! When one is running a business, he cannot be unaware of what is happening today or tomorrow. The crucial difference is whether one sees but is unable to change, or one strives to create a new route for the future! The fighting spirit is part of an entrepreneur's nature, so I hope that SMEs will be able to overcome the challenges of our economic transformation, and that they will be bold enough to ask what lies ahead. Elsewhere, others need to pay to find their way around while, in Singapore, the Government pays for the toll! This is why bosses should embark on their journey quickly and decide for themselves.”
“Birds which do not want to and are unable to fly will be eaten by their predators quickly, especially very, very small birds. I urge the Government to do more to help the neighbourhood businesses. Just as the Prime Minister had said at a constituency bursary award ceremony, neighbourhood businesses have always contributed tremendously to the community, giving generously to charity and providing employment opportunities for residents to work near homes. We should not neglect them! Mdm Speaker, in an issue of the Taiwanese magazine, Commonwealth, dated 11 November 2013, the editor's note summarised aptly the current situation and the kind of mentality companies should have. Let me quote: "For every country, every industry, every enterprise and every individual, 'transformation' is the keyword in 2014." Not only is every trade and industry facing change, the strength of every nation and the distribution of global trade and commerce is also undergoing change. Change presents challenges, but it also represents opportunities! Is there light at the end of the tunnel? The answer is "Yes", except that the source of the light is now different. The Sun of the economy in the next few years may rise from a different direction. Let me quote Jack Ma, China's king of e-commerce. He said: "Many people lose out because of the way they look at new developments. Firstly, they do not look at it. Secondly, they look down on it. Thirdly, they do not understand it and, lastly, they were too late." This is a very accurate but cruel reality. In Singapore, I worry that many enterprises are not interested in new developments and claim that they have "no time"; when they do not wish to look into it, they say "there is nothing to see". In the end, loyal workers lose their jobs.”
“For example, when a contractor had to remove four trees from a worksite, even though he put up a proposal to plant 20 trees as compensation, he had to wait several weeks for approval and, even after waiting, he has not heard from the authorities. Secondly, for many traditional industries, rental takes up the biggest chunk of business cost. If they were to continue the business in the traditional way, many would be unable to make any profit. Does the Government have any concrete measures to help them to switch to another trade or relocate to another location or move overseas? Thirdly, the food and beverage industry and even coffee shops are changing the way they operate, making use of automation to improve services and reduce the manpower needed to take orders and clear tables. But can consumers accept these changes? Businesses hope that the Government will consider working with them to change consumers' mindset and press on with restructuring. Fourthly, in order to change these mindsets, we must have new ideas, innovative concepts. Does the Government have any plans to enhance support for them to go for overseas study trips? Page: 149 Lastly, and most importantly, neighbourhood shops feel that they need more assistance and they hope the Government will enhance assistance schemes. Previously, I used "a little bird" as a metaphor to describe SMEs. However, an SME business owner told the media that he is not a "little bird" but a "very, very small and ageing bird" which does not even dare to think about flying but only wishes to spend the rest of his life in peace. I sympathise with his situation, but I would also like to tell business owners like him that it is in a bird's nature to "want to fly", "yearn to fly" and to have "the ability to fly".”
“Many SMEs feel that some of the landlords of local industrial properties are "killing the goose that lay the golden eggs" by asking for rentals that are too high, forcing them to close shop, or passing on the high cost to consumers. In the end, it is the consumer who suffers. So, I would like to make an appeal on their behalf. They urge the Government to implement cooling-off measures for the commercial and industrial property sector, similar to what was done for the residential property market. Business owners say that industrial property Page: 148 investments should not become speculative in nature. They believe that the Government should limit the vacancy period of such properties to prevent market demand and supply from being distorted due to speculative activities or rising prices. SMEs hope that the Government will implement measures to rein in speculative activities. Besides rising rental costs, many landlords and property owners have included provisions in lease agreements that give them an unfair advantage. They hope that the Government can be the third party to help come up with a more equitable lease agreement so that they will not suffer losses. For example, some SMEs plough in a lot of money to renovate a shop that they have rented, but the landlord suddenly back out of the lease agreement. I hope the Government will take into consideration their plight. Apart from the points brought up above, some SMEs would also like to give feedback and suggestions on the following issues. Firstly, they would like to know if Government agencies can speed up the approval process for various permits so that businesses can avoid incurring additional costs.”
“In particular, they hope MOM will be more forgiving to employers who flout the rules unintentionally. An employer who has a few hundred workers under him was careless and miscalculated the annual leave of three of his workers. They were one day short of the stipulated annual leave. As a result, he was fined several thousand dollars. He is worried that things will be worse when the amendments kick in on 1 April. I hope that the Government will give them some leeway and improve the communication process so that policies can be implemented effectively. At the same time, I also hope that there will be appropriate channels for employers to appeal and that the authorities will be more understanding of their situation. Rental is another area of concern for businesses. Although rent for commercial properties in Singapore is not as high as those of certain countries in the region, we must still take heed of their situation. We can see how rising rentals of industrial and commercial properties can undermine the competitiveness of Singapore and our SMEs. In the case of Hong Kong, it has been rated as one of most expensive places for retail business. In Tokyo, some property owners are trying to protect traditional culture and businesses, for example, by allowing ramen shops and small eateries to rent their premises at affordable prices. However, this is not the case in Hong Kong, where rentals typically go up by 60% when the lease is being renewed. This has resulted in the demise of many traditional shops in Hong Kong, where shop space has been taken over by a new breed of retailers who specialise in selling infant formula milk powder, medical products and luxury goods to tourists from mainland China. I hope Singapore will not follow Hong Kong's footsteps.”
“Undeniably, the problem of manpower shortage is not only confined to frontline staff, as SMEs face manpower shortage even at executive and management level. Today, even though SMEs account for 99% of the companies in Singapore, employing 70% of the total workforce, our University graduates still prefer to work for multinational companies. We must find ways to help SMEs improve their working environment so as to attract more graduates to join them. Many SMEs have also asked me to tell the Minister that there is a serious shortage of local engineers and they would like to know the Government's plan in this aspect. In general, we have to make SMEs more attractive to University graduates. Many SMEs say they cannot find suitable graduates to work for them. I hope the SMEs will take note of the various schemes, for example, the SME Talent Programme. With the help of SPRING Singapore, it is possible to recruit good workers. Meanwhile, there are also schemes like the e2i EDP programme and the CEP programme under SPRING Singapore – two schemes that help SMEs recruit core executives. In the past year, these two schemes have helped many Page: 147 SMEs, particularly those in the F&B industry, to recruit 170 University graduates. With the implementation of various measures, NTUC will work with various associations to help SMEs improve their work environment so that workers can feel at ease. I believe our SMEs can improve their operations and human resource management systems under the platform of tripartite partnership. However, many bosses say that they have been caught off-guard by the amendments to the Employment Act. They hope that as the amendments kick in from 1 April 2014, MOM will help businesses.”
“Only then can we assist those employers who genuinely need help, protect them from exploitation and safeguard public funds, ensure that every cent from assistance schemes are used for the benefit of these companies and achieve our policy objectives. Page: 146 While we encourage SMEs to make good use of the assistance schemes, I would like to remind the SMEs that they should be clear about what changes are needed for their business model. In running and growing a business, Government assistance can only give them a boost, but entrepreneurs have to decide for themselves where and when to accelerate. There are examples where entrepreneurs have done just that. One of them is Bake Mission, a bakery. They have further automated the baking process and redesigned their packaging so that the packaging process is now streamlined. Fewer workers are needed and manpower can be re-deployed elsewhere. The company's profits have also increased and they have shared the profits with their workers by using 12.5% of the profits to give workers higher wages. They achieved this with the help of e2i. I think that is important. NTUC hopes that all companies will share their profits from productivity gains with their workers. Another example is Arrow Tyres. They deal with retail sales of tyres. With the help of SME Centre, they learned how to make use of various Government schemes to improve operation procedures. The company serves customers mainly during lunchtime, helping them change their tyres. In order to cut down the time taken to change tyres, they bought a new machine to install tyres with the help of the PIC scheme, shortening the time taken by half and reducing the number of workers required from two to one, thereby relying less on foreign workers.”
“Many SMEs say that they have a very lean operation, which is why many bosses also double-up as workers, helping to serve customers. They hope that the Government will review these criteria and allow bosses to be included as part of the local headcount so that they can benefit from the scheme. Mdm Speaker, all these schemes, whether it is PIC, IGP, WCS or Work Pro, have helped many SMEs. Unfortunately, these schemes have been abused to a certain extent. I have mentioned some of the cases in media reports. For example, some "consultants" charge exorbitant "application fees" for helping companies apply for PIC grants. Recently, an employer told me that he was approached by a consultant who promised that he could get a PIC grant of $40,000. However, once the grant application is approved, the employer has to pay him 25% of the grant as "service fee". I do not know how much of the PIC grant has gone into the pockets of these "consultants" under such circumstances. We should put an end to these practices. Various Government agencies have designed the application procedure of assistance schemes such that they are simple and straightforward. SME centres also provide free service to businesses. I think the Government should improve communications so that all companies know that these services are available free-of-charge. I also hope that the Government will take steps to stop unscrupulous companies from collecting exorbitant "admin fees" for applications and taking advantage of the Government. Such practices should not be tolerated.”
“I hope that while the Government supports SMEs in restructuring to become leaner and more efficient, it will also consider helping those who have moved forward, to retain experienced skilled foreign workers, so that companies have a reasonable timeframe to automate, upgrade business operations and reduce dependency on foreign labour. This is because improvements in service workflow usually undergo a transition period. Businesses hope that the Government will consider their situation on a case-by-case basis and grant them a grace period of a few months or half a year. Greater certainty in terms of the renewal of Work Permit of good foreign workers will help bosses retain good workers. NTUC supports the retention of good foreign workers. What we want is quality and not quantity! In the last two years, NTUC Hospitality and Consumer Business Cluster (HCBC) has helped many businesses upgrade. Under the e2i Inclusive Growth Programme, we have redesigned 230 types of jobs, and 9,000 workers have benefited from it. For example, under the programme, a Japanese restaurant Page: 145 changed the way it took customers' orders, dramatically improving productivity and service efficiency. Similarly, Holiday Inn Atrium adopted a new laundry system so that the work is now streamlined. Existing skilled local workers realise that these changes have helped their jobs become "E-S-S", or Easier, Smarter and Safer. This is the right direction. SMEs need the Government's support to continuously upgrade. They hope that the Minister for Finance will extend the PIC Bonus Scheme, just as he has extended the PIC scheme. I would also like to urge the Government to review the application criteria for PIC, for example, the clause that requires companies to employ at least three local workers.”
“Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Speaker, I am glad to know that the Budget this year has built upon the foundation laid down in recent years, increased the Government's expenditure in order to promote the restructuring of our economy, create more job opportunities, strengthen job security and increase our income. I believe we should persevere in this direction, to restructure our economy, and maintain full employment – a unique advantage of Singapore. In particular, we should ensure that our SMEs, who are the greatest contributors in the labour market, maintain their vibrancy and vitality, so as to continue to create better and more jobs for Singaporeans. Currently, there are 16,000 SMEs in Singapore accounting for more than 50% of GDP and providing jobs to 70% of our workforce. Hence, we must take a serious view of the challenges faced by SMEs in recent years. These challenges are mainly in two areas: firstly, shortage of manpower; secondly, rising business cost. Since the Government tightened foreign manpower policies two years ago, the shortage of manpower has become a serious problem. In a recent Zaobao commentary, it was reported that a successful bak kut teh hawker had to close his stall because he could not employ foreigners to work as service crew and few Singaporeans wanted to work in the food and beverage industry. The hawker chose to close down his stall even though business was good. He did so not because his culinary skills were poor, nor was it because business was no good. On the contrary, his business was so good that he could not cope. It is sad to hear these stories.”
“Madam, many of the accidents actually involved foreign workers. I would like to ask the Ministry whether it will do a more focused review and whether it has plans to help this group of workers to understand, identify and, if need be, blow the whistle on any WSH risk at work, so that they can avoid compromising on their safety just for the deadline or the work target required by their employers.”
“Madam, a number of the victims of these harassments are actually not the borrower. So, I would like to ask the Minister what steps would the Police take to help those who suffer because the ones who borrowed had failed to change the address in their identity cards.”
“Madam, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech on Pg xxxx.] I am glad there are already a number of schemes to help SMEs now. However, many SMEs are still not following up as they have had unpleasant experiences in the past. I would like the Minister of State to tell us if there are better ways to reach out to and help those SMEs who have suffered unpleasant experiences in the past as well as those who cannot understand the schemes due to language problems, so that more can better utilise the schemes. Can we do better to help them succeed in the next three transitional years?”
“With regard to the Change of Employer scheme to be extended to all foreign workers, at the current moment, it is only applicable to foreign domestic workers.”
“Mr Chairman, may I ask the Ministry whether they will seriously consider the Labour Movement's call to adopt skills certification as a criterion for the renewal of work passes? Secondly, on my call for the Change of Employer scheme to be extended to all foreign workers, would the Ministry consider this as well? Thirdly, for the supply of dormitories, can the Ministry assure us that there will be sufficient dormitories so that the foreign workers will not go into the HDB so much? Last but not least, on workplace safety and health, I would like to get the Senior Parliamentary Secretary to assure us that with more and more regulations that have been introduced lately, are we moving away from the original intention of the new Workplace Safety and Health Act, to make it more proactive? Or are we still re-acting and introducing more regulations with penalty? Page: 166”
“I would like MOM to review the current supply and ensure that dormitory supply is adequate. The Government also needs to look into the provision of sanitary and hygienic environments, as well as amenities, within all these dormitories. Madam, I mentioned in my speech last week that the approach taken by many companies which were involved with NTUC in the Customer-Centric Initiative (CCI) and Inclusive Growth Programme (IGP) scheme like the Hans Restaurant chain towards manpower issues is positive and a good example. We need to get more employers in the services sector to do the same. However, as the management of Hans said, while the measures were very effective, they Page: 144 need to put in a lot, a lot of efforts. So, the Government needs to give recognition and help these companies, particularly the SMEs, which already see the benefits of our schemes and are making concrete moves. We must help them. I would like to urge MOM to consider granting short-term DRC flexibility to companies which have already embarked on the relevant schemes with the NTUC, e2i, SPRING, STB and WDA as they are transcending to reduce their dependence on foreign workers. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Similar to quitting smoking, companies need certain time to reduce their dependency on foreign workers. During the past one year, NTUC has done experiments with some companies to increase productivity and reduce their dependency on foreign workers. It is best that MOM could give more flexibility and adjustment time to companies which have actively participated in the productivity and job-redesign movement to reduce their dependency on foreign workers, as advocated by NTUC, e2i, SPRING and STB. Fair Employment Practices”
“Madam, I wish to repeat my call on the tripartite partners to focus on quality, not quantity, in managing our foreign workforce. Madam, as we aim to reduce our dependency on foreign manpower, we need to look for sustainable high-quality foreign workers. I believe that we need to secure foreign workers with the right technical skills, as well as the social adaptability. As such, I would like to renew my call for MOM to seriously consider implementing skills certification and upgrading as a criterion for work pass renewal for foreign workers who are already here and, if possible, to extend this criterion to new applications subsequently. Employers must value every worker and play their part to ensure that the qualifications, training and skills required for local workers are the same as that required for foreign workers as well. I believe a better-skilled, better-qualified foreign worker naturally will translate to a more adaptable, more easily integrated and more productive worker. Madam, many of the stressed foreign workers are unwilling to come forward because they are afraid that they will be sent home after the case is resolved when they come to the Migrant Workers Centre (MWC), and they will not have the opportunity to carry on working in Singapore. That is their concern. Recently, the MWC has assisted a number of foreign workers who were involved in salary arrears cases. And upon our appeal, they were granted for Change of Employer (COE) scheme on a case-by-case basis. Such a scheme is actually currently already in place for foreign domestic workers (FWDs). I would like to again advocate and call upon MOM to consider making this COE scheme accessible to all foreign workers and not just FDWs. Madam, the foreign workers also need a good place to rest and sleep, too.”
“Madam, the Labour Movement's Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) vision is: every worker will be able to return home safe and sound at the end of every work day. Through our active collaborations with all our tripartite partners, we hope to be effective in inculcating safety culture and mindset in all our workplaces to be able to say "no" to all the risks at work. Now that the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act covers all workplaces, we must ensure that this is an Act that has teeth, as well as also at the same time ensuring that all the workplaces are equipped to maintain their WSH capability. I urge MOM to roll out more incentives and training programmes to support unions and companies to achieve their WSH targets and monitor that these are sustainable. I wish to know how would MOM ensure that all companies are WSH-ready and put in place risk management frameworks so as to make our workplaces safer. 5.00 pm In addition, addressing workplace health is just as important as addressing workplace safety. I would like MOM to update the House on what the Ministry will do to address workplace health this year? Work at Heights”
“I hope MOM can more actively encourage employers to adopt the Progressive Wage Model advocated by NTUC, so that workers from all the sectors, especially low-income workers, can enjoy better bonus, better starting salary, sustainable and sizeable salary increases and better career prospects. The Progressive Wage Model has already been adopted in the healthcare, cleaning and service sectors, and progress can be seen. The tripartite partners should step up their efforts to allow more workers to benefit from the model. Let us all work together towards the Progressive Wage Model. Fair Employment for Low-wage Workers”
“In the next two to three years, the PWM aims to benefit about 100,000 workers in these clusters. Besides the F&B and hotel examples that I mentioned in my speech last week, in the healthcare sector, NUH also did a job redesign for Patient Service Associates (PSAs). So, through the job re-design, NUH created a structured career pathway which will provide career development and professional growth opportunities for these workers. More importantly, under the new structure, Page: 127 employees without degree qualifications can be promoted into these higher grades based on performance and earn up to a salary of $5,200. In the cleaning sector, there are also about 70,000 cleaners in total. About 50,000, or about 70%, are Singaporeans. If the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaning (TCC) broadens our outreach, most of the 50,000 Singaporean workers would benefit from the PWM. I hope that MOM would consider establishing same sector-based cluster approach and platform like the TCC for all low-wage sectors and not just for the cleaning sector. Lastly, from the Labour Movement's point of view, the new Wage Credit Scheme (WCS) will be helpful in our efforts for PWM and sustainable wage increases. I would like to ask MOM whether the Ministry has plans to support the Labour Movement to do more together, to ensure that we give employers and employees effective ways to skill-up and build progressive wages. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Cost of living is going up. Hence, we need to improve workers' wages in a sustainable manner.”
“Mdm Chair, as Singapore will go through a period of slower economic and job growth over the medium and longer term in the next 10 to 20 years, the Labour Movement identified three challenges and necessary mindsets to overcome such challenges. First, improving productivity and innovation to sustain economic and job growth for Singaporeans. Second, sustaining real growth in our median wage – which has grown 17% in the last five years – and, more importantly, helping our low-wage workers to grow wages in higher percentage terms than the median wage growth through accepting the wage increases which can only come about and be sustained with upgrading of skills and productivity and taking on heavier responsibilities, in terms of career advancement. Third, ensuring employers are able to attract, retain and value every worker so that businesses are able to grow and ensure a better job security for all of us. This is why the Labour Movement introduced the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). PWM is a four-in-one model of skills, productivity, career development and wages. All four components must go hand-in-hand to achieve the three outcomes: achieve economic growth and job growth that I mentioned; increase the real wages, particularly for low-wage workers; and ensuring businesses are able to compete so that we have better job security. In 2012, NTUC unveiled the PWM for eight sectors, namely, healthcare, cleaning, pre-school education, hotels, retail, F&B, marine engineering, as well as transport. Madam, through the cluster approach, we are able to collectively engage the tripartite partners more effectively to build a Singaporean Core workforce and also speed up inclusive growth for all workers.”