Zaqy Mohamad
Singapore
“Deputy Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the Question Time at this day's Sitting be exempted from Standing Order No 22(1) so as to enable questions for oral answer to continue until the completion of Question Nos 7 to 29, including relevant supplementary questions, until 12.45 pm?”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of the Minister Tan See Leng's speech, please?”
“I think on the hawker front, we keep our rentals as low as possible to sustain our hawkers. But for food prices, we continue to monitor. My colleague, Minister of State Gan mentioned about how we are monitoring food supply of food prices, and I think that we will continue to do so.”
“I thank the Member for his question. On seafood specifically, we do not see immediate risk. We have diversified our food imports. We have also got local production of seafood readily available. At this point, as both the Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister have shared, our main risk for agriculture lies in fertiliser.”
“Mr Speaker, as I shared, we are monitoring the situation. The Government is monitoring at this point. There is no need at this juncture, because we have not seen the price hikes hit the hawkers in the same way as yet. There will be downstream impact. I think that is quite sure.”
“For us to also look into buying local produce, that helps our farms to increase capacity at this point, helps them build resilience over time and should there be disruptions or should there be a need for us to divert supplies or look to ramp up local production, I think they would be in a better position if we do what we can today to supp…”
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“Mr Speaker, I move, "That the debate be now adjourned."”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No 48(8) to remove the time limit in respect of Minister Tan See Leng's speech?”
“To the Member's first question on the demerit points system, we have enhanced it in the last year or the last couple of years, if I recall correctly. We brought down the debarment categories, in the sense that, now, it covers all Government Procurement Officers who procure construction work. The debarment points system debars a firm for at least three months at 25 points and that gets triggered when you have one fatality. So, to some extent, if a company incurs more points, almost like the traffic demerit points system, whether it is MOM inspections, finding stop-work orders or other contraventions, even minor injuries, major injuries, that adds up the demerit points. So, just to assure the Member that, yes, a fatality will trigger certain responses and it depends on demerit points over an 18-month period, for example, just like the traffic violation systems, it will debar them from public sector contracts. I would say that we think this would be effective because the public sector does take on more than half of the construction projects in Singapore and therefore, I think that is a big, sizeable account for many of our construction firms, especially larger ones. As I said, one of the key things we got to look out for are the SMEs, because they may not rely on public sector works and typically, they are over-represented when we think about some of the A&A renovation projects or even facility management projects that result in fatalities or major injuries. So, I think that is one area in which the disqualification credit may not have happened and that is probably one reason why you find that many of our larger firms tend to do better too.”
“I thank the Member for his question. I do not have the statistics off-hand in terms of the mix between large and small firms. I can tell the Member that based on our analysis in previous years for this particular group, there is a mix in terms of large and small firms. Small firms do form a significant portion of that number, which I think is about close to half or one third. If you think about it, many of these could have been avoided because many of them are in the addition and alteration (A&A) type of projects and renovation works, and some are doing maintenance works in facilities management. These are the areas in which we are working with BCA to see how we can encourage and better educate to create better awareness and procedures and protocols among our small and medium enterprises (SMEs). So, yes, there are the larger firms but if you think about risk profile, larger worksites, bigger workforce, but the numbers are over-represented if you think about ratios in the SME sector. And that is one area in which we are working closely with BCA to try to manage.”
“We have made some measures, apart from just the Safety Time-out, that we think should enhance the safety protocols and procedures in the construction sector. We worked very closely with MND and BCA on this. I think one aspect would also be how we transform the sector, which MND and BCA are playing a very important role in this too, in terms of making our construction processes more productive, more safe. Today, you can see many of them performing quite well. Some of them have gone beyond just video surveillance and to include video analytics into the surveillance systems which are able to proactively predict or pre-empt some of these unsafe things in workers' conduct. Overall, I think we have to not just rely on Safety Time-outs, but on the whole suite of measures that we introduced last year. And give us time, because it has been about six months or so for some of these measures and they need time to permeate and for us to evaluate their effectiveness. I assure Members that we are doing all we can, but the industry will also need to respond, and so, give them time to do so.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Indeed, the Safety Time-out that was done was voluntary because this was meant to complement MOM's enforcement efforts overall. In terms of effectiveness, a Safety Time-out on its own is not going to be the panacea to solve the fatality issues. Having said that, we have also done more extensive measures, all introduced just last year, for example, requiring companies with projects above $5 million to put video surveillance systems. That has put a lot of companies on notice because they know that if something happens, there is record, there is video surveillance that is there as evidence for MOM to investigate. That has deterred many companies in terms of making sure that all processes and protocols are in place. The other things which I mentioned earlier on include, we have now required CEOs and board directors in industries – not just construction but others as well – to refresh themselves to be very familiar. So, the accountability is not just at the worker level, but at CEO and board level, so that they cannot say, "I didn't know. My safety officer was already hired to do this." Accountability starts from the top. Within the construction sector, one of the key changes we also made in terms of the disqualification criteria was, for example, in the past, we only made the contractor and the two levels of sub-contractors accountable. Since last year, we have also now made it so for the contractor and all levels of sub-contractors accountable as well. So, there is none of this old business of telling us, "This was some sub-contractor down the line, I have no sight, no visibility". You have to be accountable for all your sub-contractors down the line.”
“These include: (a) subjecting all public construction projects to the Safety Disqualification Framework, which temporarily bars contractors with poor WSH performance from tendering; and (b) requiring all construction worksites with contract values of $5 million and above to install video surveillance systems. The requirement for external safety audits to be conducted following serious lapses remains in effect after the Heightened Safety Period. To strengthen accountability at the leadership level, we have also instituted measures such as requiring Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and board directors in the higher-risk sectors, including construction, to attend the Top Executive WSH Programme. Overall, our fatality rate has fallen over the years, averaging 1.1 per 100,000 workers, and is among the top performers worldwide. However, construction fatalities remain over-represented in Singapore with almost half our fatalities coming from the sector. So, the companies and the workers in the sector can certainly do better. On our part, we will monitor the progress of the measures implemented this year to further improve safety and accountability. I urge all employers and workers to remain alert as we approach the Chinese New Year period, which is typically a time when companies face time pressures to complete projects. MOM will continue with enhanced enforcement efforts during this period. We must not compromise on safety. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every worker returns home safely.”
“Mr Speaker, of the 14 construction worksites where the fatalities occurred in the second half of 2024, nine were issued with stop-work orders because their safety management systems were found to be inadequate, posing imminent danger to their workers. These worksites were required to undertake measures, such as reviewing their safety management systems, before they can resume work. None of the 14 incident worksites had previously been issued with stop-work orders. I share the Members' concern about the increase in workplace fatalities, especially in the construction sector. While the sector’s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance is better than those of many developed countries like Japan, we are not yet on par with top performers such as the Netherlands. There is certainly scope for our construction sector to do better. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has continued to tighten our enforcement efforts for the construction sector. In 2024, more than 3,000 inspections were conducted, targeting key concerns such as Working at Height, Vehicular Safety and Struck by Falling Objects. More recently, we instituted a Safety Time-out in November 2024 to refresh workers’ awareness of WSH practices and reinforce the importance of adhering to safety protocols. To improve industry-level WSH outcomes, the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST), which includes partners such as the Ministry of National Development (MND), Building and Construction Authority (BCA), and the WSH Council Industry Committees, has also introduced several measures to enhance WSH standards in the construction sector.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take three oral Parliamentary Questions (PQs), Question Nos 39, 40 and 41 in the Order Paper for 7 January 2025, together. In addition, I will address two oral PQs scheduled for the Sitting on 8 January 2025 by Mr Patrick Tay1 and Mr Louis Chua. These five PQs relate to construction workplace fatalities. I will respond to these questions together, so that I can give a comprehensive reply.”
“I thank the Member for his clarification. First and foremost, the LifeSG Credits are meant to recognise all our NSmen, past and present. And certainly, for those above 60, we want every single one of them to benefit, if possible. So, I want to assure the Member again that there is no intention to divide those who are digitally savvy and those who are not, because you have both options – the digital and the hard copies that you can request from MHA and MINDEF. But if the Member would like to have a sense, based on the last disbursement that we had with the LifeSG Credits in 2022, about 88% of eligible NSmen who were above 60 years old had utilised their credits, and just 2% of them requested and received hard copy vouchers. So, the numbers are quite small. I would hope that after one round of experience, maybe more would have a positive experience this round as well and would be used to the LifeSG app. But overall, if we look at the survey that we had done in the last poll – this was just about four months after the last campaign or the last disbursement in 2022 – about 95% of our NSmen indicated that they were supportive of digital disbursements. So, there is widespread support. But there are also the hard copies that members can request from MINDEF and MHA, if they cannot access digital payments. One more point, Mr Speaker. On the Member's other point about potential scams or attempts on use of PayNow payments. If the Member has specific information on the WhatsApp messages, let us know, so that we can investigate and see if these are scams.”
“Mr Speaker, the NS LifeSG Credits recognise past and present National Servicemen (NSmen) from the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team for their contributions to Singapore's defence and security. In the month of November, more than one million NSmen would have received, via the LifeSG application, $200 worth of credits which can be used to purchase a range of household and lifestyle goods and services. Twenty-six percent, or more than a quarter of a million, of the recipients are above 60 years old. Recipients who need help to claim the credits can contact the NS Call Centre or approach the digital ambassadors at the 36 SG Digital Community Hubs and nine ServiceSG Centres. Those who are unable to access the credits via the digital LifeSG mobile application or who are not comfortable with digital payments, may request the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for hard copy vouchers. This approach is similar to the arrangement for the NS55 Recognition Package in 2022. And this had worked well and received positive feedback from past and present NSmen.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Leader, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Recognising Eczema as a Chronic Disease 7.03 pm”
“And that also includes post-weather hazard events as well, to ensure that, post-work hazards, these do not affect structures and equipment that could affect them as they operate after the weather event. So, in short, yes, we will do that. Do look out for these advisories as they come along, as this is a situation that is still evolving and one that we are monitoring.”
“I thank the Member for her question. Certainly, MOM works closely together with the Workplace Safety and Health Council, as well as our tripartite partners and the trade associations to ensure that we engage both employers and workers to make the assessments on what are the best practices. From time to time, even before incidents occur, we try to provide templates for risk assessments and how they can manage these advisories. The information is disseminated to employers and workers to various channels, such as our websites, FWMOMCare app, unions, trade associations and social media platforms, as well as fora conducted by Workplace Safety and Health Council and seminars. I think it is important that we continue to issue reminders to the industry on weather-related hazards through various communication channels. Some of these materials that were recently introduced would be materials, such as the heat stress management compliance checklist, the advisory for preparing for adverse weather events, guidelines on wet-bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, monitoring for outdoor work. And these are already specific guides to help them implement good practices and to protect their workers from weather related hazards. Ultimately, I think even within Singapore, from time to time, in different locations, you will have variations in weather conditions as well, and therefore, it is hard to say a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. All employers, as I mentioned earlier, do need to make that risk assessment based on your worksite conditions, based on the equipment that you are using, based on the structures that you have, to ensure that your workers are best protected against weather hazards.”
“These are quite dynamic situations across different worksites and therefore, at the moment, I think it is important that employers come train, look into the advisories and see how best these weather conditions affect their worksites and how these affect their risk assessments. As we move on, as we have done with the heat stress advisory, the agencies and MOM will study this and see what the long-term implications are. Because many of these are constantly evolving and we have been fortunate not to have extreme weather conditions such as extreme heat waves, for example. We will continue to monitor and look at scientific evidence to determine what the course of actions would be, if there would be any.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question. In fact, MOM and the other agencies monitor this quite closely, especially with the evolving weather patterns that are ongoing. But the challenge is that it is very difficult to impose a guide on when you put in stop work orders, because the variations may be quite different for different worksites. Some may be construction sites, for example, or both may have different types of ways in which they conduct their work. One could be more prefab, so, therefore, it is more mechanical. Others may be more physical. Therefore, it is incumbent on the employer and the site occupier to be able to make the risk assessments. This is where we put the burden on the employers and the worksite occupiers to ensure that the workplace safety guidelines are all adhered to. This is an evolving situation, but for example, we had recently put out an advisory for preparing for adverse weather conditions. And therefore, some of the recent guides that have been given to companies – as recent as September 2024 – were to, for example, monitor weather conditions via systems and alerts. This guides them to take a risk assessment, looking at what the weather is like and looking at all worksites and see how that impacts their risk assessments and how they need to implement suitable risk controls. At the same time, to communicate hazards to workers and train them to report to their supervisors if there are adverse conditions that affect their work or safety. Ultimately, they also need to prepare a recovery plan because post adverse weather conditions, you will have to, for example, check on the structures and integrity of affected structures and critical outdoor machinery, after any weather event.”
“Migrant workers can also submit their feedback and concerns through MOM's FWMOMCare mobile application, which is available in their native languages and use it to reach MOM's Forward Assurance and Support Teams (FAST) and request for a call back. Additionally, they can also approach MOM's Friends of Assurance, Care and Engagement (FACE) migrant worker volunteers who serve as a bridge between their peers and MOM.”
“Sir, given the wide range of possible weather conditions and the ways in which such weather conditions can affect the diverse range of worksite situations, it is not practical for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to specify thresholds for companies to stop work. Instead, as guided by MOM's advisory on preparing for adverse weather events, companies must implement relevant measures that are specific to their business and safety needs. For example, companies are advised to prepare for potential strong wind situations by tying down essential structures or placing critical electrical equipment away from low-lying areas. Companies are also advised to subscribe to weather alerts so that they can promptly activate their contingency plans and temporarily stop outdoor work during strong wind conditions or when there is thunder or lightning. After adverse weather, companies should inspect the worksite for damage, unstable structures or safety hazards before resuming work. In addition, employers and workers may refer to the revised heat stress measures for outdoor work that MOM issued in September to protect outdoor workers against heat stress. During MOM's regular safety inspections, companies must demonstrate that they have taken the necessary measures to mitigate workplace safety and health risks, including those arising from weather conditions. Those who have failed to do so will be subject to appropriate enforcement actions. Workers are advised or encouraged to share their feedback and report unsafe workplace practices to MOM via SnapSAFE, which is a camera-based form. They can just take a photo and send it up.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 8 and 9 together, please?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Leader, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Realising the Vision of a 45-Minute City under the Land Transport Master Plan 2040 in the West of Singapore”
“Mr Speaker, the Member is right that the tripartite partners regularly discuss issues like these to ensure that our laws and guidelines are updated based on the prevailing environment. I think it is important that we continuously look at our practices and guidelines to make sure that they are relevant and, from time to time, issues like this crop up. For example, what is an appropriate notification period and businesses will say that they have commercial sensitivities. And yes, there are some who will give early notice and some less so. But ultimately, the Member is right. It is down to trust that you have to build and manage over time. Some of these are new firms that have just invested into Singapore and therefore need time versus others who have been here for much longer. So, we have the perspectives from MOM, from the Labour Movement and employers. We need to balance both sides. But in this case, I do agree that there is always room for improvement and tripartism has to be built based on trust and confidence; and certainly, both the workers and the employers want win-win outcomes. This is something that we both want. Whether it is the laws, regulations or advisories, I think we are certainly open to have those conversations. And as tripartite partners, we need to also open up constant communications between all parties, where both may find certain parts of our regulations or advisories to be outdated over time and need to be updated to deal with new or current issues. I think we need to just continue those conversations and dialogues. So, we are certainly open.”
“And you can also try out workers in various new functions too and all are subsidised and supported by the Government and the unions through the company training committees. So, we do have multiple means of support for workers, both downstream and upstream, to ensure that our workers are not just protected, but also supported. We hope that we maintain the economy in a good space, on an even keel, so that we can always ensure that workers have good opportunities and good jobs.”
“Certainly, we try to do our best in terms of managing the business constraints and business needs, as I have shared. And I think today, we are fortunate enough that the economy is doing okay, in the sense that when you look at the unemployment rates, they are low. If you look at the retrenchment numbers, they are not far off, they are about the same as non-recession cycles. So, we are in a good space at this moment in time. Therefore, you find that most of the workers who have been retrenched do find job opportunities within six months. I think that is one way in which we look at the macro picture. But, of course, on the ground, that is where the rubber hits the road, and where you find many of our schemes and layers of protections that we have for our workers. One of the reasons why we hope to have early notification is so that we can mobilise the retrenchment task force, get the NTUC moving, get the Workforce Singapore teams moving to facilitate that. Having said that, as I have shared in my earlier reply, you also have TAFEP. Should workers feel that there are discriminatory practices, you can come to us and we will look into these cases. There is TADM, if there are contractual disputes, including on retrenchment benefits, we will deal with them through TADM. And of course, upstream, we focus on career facilitation, in terms of job matching and career counselling. And let us not forget, we can work with employers better too, in terms of some of the restructuring and job redesign efforts, in which there are programmes such as Career Conversion Programmes, through which we can help employers place workers and help redesign jobs so that they do not get retrenched, they can get redeployed into other roles.”
“Certainly, I have to thank UWEEI for also holding that ground and Dyson for stepping forward and doing more for workers too. So, I think what we want is a win-win outcome on both sides. But there are areas that we can improve. If there is one thing, we also find that the norm is for many companies to work with the unions and inform them a month early, hence, for example, this is potentially one area. The union raised concerns that they were only given a one-day notice, although Dyson has also informed them why this particular situation had certain considerations. We understand that businesses in general have other considerations, especially listed companies. In giving too early a notice, they have to tell the shareholders, to give market notice and it is very odd that one already informed the unions before informing the market. So, there are different considerations. I am not saying that these are specific to Dyson, but generally, there are different considerations on why companies do that. Therefore, in my reply, trust between employers, unions and the Government is ultimately very important. That we will be able to support them despite their commercial or business constraints or considerations while at the same time still maintaining tripartism at its best. I think this is one area in which I agree with the Member that certainly, we have to preserve this spirit of tripartism to make Singapore work.”
“I thank the Member for his supplementary question and certainly, as I have shared in my speech earlier tripartism is the cornerstone for how we keep Singapore special, to balance the needs of the businesses so that they continue to invest here, and at the same time we will protect our workers. We see that the unions are at the forefront in negotiating collective agreements and ensuring that our workers are protected. We also have existing regulations, laws, rules and advisories of which there are multiple layers. As I have shared, on the Dyson case, for example, they have provided retrenchment benefits to all affected workers, even though they are not covered by collective agreement. They have also covered workers with less than two years' experience, even though the advisories do not require it. They have also provided counselling as well as outplacement assistance. And these are, I think, areas in which good employers also try to help those affected. But certainly, I know the unions want to do more for their workers. They want to ensure that all workers are protected, they want to ensure that the PMEs are also protected and therefore, the alarms were raised. Therein lies tripartism here in Singapore. Because here, we are fortunate. MOM stepped in, had the two parties discuss and at the end of the day, tripartism prevailed. And that is why, we are unlike other countries where you have lawsuits, you have strikes and you erode the confidence of the business community. In terms of how we handle things here in Singapore, I think that is the difference between our approach and that of most parts of the world. I think there are very few countries that you find the government stepping in, and unions and employers coming to a consensus.”
“Trust and a shared understanding among our tripartite partners is key for Singapore to manage this balance well, so that Singapore remains pro-worker and pro-business at the same time. Our strong tripartite spirit will enable Singapore to remain exceptional and achieve continued economic success. This will in turn ensure that our workers get good jobs and wages for many decades to come.”
“So, we have to strike a balance between protecting workers and providing flexibility for businesses. If we do not get this balance right, we may think that we are protecting our workers in the short term. But in the longer term, the good jobs for our workers may be reduced as we become a less attractive place for companies to invest in and firms may choose to site their operations or even outsource jobs elsewhere. At the same time, what I can assure Members is this: we do not wait for retrenchments to happen before we help workers. The Government has worked closely with our tripartite partners, the unions, the employers, to develop an ecosystem that supports workers on every step of their career journey, even during disruptions. Together with our tripartite partners, we work upstream to help companies and their workforce upskill, transform and even redesign jobs to improve talent retention, workforce productivity and wages. We will continue to help workers to build career resilience through picking up industry-relevant skillsets. This enables our workers to find new and better opportunities, even in the event of a retrenchment. Workers affected by retrenchment are assisted through employment facilitation and career coaching. In the second quarter of 2024, more than half of all retrenched residents were able to find and secure jobs within six months of being retrenched. From 2025, the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme will further help involuntarily unemployed persons to bounce back. Mr Speaker and Members, to conclude, it is not easy to manage retrenchment issues. We need to continue achieving the right balance between the interests of the businesses while ensuring that our workers remain protected and well supported during this difficult period of disruption.”
“Workers, including PMEs, who are not covered by a collective agreement with the union, can still seek the union’s assistance to be represented individually. They may also approach the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) who can assist if there are contractual or salary disputes, TAFEP if unfair or discriminatory practices were conducted, as well as Workforce Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress's (NTUC's) Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) for employment assistance. MOM will also investigate unfair employment practices and take enforcement action as needed. Most employers are cooperative when approached by TAFEP or MOM. This shows that our tripartite guidelines and advisories are working well without the need for additional penalties, which may negatively affect the wider business environment in Singapore. Fifth, Members have asked how Singapore can continue to be pro-business, while safeguarding the welfare of workers. Businesses need flexibility to make decisions, which will allow them to adapt to market conditions and transform their business models. Singapore is currently ranked first in the 2024 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking. We need to constantly maintain a fine and delicate balance in preserving our economic competitiveness, which in turn results in more job opportunities and good wages for our workers. This is how we keep our long-term unemployment rate low. Real wages have also consistently improved over the past decade. There are other countries where the labour market is more rigid or where there is a more confrontational relationship between the unions and the employers. This makes a country less attractive for companies to invest in.”
“Among the late submissions, around half were submitted before the retrenchment date of the affected employees. This means that the RTF is still able to offer employment assistance to affected employees in a timely manner. Currently, employers with less than 10 employees are exempted from submitting MRNs. This is an agreed tripartite position, given that it may place too much administrative burden to make smaller companies submit MRNs. Nonetheless, we encourage all employers to notify MOM of any retrenchment exercise early, so that we can extend support to the affected employees. On whether MRNs should be submitted earlier, we need to strike a balance between allowing employers sufficient time to finalise their decisions, while enabling the prompt provision of career facilitation services and programmes to affected employees. Employers may need more time to decide on how they want to restructure and transform their business and at the same time, collate details required on the affected workers for MRN submission. Nonetheless, employers can provide early notification to MOM, if they are considering an upcoming retrenchment exercise and rest assured, we will treat the information that we receive sensitively. Employers can access this early notification channel on the MOM website, to obtain more assistance on how to conduct a responsible retrenchment exercise and provide earlier employment assistance to the affected workers. Fourth, Members asked about the action that can be taken towards non-compliant companies. Today, Mr Speaker, most employers follow our retrenchment regulations. If an employer does not follow the tripartite advisory, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, or TAFEP, will engage the employer to adhere to it.”
“The prevailing norm is between two weeks to one month salary per year of service, and the retrenchment payments depend on the financial position of the company and industry norms. Based on our tripartite guidelines, the retrenchment benefits for PMEs can be calculated differently from that for a rank-and-file employee. While there is no requirement to do so and the affected workers are not covered by collective agreement, Dyson provided a retrenchment benefit quantum for its PMEs that is in line with our Tripartite Advisory. In addition, only employees that have served the company for at least two years are eligible for retrenchment benefits, but Dyson provided affected employees who have served for less than two years a payment as well. So, that goes beyond what they are obliged to do. In addition, Dyson will also provide after-care support, outplacement assistance and access to career coaching and counselling to the affected employees. Separately, Members have asked about the salaries of the affected employees. As a policy, we do not disclose salary details as these remain confidential to the employee and company. Third, Members asked about Dyson’s submission of the mandatory retrenchment notification (MRN). Dyson submitted its MRN to MOM on time, within five working days of notifying the affected employees. This has enabled the Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation (RTF) to work with Dyson to provide career facilitation services and information kits to the affected employees. Members also had questions about the MRN requirement more generally. In response to the question from a Member on the MRNs submitted from 2019 to March 2024, about 30% of MRNs were submitted late, after five working days of notifying the affected employees.”
“At the same time, the spirit of tripartite engagements is built on trust and a shared understanding between the employer and the union. It is good practice for companies to do so, as this builds trust between the employer and the union. Dyson has explained to UWEEI the reasons for not being able to give more advance notice to the union. Communications are key to managing the concerns of the affected employees, while also being cognisant of the constraints of businesses. In this respect, both parties have committed to continue working together in the tripartite spirit to support both the needs of workers and businesses. To work together effectively, trust between the union and employer is key. This trust cannot be taken for granted and it needs to be built up over time. Companies should value Singapore’s tripartite culture and work closely with the unions. At the same time, the unions also need to do their part to manage the concerns of employees, while recognising business needs. This is the delicate balance that has made our model of tripartism work well over the years. Ultimately, it is also important that all tripartite partners focus on the welfare of the affected workers, so that we can work together to help them during this difficult period of disruption. Second, Members asked about the compensation for the retrenched workers. Retrenchment benefits are payments made by a company to provide some financial support to help the affected workers through the period of disruption. Based on the Tripartite Advisory, the amount of retrenchment benefits depends on what is provided in the collective agreement, otherwise it will be negotiated.”
“Members have filed these PQs likely in response to Dyson’s recent retrenchment exercise and I am taking these PQs together to provide a more holistic response. To recap, Dyson conducted a retrenchment exercise earlier this month. Subsequently, the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (UWEEI) expressed their concern that they were only notified a day before Dyson informed the affected employees. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been actively involved in this issue and has engaged both parties, who have agreed to work together in the spirit of tripartism. Members have raised questions on five key issues. First, early notification to the union; two, retrenchment benefits; three, mandatory retrenchment notifications; four, action that can be taken against non-compliant companies; and five, how Singapore balances being both pro-business and pro-worker. I will address each of these issues in the rest of my reply. First, Members asked whether the one-day notice in Dyson’s case was sufficient. Based on the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower or TAMEM, if the company is unionised, it should provide advance notice to the unions. Where it is provided in the collective agreement, the norm is to notify the union a month before notifying the employees. We understand that all the retrenched employees from Dyson are professionals, managers or executives (PMEs) who are not unionised. Thus, they are not within the scope of the union’s collective representation and the period of notice is therefore negotiable. Hence, Dyson handled the recent retrenchment exercise in accordance with our laws and tripartite advisories, as the PMEs are not under the collective agreement.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to address Question Nos 2 to 5 for this Sitting, 15 October 2024. This reply also addresses another Parliamentary Question (PQ) scheduled for a subsequent Sitting on 17 October.”
“Certainly, this is a whole-of-society effort to uplift our low-wage workers for a stronger social compact for Singapore. [(proc text) Question put, and agreed to. (proc text)] [(proc text) Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." (proc text)]”
“Of course, we hope to see the wages in more jobs rise sufficiently, such that there is no longer a need to mandate PWM wages which increases. As PWM sectors negotiate wage requirements over the next few years, we hope that more workers can see significant uplift and over time, more higher-level job roles can have their wages left to market forces. But for now, the majority of our PWM workers still need the support and uplift from our PWM requirements. We will certainly continue to monitor and review PWM together with our tripartite partners. Mr Speaker, as the Member has affirmed, our progressive wage approach is a triumph of tripartism. It will continue to be a vital pillar of support and uplift for our low-wage workers. For now, having extended the coverage of our wages, we must double down on our efforts to implement our PWMs effectively. Employees must recognise that they have the largest influence on work productivity outcomes in transforming businesses and jobs and supporting the continuous and upskilling of our low-wage workers. But at the same time, workers too need to do their part by embracing change and being open to work with technology. If we get this ecosystem right, we will not just uplift our low-wage workers, but also enable our businesses to thrive and our economy to grow. And to conclude, I would like to thank our tripartite partners, our employers, our union leaders who have done a lot, and also certainly our members of the public. Beyond just paying more, I think what we are doing is to give them respect and dignity for the work that they do. I think it is key that we value all our low-wage workers for all they do for us and our economy. So, with that, I want to say a big thank you.”
“When I speak to our low-wage workers across sectors, it is clear that they want their work to be recognised by society. They prefer the dignity of earning a fair salary over receiving handouts any day. And this is fundamental to our social compact here in Singapore. In this regard, tripartite partners agree with the Member that service buyers and consumers also play important roles. Tripartite partners have been promulgating good industry practices among service buyers, such as outcome-based contracting to specify clear deliverables in a contract, rather than the number of workers. This allows service providers to redesign work processes holistically to deliver quality outcomes with lower labour intensity, enabling employers to pay higher wages. And it is also important for consumers to treat fellow Singaporeans with respect and recognising that paying a little more for goods and services goes a long way to rewarding their efforts and to improve the livelihoods of our low-wage workers. The Member spoke on the future of PWM. I agree that we should regularly take stock and make adjustments. In fact, this is why we had convened the Tripartite Workgroup in 2020, to take stock and to refresh our approach. I thank the Member for his suggestions for PWM 2.0. Currently, there is some flexibility in the PWM for market forces to play a role. In jobs where the skills levels are higher and wages have risen to an appropriate level, we recognise that their wages could then be decided by market forces. Examples are the retail and food services sectors, where jobs such as retail managers and senior cooks are part of the PWM ladder, but their wages are not mandated by PWM.”
“And we implemented the Progressive Wage Mark Accreditation Scheme to encourage consumers to support employers who are paying progressive wages. So, as a whole, collectively, these measures benefit up to nine in 10 local full-time low-wage workers today, up from where we were – one in 10 prior to 2021. So, we agree with the Member that if we want wages to continue to increase, both workers and businesses must continue to improve productivity. And this is why the PWM is not just about raising wages, but also raising the value-add of the jobs involved. Tripartite partners regularly review the skills letters while workers are required to go through skills training and encouraged to take on higher value jobs. Businesses too, have a significant role in transforming business models, improving operations, as well as redesigning jobs. And they can also take reference from the respective industry transformation maps too. So, we recognise that uplifting low-wage workers is a journey. The Government has thus provided employers substantial transitional support through the Progressive Wage Credit Scheme, which partially offsets employers' costs of paying lower-wage workers better wages. The Government disbursed around $1 billion to 70,000 employers who gave wage increases to more than 345,000 employees in 2022. So, employers must take advantage of this transitional support by accelerating business transformation, such as adopting technology and refining processes to improve productivity. And the security sector has shown that it can be done. The Member is right that the success of PWM rests in part on public recognition that PWM jobs are important jobs and that society must support fair remuneration of our workers.”
“The second challenge was raising the coverage of progressive wages from only 10% of low-wage workers in the early days of the first few PWMs and making wage increases meaningful to narrow the gap between the bottom 20% and the median worker. To address these challenges, then-Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech in 2021 announced the Government's acceptance of the Tripartite Work Group's recommendations to expand PWM to more sectors like food and retail and occupations including administrators and drivers. And back then, if you recall, we were in the midst of COVID-19. Despite COVID-19 challenges and business uncertainties, tripartism prevailed and delivered significant boosts in PWM wages. For example, the basic wage requirement for entry-level cleaners will increase from $1,312 back in 2022 to $2,420 in 2028. The security sector, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas would be very familiar with this, will see even stronger growth, as the Member had highlighted. Today's security PWM wage requirements are minimally at $2,650. This is higher than the P20 salary range today. By 2028, entry-level security officers will earn at least $3,530. And that is a 56% increase from 2022. These significant wage increases are possible for the security sector, in part because of its high potential for productivity gains. Through deployment of digital technologies, more efficient work processes and robust skills certification framework to guide officers in improving their productivity. But of course, as the Member also shared, we are still working on how to improve their work environment and reduce reliance on work hours. Beyond PWM, we also require employers to pay all their local employees at least the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) to qualify for foreign work passes.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his support of Singapore’s PWM to improve the livelihoods of our lower-wage workers and hopefully in future, just workers. I also thank the Member for affirming the importance of tripartism to contributing to the success of PWM. Indeed, our low-wage workers perform essential jobs and should be recognised for their contributions. They form the backbone of our economy and provide many important services that we should not take for granted. And this is why we must ensure that they are paid meaningful wages. A decade ago, tripartite partners recognised that wages in some jobs were stagnating, as Mr Raj Joshua Thomas earlier on shared, especially in outsourced sectors like cleaning, security and landscape. At the same time, workers found themselves entrenched in the same job with little opportunity for skills upgrading and progression. In response, NTUC conceptualised the PWM to chart out better wage, skills and career pathways. Tripartite partners implemented the first mandatory PWM in 2014 in the cleaning sector, followed by landscape and security in 2016. Today, we have seen good outcomes. Real cumulative wage growth of locals in these initial PWM sectors grew by 31% from 2014 to 2019, outpacing wage growth of the 20th percentile (P20) worker at 23%. This gave us confidence and we further expanded PWM to the lift and escalator maintenance sector in 2019. When I chaired the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers in 2020, I recalled we had several challenges to overcome. First, the lowest paying jobs were in domestic sectors, whether they were in kopitiams, heartland retail, cleaning jobs, security. And this presented the dilemma of how to uplift low-wage workers significantly while convincing consumers and businesses to pay more.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Leader, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Improving Access to Fertility Preservation for Young Cancer Patients”
“Mr Speaker, on behalf of the Leader of the House, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn." [(proc text) Question proposed. (proc text)] Creating Opportunity for Youth to Thrive”
“(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I thank Mr Sharael Taha for the good question. If we look at our MTS programme, we do have a fairly packed curriculum, where we see our children spending three to four hours each week in our MTS centres. In these sessions, as we can see from the curriculum, they are required to take two subjects today. Some of them attend virtual classes after their in-person sessions. So, we also need to give priority to their schooling and their tuition sessions. However, I also recognise that among the programmes that we want them to attend, as I have mentioned to Mr Saktiandi Supaat, we also want them to be given the opportunity to have internships, join learning journeys, and at times, during the Raikan Ilmu month for example, we give them the flexibility to enjoy learning journey opportunities outside, as what has been done under FA3 with Mr Sharael Taha. We want our youths to be given the opportunity to be mentored as well. Here, some of them are given the opportunity under the #amPowered programme, as well as the mentoring programme under Ms Rahayu Mahzam within FA3, to share experiences with our professionals. We aim to provide these opportunities beyond our MTS youths, by extending this network to other youths in our M3 towns. We hope to use all the resources in our M3 towns, so that we can reach out to more youths who can benefit from the programmes. I hope Mr Sharael Taha will continue to give his support, and this goes for other Members here too, so that we can provide better opportunities for our students.”
“So, yes, we have started with certain corporates but I would not underestimate the impact and effect. We hope that more will come forward, especially through the professional network. We started this last year, as I shared. We have about 450 professionals already onboard, many deployed to mentor. Ms Rahayu Mahzam has shared about 1,000 on her network too, with our youths. We hope that this brings about building up social capital within the Malay/Muslim community. We want to encourage more to contribute back in small ways. It does not have to be big corporates. We have businessmen too. We have members from the Indian/Muslim community as well, who came forward to set up funds because some Indian/Muslims did not qualify for TTFS, for example. But there are efforts on the ground that came ground-up because they want to do something for the community, including those who have qualified for certain schemes. So, we are providing a wide range of opportunities but I think it is more than just scholarships and bursaries; but providing opportunities, providing social capital, providing mentorship. I think that will make a difference.”
“Chairman, I will take the second question Member Saktiandi Supaat asked earlier. We are quite fortunate that we had corporates who have come forward to support us over the years, given MENDAKI's focus, especially on education. Particularly starting with scholarships and bursaries because that is, I think; while I would say lowest hanging fruit, but I think it is quite core to much of the work that we do. So, we have had SIA over the years; we have had GIC; Micron; MiRXES and others, who have come forward and given us. But it is really about also the community coming forward because it is not just about scholarships and bursaries, but if you look at the contribution that I have shared in my speech, such as Micron providing opportunities, or internship opportunities, for many of our young students who have perhaps never seen the insides of a semiconductor and would never have considered careers in that space. These are good examples. Mr Sharael Taha has shared how some of the youths were taken to Rolls Royce and others, so that they can look into growth industries and some also visited the Airshow recently to have a look at some of the defence technologies that are available. So, we are using various platforms and opportunities to open minds, open conversations with many of our youths who may come from low-income families especially, who may not have had the exposures, but now given the chance to be exposed, to have internship opportunities, to be mentored. As I shared, MSD Pharma, for example, with their data scientists, AI specialists, cybersecurity specialists to give them opportunities and mix around with professionals who they may never have met through regular channels. I think this is one way in which we want to build social capital.”
“I am confident that as a community, we can strengthen the culture of contributing, and in partnership with the Government and other community organisations, we can ensure our community achieve greater heights in education, professional development and community leadership. 5.45 pm”
“This will help the youths to gain experience and expand their horizons in terms of future job opportunities. Youth participants shared that this experience helped them grow as individuals, expose them to a variety of experiences and expand their range of interests, and help to better shape their future field of study and career plans. Building on the positive outcomes of this programme, we will welcome our second batch of Tunas participants in April this year, and this cohort will include leaders from MENDAKI's Professional Networks. Mr Chairman, MENDAKI will continue to support our Malay/Muslim community in reaching greater heights and empower the community to be active, contributing citizens. However, each individual has a part to play to ensure that our community continue to progress together. I strongly encourage our Malay/Muslim workers to take up the opportunities to upskill through the initiatives that were recently announced during Budget 2024. For instance, mid-career workers aged 40 and above who are looking at reskilling can consider the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. This programme offers a SkillsFuture Credit top-up of $4,000 that can be used for selected courses. Workers who wish to take on full-time diploma at the polytechnics, ITE and arts institutions can also make use of the enhanced subsides by the Government. To offset income loss for workers who have to take time off work for training, the Government will also provide a monthly SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance, capped at $3,000 per month, for up to 24 months. ITE graduates can also benefit through the ITE Progression Award of $5,000 upon enrolment to a diploma programme and receive another $10,000 when they complete their studies.”
“ITE graduates can also benefit through the ITE Progression Award of $5,000 upon enrolment to a diploma programme, and receive another $10,000 when they complete their studies. I am confident that as a community, we can strengthen the culture of contributing. And in partnership with the Government and other community organisations, we can ensure our community achieve greater heights in education, professional development and leadership. (In English): Our third strategy is to grow and develop leaders not only for our community, but for our country as well. Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked for an update on the Tunas programme. MENDAKI started the Tunas Bersama M3 programme in 2022 to nurture the next generation of leaders of MMOs. This 18-month programme not only equips emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks to contribute and lead their own organisations, in fact we want to support them in taking on larger leadership roles in our wider community in the future. Among them NMP Syed Harun and he is among the youngest leader. For example, participants get develop their competencies in the areas of governance, fund raising, communications, and change management, as well as the opportunity to be mentored by experienced senior leaders. Our first cohort of 13 Tunas participants from various MMOs will complete their programme in April. Particpants were able to apply their knowledge and skills that they gain to run seven community projects across the M3 Focus Areas. For example, through Project Dream On, Tunas participants worked with professionals from MENDAKI's Professional Networks. Their objective was to provide opportunities to Muslim youths aged 15 to 17 with sector-specific job shadowing.”
“Their objective was to provide opportunities to Malay/Muslim youths, aged 15 to 17 years old, with sector-specific job shadowing opportunities. This will help the youths to gain experience and expand their horizons in terms of future job opportunities. The youth participants shared that this experience helped them gain confidence, exposed them to a variety of experiences and expand their range of interests, and help to better shape their future field of study and career plans. Building on the positive outcomes of this programme, we will welcome our second batch of Tunas participants in April this year. That cohort will include leaders from MENDAKI's Professional Networks. Mr Chairman, MENDAKI will continue to support our Malay/Muslim community in reaching greater heights and empower the community to be active, contributing citizens. However, each individual has a part to play to ensure that our community continue to progress together. I strongly encourage our Malay/Muslim workers to take up the opportunities to upskill through the initiatives that were recently announced during Budget 2024. For instance, mid-career workers aged 40 and above who are looking at reskilling can consider the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme. This programme offers a SkillsFuture Credit top-up of $4,000 that can be used for selected courses. Workers who wish to take on full-time diplomas at the polytechnics, ITE and arts institutions can also make use of the enhanced subsidies from the Government. To offset income loss for workers who have to take time off work for training, the Government will also provide a monthly SkillsFuture Mid-Career Training Allowance, capped at $3,000 per month, for up to 24 months.”
“Ms Siti joined the W@W programme in September last year, where she benefited from support, such as interview techniques and access to broader social and professional networks. Earlier this year, Ms Siti found a job as an administrative executive in the oil and gas industry and shared that the programme has helped her to transit back into the workforce. Chairman, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our third strategy is to grow and develop leaders not only for our community, but for our country as well. Ms Nadia Samdin asked for an update on the Tunas programme. MENDAKI started the Tunas Bersama M3 programme in 2022 to nurture the next generation of leaders of Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMOs). This 18-month programme not only equips emerging leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks to contribute and lead their own organisations. In fact, we want to support them in taking on larger leadership roles in our wider community in the future. One of the Tunas participants is NMP Dr Syed Harun, who ranks among our young MMO leaders today. For example, participants get to develop competencies in the areas of management, administration, fund raising, communications and change management, as well as the opportunity to be mentored by experienced senior leaders. Our first cohort of 13 Tunas participants from various MMOs will complete their programme in April. The participants were able to apply the knowledge and skills that they gained to carry out seven community projects across the M3 Focus Areas. For example, through Project Dream On, Tunas participants worked with professionals from MENDAKI's Professional Networks.”
“Chairman, in previous Committee of Supply debates, I shared about how corporate partners have partnered MENDAKI to provide scholarships for students to enter different industries from biomedical to finance, to aviation and technology. From this year, I am happy to announce that Micron Semiconductor will come on board to provide scholarships over three years to engineering students in polytechnics, as well as internships and learning activities for secondary and tertiary students. We appreciate how companies also provide other forms of support, such as mentoring, to our students. More than 50 MSD Pharmaceutical staff, such as data scientists, and those from the AI and Cybersecurity sectors, have signed up as mentors to 120 ITE students through the #amPowered@ITE programme. So, as our economy and workforce evolves, MENDAKI will continue to support our Malay/Muslim workforce in navigating career transitions and seizing future opportunities. Through the M3 Focus Area 4 (FA4) on Employment and Employability, MENDAKI employs a community-based strategy by collaborating with M3 partners, including the NTUC. More than 5,000 Malay/Muslim workers have benefited, including receiving support from MENDAKI's Care Advisors on their job search and career-related needs. For women who wish to return to the workforce after a career break, MENDAKI's Women at Work (W@W) programme equips them with the relevant skills and connecting them with job opportunities. In 2023, MENDAKI referred over 140 participants from W@W to NTUC's e2i for career coaching and job assistance, with close to 60 successfully securing job offers. One of them is Ms Siti Raudah, who was looking for a job to support her family and her three school-going children, after her husband was retrenched.”