It will be mandatory for all employers to pay their Singaporean and permanent resident cleaners an annual bonus, called the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) Bonus.
This comes after the Environmental Public Health (Amendment) Bill was passed in Parliament on 2 October 2018.
The new requirement will take effect in January 2020. Some 46,000 resident cleaners are expected to benefit from this new law.
With the amendment, all cleaning businesses must give a PWM Bonus to their resident cleaners to secure or maintain a cleaning business licence issued by the National Environment Agency (NEA).
In his parliamentary speech, Labour Member of Parliament and Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC) Chairman Zainal Sapari said: “The amendment recognises that part of the industry’s transformation will be underpinned by productive and well-skilled workers, and this compulsory PWM bonus will be a great boost to sustain a strong and highly motivated cleaning workforce.”
Although the new law will take effect in 2020, Mr Zainal proposed to the NEA and Manpower Ministry to provide a grace period of one year where employers would be given a warning should they fail to comply with the mandatory PWM Bonus.
“However, full restitution must be made to the affected cleaners if employers fail to pay them the bonus,” he added.
The TCC secretariat will also issue an addendum report and FAQ later this year to provide better clarity of the technicalities of the PWM Bonus payment.
In 2014, the Environmental Public Health Act was amended to introduce the PWM, which has helped boost resident cleaners’ salaries.
Mr Zainal also urged service buyers to work with potential service providers to ensure tender prices commensurate with the level of service, technology, and training needed, while not compromising the welfare of the cleaners.
“To all service buyers, my message is simple. You can buy services, but you cannot outsource your responsibilities. In my engagement with many cleaning companies, one common feedback is that the practice of cheap sourcing is still rampant amongst service buyers, both in the private and public sectors.
“This can lead to a vicious cycle where the level of service is compromised when service providers cut corners to remain in business, and the workers have low morale. With very low margins, there is little incentive for cleaning companies to invest in technology or training,” he added.
