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Sitecore Context Id: 3a810b95-b02e-4bc9-880e-24dc8d129d28;
The Tripartite Cluster for Landscape Industry (TCL) announced the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for the landscape maintenance sub-sector in April 2015 , as part of the tripartite partners’ efforts to ensure that the wages in the industry increase along with the skills, productivity and job responsibility of employees in the sector. Since 30 June 2016, complying with the PWM has been a mandatory requirement for landscape companies registering for the National Parks Board (NParks) Landscape Company Register (LCR).
Wages of Landscape Maintenance Workers Have Increased
Since the introduction of the Landscape PWM, the median basic wages of full-time resident landscape maintenance employees have increased by eight per cent annually between 2015 and 2017 . In June 2017, the median monthly basic wages of full-time resident landscape employees were $1,400. In tandem with the wage increases, the introduction of the PWM training requirements also ensured that landscape maintenance employees received the necessary training to enable them to perform their jobs competently.
While wages have improved since the implementation of the landscape PWM, the industry continues to face a shortage of manpower. The TCL therefore finds it timely and necessary to review the existing PWM to ensure it continues to remain relevant in uplifting the profession and existing workers and to encourage landscape employees to continue to upskill and raise productivity.
Scheduled Increase in Basic Wages from 2020
As part of the PWM review, the TCL consulted industry stakeholders via a series of engagement sessions between November 2017 and August 2018. This included dialogues and focus group discussions with both service providers and service buyers. Surveys with landscape employees were also carried out to understand their current wages, work conditions, readiness to use technology and the training they underwent.
Following these engagements, the TCL recommends the following:
a) Yearly adjustments to each PWM basic wage level from 2020 to 2022;
b) A schedule of increases to PWM basic wage levels from 2023 to 2025; and
c) Mandatory PWM Bonus from 2020.
The above recommendations are summarised in Table 1 and Table 2:
Table 1: Adjustments to the PWM for the Landscape Maintenance Sub-sector
|
With effect from |
July 2020 |
July 2021 |
July 2022 |
July 2023 |
July 2024 |
July 2025 |
|
Annual Increment to all PWM Basic Wage Level |
+ $150 |
+ $100 |
+ $100 |
+ minimum 3% p.a.
(subject to review)
|
Table 2: PWM Bonus for the Landscape Maintenance Sub-sector
|
PWM Bonus payable from 2020 |
Minimum 2 weeks of Basic Monthly Wage
payable to eligible employees in a given year
|
To allow sufficient lead time for landscape companies and service buyers to incorporate the wage adjustments in their new service contracts, the TCL proposes that the implementation of the annual PWM wage adjustments take effect from 1 July 2020. By spelling out the schedule of increases to 2025, the TCL believes the ample lead time will help the industry plan ahead. During this time, companies are encouraged to improve their current work processes and adopt technology-enabled solutions to raise productivity and achieve higher service outcomes.
The revised PWM wage ladder will ensure sustainable wage increases over time and provide greater clarity to landscape maintenance employees on how their wages may increase as they progress in their profession. The TCL strongly encourages all landscape employees to continue upgrading their skills, so that they can have more opportunities to take on higher value-added jobs and earn higher wages. To this end, the TCL also urges service buyers to work with their respective landscape companies to support their outsourced landscape employees to take time off from work to attend training for continuous skills upgrading, without insisting on the need for replacement workers.
PWM Bonus for Better Retention
To help employers better retain their workers, the TCL recommends that a mandatory two-week PWM Bonus be paid to Singapore Citizen and Permanent Resident landscape maintenance employees who have worked with the same employer for at least 12 months as at cut-off date for PWM Bonus computation. In addition to boosting their total income, the PWM Bonus would serve as a retention tool by motivating employees to stay with their employers longer. At the same time, it would encourage employers to invest in training. In this regard, the PWM Bonus is not tied to the employees’ work performance.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari, who is also Chairman of the TCL, said, “The agreed implementation timeframe for the new recommendations follows in-depth discussions with key industry stakeholders, to allow them sufficient lead time to adjust. From now till 2020, the TCL strongly encourages landscape companies and their service buyers to work closely together to review their current manpower needs and job processes holistically. This includes looking at how technology can be used to achieve higher productivity and better service outcomes, as well as how workers can be trained to perform higher value-added jobs. Together, in addition to helping the companies be more manpower-lean, these will support our efforts to help our landscape employees have better wages, welfare and work prospects.”
Committing to Worker 4.0
Today, NTUC also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with key industry stakeholders – NParks, Landscape Industry Association of Singapore, SkillsFuture Singapore, Workforce Singapore, and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) – to re-affirm all parties’ commitment to ensure workers in the sector are ready for new jobs, relevant with new skills and resilient to new ways of working.
The MOU will see a workgroup being formed to identify the necessary skill sets and the training modules required for workers in the landscape industry, as the industry remakes itself and leverages technology to increase productivity. This partnership will support the Labour Movement’s vision of Worker 4.0 , where workers are equipped with the relevant adaptive, technology and technical skills required in the future workplace.
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