The Singapore Government’s Budget for 2017 will be presented in Parliament by the Finance Minister on 20 February 2017.
Ahead of it, the Labour Movement has submitted its recommendations which called for targeted assistance for all working people.
In a news release issued on 17 January 2017, NTUC explained that amidst a changing economy, it is particularly concerned about workers’ ability to maintain their competitiveness.
NTUC’s recommendations for Budget 2017 focus on four key areas that aim to ensure all working people will be able to transit and thrive successfully in the changing labour market.
“Though we may face short-term and more immediate challenges, all parties from the Government, businesses, working people to society at large will need to endeavour to prepare for what lies ahead. The Labour Movement stands ready to help our working people better navigate this climate of change so as to stay competitive and seize opportunities of tomorrow,” emphasised NTUC.
Placement to address structural unemployment
New skills and types of jobs have evolved and will continue to emerge. Some jobs are becoming obsolete.
However, NTUC is concerned over the lack of information on the skills to be trained for, and the adequacy of the training for new job functions.
More needs to be done to minimise structural and cyclical unemployment and a mismatch of jobs and skills.
In this regard, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and Future Jobs, Skills and Training (FJST) capability Director Patrick Tay has called on the Manpower Ministry (MOM) and relevant government agencies to share information on available jobs from the Jobs Bank and work with the Labour Movement.
The move will help develop a comprehensive mechanism to enhance tripartite efforts to place workers in relevant jobs.
NTUC added that in view of a shrinking workforce and increasing manpower needs for emerging and future jobs, it is pertinent to relook at potential talent pools to tap on.
Among them are students in tertiary institutions and young workers who have just entered the workforce.
As such, NTUC has called for more support and outreach to youths through collaborations with institutes of higher learning (IHLs).
Progression into new and future jobs
The next thrust is progression. As workers move into jobs of tomorrow, it is imperative to upskill all workers to ensure they remain employable.
A recent Labour Movement survey showed that almost half of respondents who are working did not attend training or upskilling courses in the past year.
NTUC hopes to see a further enhancement of current efforts at upskilling, to ensure both new entrants and mid-career workers have ready access to training and apprenticeship opportunities.
This can be done by plugging existing structural gaps with greater focus on skills and upgrading through SkillsFuture with credit top-ups, more targeted courses, paid training leave and training allowances for workers.
NTUC wants to work more closely together with the Government and IHL to develop modular ‘bite-sized’ courses that are more accessible to working Singaporeans.
The Labour Movement also called for a “Returnship Programme” that facilitates women looking to re-enter the workforce through job trials, flexible work arrangements and incentives such as the Special Employment Credit for employers.
To help mature workers stay valuable and cost competitive, NTUC suggested extending and enhancing the Special Employment Credit so that companies can tap on the experience of mature workers.
Upping Productivity
Turning to productivity, NTUC called on the Government to take the lead in industry transformation projects and continue to focus on promoting safe and conducive work environments. This would help to unleash the full potential of working people.
To accelerate such efforts, NTUC Director (Industrial Relations Field) Melvin Yong has called for the Government to consider enhancing existing productivity schemes.
He said that some ways to improve sectoral productivity include embracing ground up ideas and innovation, strong support by management for suggestions to improve work processes and using technology to improve work efficiency.
Furthermore, productivity schemes can be enhanced with sector-level projects and resource-pooling amongst companies with special emphasis in sectors such as Food & Beverage, retail and construction.
NTUC also called for enhancing components of WorkPro to promote age-friendly workplaces.
Lastly, NTUC is calling for providing better support for workers afflicted by workplace injuries such as the development of a case management system.
New forms of employment
With more working people adopting non-traditional work arrangements, NTUC proposed that more should be done to ensure that they are able to enjoy fair work terms.
Also, the welfare of low-wage workers and outsourced workers must similarly be protected.
In line with that, the Labour Movement is calling for an enhancement to the Government Procurement Act to improve procurement practices for outsourced services.
NTUC called on the Government to take the lead as fair and responsible buyers of outsourced services like cleaning, security and landscaping for the private sector to emulate.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari said the enhancement will shape procurement behaviour and also set the stage for better relations between the service provider and service buyer, and ultimately benefit workers.
The Labour Movement is also urging the Government to examine how labour laws and tripartite networks like the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management can include freelancers.
NTUC has identified a group of workers called “tied freelancers”, namely freelancers for app-based platforms who are unable to self-determine the price of services rendered, and lack workplace protection.
“For this group, we are pushing the Government to consider ways to protect them in terms of providing protection at the workplace, security for retirement and medical coverage,” said NTUC Assistant Director-General Ang Hin Kee.
Also, NTUC is calling for a review on how freelancers can make CPF contributions and also receive support from the Government towards their own retirement adequacy.
Deepening tripartism
Concluding, the Labour Movement emphasised that while Tripartism has contributed greatly to Singapore’s economic growth and stability, it is important for cooperation to deepen at the sectoral level.
This will help facilitate existing and future programmes and initiatives for workers and companies.
To achieve this, NTUC suggested institutionalising staff exchanges and cross learning between the Civil Service, the Labour Movement and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) to strengthen mutual understanding and trust amongst the future generation of tripartite leaders.
