Madam Speaker,
Thank you for allowing me to join this debate. Much has been done by the government to help low wage workers through the various initiatives such Inclusive Growth Programme, Workfare Schemes, mandating the adoption of the Progressive Wage Model and many others. There is no single magic wand when it comes to helping low wage workers have better jobs and better wages. It requires various types of support but, common to all is that it requires the support of everyone one – Union, Government, Employees, Employers and the public.
Madam Speaker, we need a new narrative in our efforts to help low wage workers. A new narrative requires us to do things differently and this will only happen if we challenge our assumptions and make a paradigm shift in our thinking.
The labour movement believes that every worker needs the 4Ps - Protection, Placement, Progression and Privileges. In hope the budget would continue to allow the government to support the labour movement in our push to accord all workers these 4Ps. I would like to focus on the 4Ps for the low wages speakers.
Madam Speaker, I want to share a story to illustrate why it is important that low wage workers must have protection. In the course of NTUC’s work to help low wage workers, we came to know about the plight of a 58 year old woman. Let's protect her identify and call her Madam Low. Given Madam Low’s age and little education, she found it difficult to secure a job. Finally, in 2008, she was employed as an outsourced factory production worker in a pharmaceutical company. Although the hours were long and the pay was low, she was happy that she could now be financially self-reliant. However, she was unsure of her employment rights and did not know where to seek help.
Madam Low got to know about NTUC U Care Centre that was set up with government support, to help workers like her. Thus, she decided to call the U Care Centre’s hotline for advice on her employment rights. During the consultation, the consultants suspected that Madam Low‘s company might not have paid for her CPF. Upon further investigation and to our astonishment, we found that despite being an employee of the company for 5 years, the company’s CPF contributions to her were zero.
Her case was highlighted to MOM and CPFB who acted swiftly. The company tried to offer Madam Low $9000 cash as private settlement to silence her but; she refused the cash offer after consulting U Care Centre. After the investigation was completed, more than $10,000 of CPF was recovered for Madam Low but she was not alone. 113 of her colleagues' CPF were also recovered in the process. In addition to the CPF recovered, 45 workers also received higher Workfare Income Supplement allotment, totalling about $13,000.
Madam Speaker, the story of Madam Low illustrates the need for all low wage workers to have protection. NTUC made a paradigm shift and set up a centre to help low wage workers called U Care Centre last year to provide protection in the form of workplace advisory to all low wage workers even if they are not union members. In addition, NTUC U CARE CENTRE, together with the relevant government ministries, organises seminars to educate low wage workers on their employment rights and the various workfare schemes. NTUC needs continued government funding support to ensure the sustainability of our efforts, such as the U Care Centre, to help all low wage workers.
LWW are often too afraid to speak out in fear of losing their job and as a result, become victims of unfair employment practices. NTUC U CARE CENTRE will engage communities of low wage workers to understand their plight and challenges and be the voice with weight to bring about faster change for them. The U CARE CENTRE can serve as an avenue for LWWs to ensure that they are treated fairly as valuable members of the workforce.
Madam Speaker, protection to low wage workers can be enhanced further if it is backed by legislation if moral suasion fails to change the status quo. Many low wage workers are working as outsourced workers. Many of them might also be working for `fly-by-night' companies who would cut corners to save cost at the expense of their workers' statutory benefits. The government must encourage responsible outsourcing by increasing the risk to service buyers when they buy services. Service buyers must be held accountable if their service providers fail to pay salaries or provide the statutory benefits of their workers. This approach is not new because it has been adopted for Work Safety and Health framework to ensure workers’ welfare is not compromised.
Alternatively, the government can also consider setting up a Hardship Relief Assistance Fund to help local low wage workers in cases of non-payment of salaries if their company goes bankrupt. This would be similar to the existing Migrant Workers’ Assistance Fund provided to migrant workers who may have salaries owned by their employers who have gone bust.
Madam Speaker, another bold action that the government can make is to help low wage workers is to make the National Wages Council (NWC)’s recommendations for low-wage workers mandatory for all companies. This requires a paradigm shift for the government to ensure more traction for NWC recommendations especially as a tool to reduce the income gap.
Madam Speaker, sometimes, we need to help the employers to help the workers. A concern expressed by many service providers is the practice of imposing punitive and exorbitant liquidated damages for minor breaches in the service agreement. This leads to a vicious cycle of service providers cutting corners to save costs but at the expense of service delivery leading to more liquidated damages. In such cut-throat business relationship, it is the vulnerable low wage workers that suffer in silence because their employers are not doing well to offer them better salaries. I would like to make the call again for government to explore the possibility of setting up an Industry Tribunal to mediate disputes over service level agreement especially in a business environment where outsourcing is becoming more common.
Madam Speaker, every worker wants better jobs and better pay. In short, PROGRESSION - the second P. When NTUC was encouraging the adoption of PWM amongst the cleaners working for MOE school contract, we met Madam Normah who is her early 60s. She had worked in the cleaning industry for 40 years. In the past, her pay was stagnant at around $600 with no opportunity for training and skills upgrading. With a clear progression structure under PWM, she attended courses such as workplace safety and health, providing quality service, cleaning of vertical surfaces, glass & ceilings and many others. Equipped with better skills, she is currently a school cleaner in Manjusri Secondary School with a pay of $1,300.
Likewise, her husband, Mr Mohd Latiff, also attended training courses such as scheduling and supervising cleaning services, advanced cleaning of hard floor and washrooms, and management cum mediation skills. He was made a cleaning supervisor three years ago and due to his training and skills, he receives higher remuneration of $1,760 which is an increase of more than $400 from his previous pay.
Madam Speaker, the Progressive Wage Model can have an impact in terms of helping workers get better jobs and better pay. The government made a paradigm shift when it took a bold move to mandate the adoption of the Progressive Wage Model for the Cleaning industry and made a firm commitment to do likewise for the Security Industry. There is market failure to determine fair wages due to cheap sourcing and intervention was needed to ensure workers in these industries receive fair wages and employment terms. I believe that the wages received by workers in these two industries will have a ripple effect on wages of other workers in other sectors as well given our tight labour market.
We can do more to help low wage workers. Madam Normah and Mr Latiff are outsourced workers working under a cleaning contract where there is little job security. Both of them might end up getting lower pay if there a new contract. This is a sad reality but, at least with PWM being mandated, it acts as a safety net to prevent their wages from falling below the wage benchmark.
It is due to such realities, together with rising cost of living, where initiatives like the Wage Income Supplement becomes more and more relevant today to ensure that every Singaporean is able to sustain a decent standard of living. In its budget, I would like the Government to continue supplement the income of those at the bottom of our income group and grant them other subsidies to alleviate the heavy financial strain these LWW face and allow them to get by on their day to day. More importantly as well, the various ministries must review their income eligibility criteria for financial or social assistance for our low income families to ensure that we do not dis-incentivise the workers from striving to get better pay through training and skills upgrading.
Madam Speaker, the third P in the Labour Movement’s approach to help workers is PLACEMENT. Ideally, training should lead to PLACEMENT for jobs. Together with e2i and with strong funding support from the government, NTUC has helped 73,000 workers in the areas of placements, skills upgrading, higher wages and assisting those in need. This includes helping 10,620 workers to be placed in a job. NTUC's Women Development Secretariat collaborated with e2i during jobs fairs and Work-Pro programme to help place 800 jobseekers and helped 600 women upgrade themselves through employability trainings. Close to 21,950 workers upgraded their skills for promotion or higher pay. NTUC also reach out to more than 24,000 workers through many channels & educational seminars.
Madam Speaker, the beneficiaries are our local workers, regardless whether they are union members or otherwise. I hope the government will continue to give strong funding support for to the Labour Movement to continue our efforts in improving the wages and welfare of our workers through training and skills upgrading.
Madam Speaker, every worker wants to be appreciated for the job they do. Last year, the Labour Movement embarked on `I Care for my Cleaners' campaign to encourage the public to express their appreciation to the cleaners. The labour movement wants to extend this effort to include many other low wage workers, perhaps involving those in the security industry. It would be great if the government can give support so that we can accord low wage workers some PRIVILEGES for them to feel appreciated. Again, this requires a paradigm shift on the use government funding because the focus is making low wage workers feel appreciated. Maya Angelou once said, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Madam Speaker, in retrospect, 2013 has truly been a year for the books. The Labour Movement's efforts to champion the workers have helped change the lives of thousands of workers, and looking forward, we will change the lives of thousands more. Let me get back to the story of Madam Normah and Mr Latiff again. Despite their income, upon seeing that the school was preparing Care packages for the needy children in Cambodia under the Youth Expedition Project, they stepped forward and generously contributed $200. To me, they embody the spirit of the Labour Movement – helping others to get a better life. I hope the budget will give due consideration to the Labour Movement’s effort to helping others to get a better life through better jobs and better pay.
Puan Speaker,
NTUC ingin menggesa pemerintah untuk terus memberi sokongan kepada Gerakan Buruh untuk memastikan setiap pekerja bergaji rendah boleh mendapat perlindungan, penempatan, kemajuan dan keistemewaan. Ini semua bertujuan membantu para pekerja bergaji rendah menerima gaji lebih tinggi, mengatasi kos sara hidup yang meningkat, menjalani kehidupan lebih baik, dan dihormati serta dihargai atas kerja yang mereka lakukan.
Dari segi perlindungan, melalui pelbagai pameran pekerjaan, pameran bergerak dan seminar, NTUC telah merapati dan mendidik lebih 27,000 pekerja bergaji rendah tentang hak-hak pekerjaan, faedah daya kerja, latihan dan faedah kesatuan sekerja. Pusat sehenti U Care yang telah ditubuhkan oleh NTUC dengan sokongan pemerintah telah membantu beratus pekerja bergaji rendah yang tidak diberi hak pekerjaan oleh majikan majikan mereka.
Untuk aspek penempatan, melalui program Peningkatan Kemahiran Daya Kerja (WSU) dan Skim Latihan Daya Kerja (WTS) yang dipertingkatkan, para pekerja bergaji rendah boleh memanfaatkan latihan-latihan berstruktur, mendapat kemahiran yang boleh dipindahkan dan kemahiran vokasional.
Dari segi kemajuan pekerja-pekerja, NTUC akan juga terus menyokong amalan-amalan pekerjaan yang adil dan baik, dan bekerjasama dengan rakan-rakan tiga pihak untuk membangunkan dan melaksanakan PWM di sektor-sektor bergaji rendah yang lain seperti keselamatan dan landskap. Usaha-usaha peningkatan daya penghasilan akan juga dipertingkatkan melalui projek-projek yang digunakan secara meluas, program-program berbilang kemahiran, dan usaha mendekati pihak SME.
Pekerjaan yang dilakukan oleh pekerja pekerja bergaji rendah adalah penting. Gerakan Buruh akan terus memulakan inisiatif di mana orang ramai digalakkan menunjukkan perhargaan pada kerja-kerja khidmat yang dilakukan oleh golongan pekerja ini. Pada tahun 2013, NTUC memulakan pergerakan “Saya Mengambil Berat Terhadap Para Pekerja Pembersihan Saya”, di mana banyak syarikat dan kesatuan sekerja menyahut seruan agar mereka menghargai dan mengambil berat dan menghormati pekerja pembersihan yang bertugas di bangunan-bangunan mereka. Acara-acara itu menggembirakan mereka, di samping menekankan iltizam Pergerakan Buruh untuk membantu para pekerja bergaji rendah mendapatkan gaji yang lebih baik.
Kesemua usaha ini memerlukan sokongan pemerintah dari segi kewangan dan penglibatan agensi-agensi pemerintah untuk kita bersama-sama membawa perubahan kepada nasib pekerja bergaji rendah.
Madam Speaker, many things that can be done to help low wage workers require us to challenge our assumption and make a paradigm shift. I hope the government will support the labour movement in our efforts to accord every worker Protection, Progression, Placement and Privileges.
Thank you.
