Minister for Manpower, Dr Ng Eng Hen,
Minister of State for Manpower and TAFEP Advisor, Mr Gan Kim Yong
President, SNEF, Chairman SBF and TAFEP Advisor, Mr Stephen Lee,
President NTUC and TAFEP Advisor, Mr John De Payva,
Vice President, SNEF and my TAFEP co-chair, Mr Bob Tan,
Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
A Model for Tripartite Collaboration
1. TAFEP has come a long way in the last year. Your presence and support today is appreciated. The launch of the TAFEP Centre is both a significant and important milestone for two key reasons.
2. Firstly, the TAFEP Centre embraces and uplifts the true spirit of tripartism in Singapore as it symbolises an even closer working tripartite relationship between the government, employers and labour movement. Let me explain.
3. This is the first time that the tripartite partners have come together to set up a centre with a physical presence and with staff seconded full-time from the Ministry of Manpower, Singapore National Employers Federation and National Trades Union Congress to help both employers and workers. The three partners have also jointly funded the setting up of the TAFEP Centre, which is housed here at Seacare Building, courtesy of the NTUC-affiliated Singapore Organisation of Seamen and its co-operative, the Seacare Co-operative Limited.
4. While the tripartite partners have worked closely on many issues since the 1970s, including the National Wages Council that recommends wage increments annually and the tripartite committees looking into low-wage workers and older workers issues, the TAFEP Centre further institutionalised the tripartism framework. More fundamentally, it represents the collective objective, effort and responsibility of all three partners in making tripartism work in Singapore for our economy.
5. The TAFEP Centre thus reflects the sincere commitment and strong determination of the tripartite partners in working together to resolve issues relating to workers, employers and ultimately, Singapore and its economy. It also serves as a model for future tripartite collaboration.
Addressing Discrimination in Employment
6. Secondly, although discrimination in employment is far from rampant in Singapore, it is not an issue that we should neglect. Fair employment needs to be nurtured and promoted. Our former Deputy Prime Minister Mr S Rajaratnam is said to have cried when he first heard the words of the Singapore pledge spoken. He cried because he knew, as we know today, that Singapore’s stable social fabric should not be taken for granted. Whether it is addressing the challenge of the rapid ageing of the Singapore population, or the need to get more women back to work, one of Singapore’s core values is meritocracy. This is actively promoted when every Singaporean affirms his or her commitment to be a Singaporean “regardless of race language or religion”.
7. At our workplaces, everyone deserves a fair chance at seeking gainful employment on the basis of his or her merit. Discrimination at the workplace has no place in any society, but yet it is a perennial problem that many countries still face. Some countries have attempted to tackle this through introducing tough anti-discrimination legislation. We know however, that even in these countries, discrimination still persists. The issues are complex and just copying other countries may not work for us. Worse still such moves may raise business costs and reduce Singapore’s ability to compete for investment and create new jobs for Singaporeans.
The Centre’s Approach
8. The TAFEP Centre welcomes feedback and suggestions from employers, employees and the public on how the adoption of fair employment can be practically brought about in Singapore. However, I need to clarify that the TAFEP Centre is not designed as a job centre or as a Tribunal or Complaints Bureau. The primary role of the Centre is to promote and bring about the adoption of fair employment practices.
9. Resources have been committed by the tripartite partners – the Government, Employers and the Unions to provide companies and employees with the assistance to be fair in their employment practices. TAFEP is not about tokenism or “wayang”. The real challenge is in changing mindsets - not just getting employers to “pretend-pretend” to follow the guidelines while actually spending more time figuring out how to work around the guidelines. This Centre is Tripartite because we want to work in partnership with employers and government in formulating and facilitating what is practical and will work on the ground. This way is more effective and sustainable and as the experience in 1999 showed, we don’t need to always rely on legislation to bring about a change in behaviour.
10. But I also think we all need to realise that this is not going to be an overnight process. Once you talk about mindset change, you are talking about people’s values and beliefs – some of which have been shaped from young. The mindset change needed is not just from the bosses and the hiring manager, it also involves the worker and the man-in-the-street who needs to recognise and welcome the value of having co-workers or being served by people from a diverse background, for example someone who is older than what you’re used to seeing or is of a different gender than what you are used to expecting.
11. TAFEP understands that employers want flexibility in their recruitment and employment practices and eschew rigidities in employment. It is for this reason that we welcome feedback and suggestions on how the promotion of fair employment practices can be made more effective. Implementing fair employment practices correctly will help employers recruit the right candidates and develop employees to the best of their potential, benefiting their businesses. I encourage employers to review their recruitment process and in-employment practices to ensure that they are objective, merit-based and free from biases.
Conclusion
12. On this note, I urge all employers and employees, with the support of the Government to work in partnership with the Centre to create a fair employment culture that is win-win and that we can all be proud of.
