The Committee of Supply Debates kicked off on 28 February 2019, with Labour Members of Parliament delivering their speeches. The ministries heard them and responded accordingly.
The Readiness of Public Officers
The Government will help public officers approach their work with new mindsets and provide them with new skills, said Minister in Charge of Public Service Chan Chun Sing.
He was responding to NTUC Assistant Director-General (ADG) Ang Hin Kee’s Committee of Supply Debate speech on the readiness of public officers, considering the quickening pace of transformation.
“In the midst of such changes, I hope the Government can take the lead in ensuring that all public sector workers have access to relevant training, reskilling and redeployment opportunities,” said Mr Ang.
In reply, Mr Chan said that the Public Service Division will expand the system of job postings to apply to a wider group of officers. This is so that public officers will gain wider perspectives and be able to better work across agencies and with the private and people sectors.
“We need to think differently. They [public officers] must be able to see beyond the current task they are doing, and work with their colleagues in other ministries or agencies to serve citizens better. This does not come from classroom training alone,” said Mr Chan.
He also said that public officers need to be able to execute policies well, and to do so they need to understand the needs of the citizens and businesses better.
He added that the Government will continue to encourage public officers to be trained in different countries to better understand the region and develop stronger ties.
Supporting Working Parents
Compared to five years ago, there is a shorter waiting time for new flats, greater support for child-raising costs, ease of enrolling children in affordable and good quality preschools, and stronger support for working parents to manage work and family responsibilities.
These were some examples Manpower Minister and Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo gave when NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) Desmond Choo asked about the progress of current measures to support working parents.
Mrs Teo assists Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean on population matters.
Despite the improvements, Mrs Teo said that she is aware of other concerns that young Singaporeans may have, such as pre-school fees.
On this, she said that the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) is currently reviewing the preschool subsidy framework to make quality preschools more affordable for parents.
Mr Choo also asked for legislation of flexible work arrangements (FWA). In reply, Mrs Teo said that a balance must be struck between the needs of businesses and workers.
“We should be careful about mandating businesses to do more, as it would impact business viability and put jobs at risk. Given the recent enhancements, I hope members will agree to give companies some time to adjust before further moves,” said Mrs Teo.
Tax Concerns
The Government has made clear its stand to take a broad-based approach when it comes to the Goods and Service Tax (GST), with a few exemptions. This is done so that tax remains relatively low and easy to manage.
Second Minister of Finance Lawrence Wong said this in response to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Ang Hin Kee’s Committee of Supply speech to the Ministry of Finance (MOF).
Mr Ang asked if the Ministry would consider a review or waiver of the GST that is levied on the daily rental of taxis and borne by taxi drivers.
Mr Wong said: “Nevertheless, we will certainly do what we can to help taxi and private-hire car drivers better manage their business and regulatory compliance costs.
The second minister cited some schemes that were implemented to help lower cost for both taxi and private-hire drivers. These include amending the Income Tax Act to allow private-hire car drivers to claim tax deductions for motor car-related expenses and allow the drivers to claim tax deductions on a deemed expense ratio at 60 per cent of their gross driving income.
Mr Ang also asked about the increase in the diesel tax, and what the Government will be doing to cushion the impact on taxi drivers.
In reply, Mr Wong said the Government has provided some measures to help users, including taxi drivers, manage the transition.
These include the special tax reduction for taxis, which is expected to cover 75 per cent of the cost for drivers and an agreement between the Government and taxi operators to pass down savings from the special tax reduction to the drivers.
Mr Ang also suggested the Government look at diesel pump licensing and price of diesel for pumps belonging to operators.
Mr Wong said the Government will study the suggestions and will continue to work with the operators to improve the welfare of drivers.
Skills Upgrading for NSmen
The Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) will launch the SkillFuture@NS this year to help National Service Full-time (NSF) personnel keep pace with the national focus of skills mastery.
Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How said this in his response to Labour Nominated Member of Parliament Arasu Duraisamy, who asked how the Government is working with agencies to support skills upgrading of NSFs.
“In today’s rapidly evolving learning environment, we need to ensure that our NSFs are well equipped to thrive in higher education or in the working world,” said Mr Arasu.
Under the partnerships with both private and public agencies, there will be more resources NSFs can look forward to after their full-time service, added Mr Heng.
Today, NSFs are given $350 in e-credits to subscribe to some 200 courses upon completion of their full-time service.
With the SkillsFuture@NS initiative, NSFs will be able to use these credits on more than 3,000 selected courses, which include cybersecurity and data analytics.
MINDEF will also partner SkillsFuture Singapore in March 2019 to deliver a career orientation experience. This initiative will be supported by community development councils and NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute).
Home Team Manpower Transformation
The Ministry of Home Affairs aims to re-employ as many uniformed officers as it can, given the greater adoption of technology in the Home Team’s operating environment.
Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health Senior Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin said this in response to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo’s speech regarding re-employing of officers in the Home Team.
According to Mr Amrin, the Home Team re-employed 45 per cent of its retired uniformed officers in the past five years.
Mr Choo also asked about the re-skilling of officers to use technology and if the Ministry will help form training committees.
“The Home Team recognises the importance of upskilling our officers to take on higher value work. This is crucial as we transform, introduce new concepts of operations, and re-design existing jobs to leverage new technologies,” said Mr Amrin.
He added that the Ministry has formed a Skills Transformation Development Team to identify the training required for officers to meet increasing operational expectations.
Some essential skills the team has identified for officers include data analytics, technology literacy and cybersecurity.
Protection from Harassment Act
Law Ministry will work with the state courts to look into the tracking of the types of cases filed under the Protection from Harassment Act, said Senior Minister of State for Law Edwin Tong.
He was responding to a suggestion made by NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay.
Mr Tong also gave an update on the cases filed under the Act.
Between November 2014 and December 2018, some 535 protection cases were submitted. Of these, 213 protection orders and 193 expedited protection orders were granted. This included applications by victims of workplace harassment.
Intellectual Property for Creatives
On Intellectual Property, the Ministry of Law will be amending the Copyright Act to better support creative professionals in the digital age.
This came in response to Mr Tay’s question on how the Ministry can further strengthen the copyright regime.
There are more than 30,000 workers in Singapore’s creative sector, many of whom are freelancers and self-employed.
Mr Tong said: “For example, creators will find it easier to build their reputation as people who use their works will have to properly acknowledge the creator’s contribution. Creators of certain commissioned works will enjoy default ownership of their works, whereas previously the commissioning party would own the works.”
Taking Advantage of Growing Sectors
According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the food and agri-tech sector is a $5 trillion industry that is growing, and the Government is looking to make Singapore a leading urban agriculture and aquaculture technology hub.
To realise this vision, Senior Minister for Trade and Industry announced that the Government will establish a new 18-hectare Agri-Food Innovation Park, or AFIP, in Sungei Kadut.
The park will bring together high-tech farming and research and development activities, including indoor plant factories, insect farms, and animal feed production facilities.
Dr Koh added that MTI is working with both local and overseas industry players to develop the park. The first phase of the development is expected to be ready within the second quarter of 2021.
In his speech, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo asked about the plans to attract Singaporeans into growing industries such as urban agriculture and aquaculture technologies.
In his reply, Dr Koh said he agrees with Mr Choo that interested Singaporeans must be equipped with the specialised and relevant skills to benefit from opportunities in agriculture and aquaculture technologies.
“Beyond the hardware and infrastructure, a talent pipeline is crucial to succeed in this endeavour. More Singaporeans, especially younger ones, are showing interest in high-tech urban farming. We are now seeing an emerging new generation of young technopreneur farmers,” said Dr Koh.
Dr Koh cited the example of Republic Polytechnic which launched a Diploma in Urban Agricultural Technology earlier in 2019, adding that the Government expects more similar courses from other institutes of higher learning.
Business Transformation Through Skills Upgrading
It will not be adequate if employers adopt technology without training their workers to use it properly, said Senior Minister of State for Education Chee Hong Tat.
He was responding to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari’s speech about efforts to help employers deepen workplace training capabilities.
“If we do it well, enterprise transformation should result in higher profits for the company and higher pay for our workers – a win-win outcome,” said Mr Chee.
He also elaborated on the Productivity Solutions Grant, where employers who qualify for the grant can apply for additional training subsidies. This will cover 70 per cent out-of-pocket training expenses, up to $10,000.
The subsidy is on top of the existing training subsidies of up to 90 per cent, to provide extra support for companies.
“We also want to reinforce the message that worker training and skills upgrading are critical elements for business transformation,” he added.
Mr Chee added that companies can also work with the National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning (NACE) to develop structured training plans for workplace learning.
Update on “MyCareersFuture” Portal
Since its launch in April last year, the MyCareersFuture.sg received more than 2 million visits and over 1.7 million applications. Additionally, more than 20,000 employers placed job postings on the Jobs Bank last year.
These figures were revealed by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo in response to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay who asked for an update.
Among the job postings, more than 85 per cent fulfilled the Fair Consideration Framework requirements.
“We hope the portal becomes more attractive to employers later this year, as we roll out new features. For example, employers will be able to shortlist candidates based on skills to-job matching. This will also help job seekers who may not have the right experience but have relevant skills to offer,” said Mrs Teo.
Employers on Fair Consideration Framework Watchlist
The Manpower Ministry currently has 350 companies on its Fair Consideration Framework Watchlist, announced Manpower Minister Josephine Teo. Companies on the watchlist are those who have been found to have discriminated against hiring Singaporeans.
Many of these companies belong to one of five sectors – administrative and support services, education, infocomm, professional services and wholesale trade.
Companies on the watchlist will have their Employment Pass (EP) applications closely scrutinised.
Since 2016, a total of 2,300 EP applications have been rejected or withheld by the Manpower Ministry, or withdrawn by employers.
“While we take a firm stance against these companies, TAFEP [Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices] also works with them to improve their HR practices and support local hiring,” said Mrs Teo.
Managing Workplace Harassment
The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) will now be a help and resource centre for workplace harassment for both employers and employees, announced Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Low Yen Ling.
Besides providing advice, TAFEP will offer resources on its website that include an introductory video on managing workplace harassment, a sample workplace harassment prevention policy that companies can adopt, and a list of training providers on managing workplace harassment.
“As we try to harness the full capabilities of our workforce, I agree with Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Desmond Choo that workplace harassment is an area that deserves greater attention. A safe workplace allows employees to work optimally. For that to take place, both employers and employees must have an interest and responsibility in preventing and managing workplace harassment,” said Ms Low.
Additionally, TAFEP will also offer advice and assistance to employees seeking help on workplace harassment issues. For example, affected employees can call 6838 0696 or write to TAFEP for assistance.
“TAFEP is also working with relevant government agencies and partners … to set up a referral process so that TAFEP can have sight of all workplace harassment cases. We will take a whole-of-government approach to support affected employees,” added Ms Low.
Uplifting Low-Wage Workers
The Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) Scheme was designed to help older workers who have less runway to upgrade and save for retirement. Younger workers, on the other hand, have greater potential for income growth and can be better supported through upskilling efforts.
This was the response Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad gave to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari who was in the view that the Government should remove the age differentiation for WIS.
Mr Zainal had also proposed to increase the WIS cash component from 40 per cent to 80 per cent and decrease the CPF component from 60 per cent to 20 per cent. This is to help workers have a higher disposable income for their living expenses.
In reply, Mr Zaqy said that the cash component is today higher than when Workfare first started. He added that Workfare bonuses are generally provided in cash.
“I understand members’ desire to look after the workers’ immediate needs. From 2020, the enhanced Workfare payouts will give all workers higher cash payments for daily needs. But their needs in retirement still matter. We worry about how they will cope when they eventually stop work. We also want our lower-income workers to benefit from the higher interest earned in CPF. Compounded over time, the savings will help them have more in retirement,” said Mr Zaqy.
Improving Working Conditions for Low-Wage Workers
The Manpower Ministry will look into companies’ practices in providing proper rest areas for their low-wage workers, and it will start with the cleaning sector, said Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
In his speech, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Zainal Sapari had asked about the Ministry’s plans to further improve working conditions for low-wage workers.
Mr Zainal said that it is vital for low-wage workers to have access to decent working conditions, especially when it comes to having proper rest areas.
Agreeing with this, Mr Zaqy said: “Workers need safe and conducive environments for their rest breaks, such as for meals. Yet, we have encountered cases of cleaners having to use makeshift rest areas at stairwells or in open public areas.”
Mr Zaqy also encouraged all service buyers and employers to provide their low-wage workers with proper rest areas.
Improving Workplace Safety and Health
To improve workplace safety and health (WSH) further, companies need to commit to the cause, there should be greater emphasis on workplace health and technology should be used, according to Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
In his speech, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong said: “All workers deserve to go home safe and in good health to their families and loved ones. The Labour Movement stands ready to work with our tripartite partners on suggestions to raise WSH standards across Singapore so that we can all benefit from safer and healthier workplaces.”
Agreeing to this, Mr Zaqy called on the Labour Movement to partner the Manpower Ministry to get more companies to adopt Total WSH.
Total WSH refers to injury and occupational disease prevention, along with occupational health promotion, and adjustments in work processes so that workers with chronic conditions can continue working safely.
“Mr Yong also spoke about leveraging technology to make WSH training more productive and realistic. I agree … We will consider how to improve training further, and will study this idea together with tripartite partners,” said Mr Zaqy.
Helping Migrant Workers
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will work closely with the Labour Movement, Migrant Workers’ Centre and Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL) to assist foreign workers involved in disputes, said Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
In his speech, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong said he hoped to see greater assistance for foreign workers involved in disputes with their employers.
According to MOM, about nine out of 10 dispute cases related to migrant workers in 2018 came from the construction sector.
To improve the job facilitation outcomes for migrant workers affected by disputes, SCAL has made available the Foreign Construction Worker Directory System (FCWDS) that facilitates their search for new employers.
Mr Zaqy said that about 34,000 workers in the construction and process sectors were successfully transferred to other employers in 2018.
He added that about 900 workers with valid claims successfully found new employers and continued to work in Singapore after their claims were resolved.
Improving the Early Childhood Education Sector
Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) will partner the Health Promotion Board to commission an occupational health and safety assessment.
They will appoint a panel of experts to holistically examine the wellbeing of pre-school staff, as well as recommend job redesign and workplace enhancements.
This was announced by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.
He was responding to NTUC Assistant Director-General Ang Hin Kee’s speech on improving the pre-school sector’s work and environment.
The Ministry will also press on to attract, develop and retain capable early childhood educators, added Mr Faishal.
From April this year, the newly set up National Institute for Early Childhood Development will begin training its first batch of students in the full-time Diploma in Early Childhood Development and Education course.
Additionally, Mr Faishal announced that ECDA will introduce an enhanced Centre Management System that will interface will all pre-schools and improve processes such as license applications and subsidy administration.
Update on Trial for On Demand Public Buses
The Government is currently doing an On Demand Public Buses trial that allows commuters to request pick-ups and drop-offs at any bus stop within defined areas, using a mobile application.
Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary said that while the technology is still evolving, the trial looks promising. Public bus operator mileage has reduced by more than 25 per cent in some areas while giving commuters a journey-time comparable to regular buses.
Dr Puthucheary was responding to NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong who requested for an update to the trial.
The Ministry will look to improve the technology by monitoring commuter feedback and improving the system’s algorithm, adding that this will help operators adjust to the way they roster bus captains to ensure they have enough rest.
New Tripartite Workgroup for Point to Point Sector
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will set up a Private Hire Car Tripartite Committee to complement the existing Taxi Tripartite Committee, announced Senior Minister of State for Transport Janil Puthucheary.
Together, the committees will be used as platforms for LTA, drivers and operators to discuss issues in the point to point sector.
He was responding to NTUC Assistant Director-General Ang Hin Kee’s proposal that the Ministry form tripartite workgroups.
Dr Puthucheary added that the Ministry will continue working closely with tripartite partners to manage disruptions and consider feedback while keeping in mind the needs of both commuters and drivers.
