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Introduction
Mr Speaker, I will be speaking as a union leader and as a worker representative.
First, let me begin by stating that I welcome the Budget as it supports businesses and workers to adapt and grow in a post-Covid-19 world. I am especially heartened by the additional wage support through the extension of Jobs Support Scheme to support our workers in the hard-hit sectors. I would like to also express their hope that the Jobs Support Scheme (JSS) will be extended further should the situation not improve.
I would like to touch on three topics, namely: Strengthening Singaporean Core, Workforce transformation through training and expanding the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to other sectors, beyond those sectors where there are higher proportion of low-wage workers.
Strengthening Singaporean Core
Singapore’s only natural resource is our people and safeguarding jobs for Singaporeans must continue to be our key focus. I am encouraged by the various measures in the past and current Budgets to strengthen the Singaporean Core.
While we keep our economy open and have foreign workers to augment our local workforce, we must create more employment opportunities for our locals and continue to strengthen our Singaporean Core at both the sectoral and company level. I would like to share some good examples.
In my engagements with fellow union leaders from NTUC’s Oil, Petrochemical, Energy and Chemicals cluster, we do have a strong Singaporean Core in the sector’s unionised companies, with a 70% local workforce. The local and foreign talent complement has also resulted in high reliability standards that the sector is known for. In specifically the power sector, we have a stronger Singaporean Core with a local workforce of more than 90%. In SP Group, where I am working, there is a local workforce of 95%.
The employment practices in this sector to build the Singaporean Core can be a learning model for other companies. Here, I would like to call on all employers to make the local workforce your employee of choice, and ensure skills transfer to the local workers to moderate reliance on foreign labour.
Perhaps, our Government can consider putting in place policies or incentives to recognise companies who build a stronger Singaporean Core and develop their local workforce across all levels, or through positive differentiation among companies who do not. There are many manpower policies that are at the disposal of MOM to achieve this intended outcome to achieve a Singaporean Core.
My next topic is to achieve workforce transformation through training.
Workforce transformation through training
Having a strong Singaporean Core includes ensuring that their skills remain relevant. This bring me to my second point, which is about the importance of training has shifted from equipping workers with today’s skills to preparing the workers for the jobs of tomorrow. Unions are committed to work with employers to help our workers build their capabilities, upgrade their skills and transform by setting up Company Training Committees.
For instance, the Union of Power and Gas Employees where I have the privilege to be the General Secretary, has collaborated with SP Group in their mission to develop future skills road map to enhance the employability of the workforce. Launched in 2018, Project Fusion, which stands for “Future Skills in Everyone”, looks at how will current jobs change, what are the new jobs, what are the future skills, and how can our workers learn these future skills. It is a holistic approach to future-proof the workforce.
I urge employers to take the lead in the development of workers to meet the evolving needs of your industry by identifying relevant future skills and taking advantage of the economic downturn to train and transform your workers. NTUC can support by working with the companies to facilitate an Operation Technology Roadmap workshop to identify strategic technological changes and training needed to help the company transform.
Skills upgrading must go hand in hand with productivity improvement and career advancement to ensure sustainable wage increases. Workers who are performing higher value-added jobs should look forward to better wages, welfare and work prospects, in line with the productivity gains. This can be achieved through the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which leads to my third topic for today.
Expanding Progressive Wage Model to more sectors
PWM was launched in June 2012 to enable workers to achieve sustainable wage increases through the acquisition of better skills and higher productivity. While it has thus far been implemented in low-wage outsourced sectors including cleaning, security, and landscape, the PWM is applicable to all sectors, and PME jobs as well.
In fact, many of the unionised companies in the Oil, Petrochemicals, Energy and Chemical industries have a structured career development plan for their employees that is mapped to skills and salary ladder. This is akin to the PWM's value proposition and has allowed many workers to achieve sustainable wage growth through upskilling and career progression.
I believe every responsible employer has a career development plan for your workers. Beyond having that career development plan reside in the individual company, I would like to echo NTUC’s aims to have PWM in more sectors and call for sectoral agencies to work with employers, unions and professional associations to implement the model, beyond the existing sectors.
The sectoral level PWM will allow workers to have the visibility of the career pathways and salary progression in tandem with the skill upgrading and productivity improvements. Workers will have sight of the career and salaries that the sector has to offer them as well as the required skills and training. This will provide a useful roadmap to attract fresh graduates, mid-career switchers, develop and retain locals in the sector.
During downturn, the visibility of the sectoral PWM’s skills will facilitate cross-function, cross-company and cross-sector mobility for workers from restructuring companies to companies that are hiring.
As shared, NTUC is in talks with the relevant stakeholders to develop a PWM for the Solar Energy Sector. With Singapore aiming to achieve almost five times the current solar usage by 2030 and together with the industry career development plan for Solar Technologists, a PWM for this sector would provide a clearer career development and wage progression plan as this sector develops a Singapore core.
With all the above effort and examples, I hope to see more sectors come onboard and implement the PWM!
Let me now say a few words in Malay.
Langkah melanjutkan Skim Bantuan Pekerjaan atau JSS kepada sektor penerbangan, aeroangkasa dan pelancongan amat dialu-alukan oleh kesatuan sekerja di sektor-sektor tersebut. Mereka juga berharap ia dapat dilanjutkan lagi sekiranya keadaan ekonomi masih lagi malap.
Malah harapan mereka juga Pemerintah sentiasa meninjau situasi ini dan terus melakarkan langkah-langkah pembukaan semula sektor ini bersama rakan-rakan antarabangsa, supaya industri ini dapat kembali aktif seperti dahulu.
Dalam kesempatan ini juga, Kesatuan Sekerja berterima kasih kepada setiap syarikat yang masih mengekalkan dan membiayai pekerja anda dengan adanya Skim Bantuan Pekerjaan. Elakkanlah seberapa mampu dari sebarang jenis pemberhentian kerana setiap pekerja yang hilang pekerjaan akan menjejas perbelanjaan seluruh keluarga, bukan hanya pekerja itu sahaja.
Malah gunakan waktu ini, untuk menghantar pekerja-pekerja anda menjalani latihan untuk meningkatkan kemahiran mereka, dan juga mengenal pasti kemahiran baru yang anda perlukan supaya pekerja anda lebih bersedia dengan adanya pekerjaan yang baharu di masa hadapan. Antara kemahiran yang diperlukan sekarang dan masa hadapan adalah kemahiran teknologi yang pelbagai seperti kemahiran digital, penganalisaan data, kecerdasan buatan dan sebagainya. Majikan perlu mengenal pasti jenis kemahiran yang diperlukan daripada pekerja mereka dalam mengenal pasti jenis latihan yang diperlukan.
Kita selalu mendengar tentang pekerja yang sukar atau tidak mahu menjalani latihan. Itu adalah satu tanggapan yang tidak benar. Tolong jangan salahkan pekerja sepenuhnya dalam bab latihan. Sebenarnya, apa yang kami harapkan adalah latihan itu meningkatkan taraf kita sebagai pekerja demi mencapai kerjaya yang baik, kebajikan dan suasana kerja yang lebih sempurna. Malah apa yang amat kami harapkan selepas latihan, gaji kami juga dapat dinaikkan dengan peningkatan produktiviti kami.
Selain latihan, Kesatuan Sekerja menyeru Pemerintah untuk menggalakkan majikan membina teras Singapura yang kuat dalam tenaga kerja mereka bukan hanya dari segi bilangan, malah juga kemahiran dan keupayaan serta daya saing.
Lebih baik lagi jika Pemerintah boleh memberi insentif kepada majikan yang mempunyai teras Singapura yang kuat dalam tenaga kerja mereka.
Mempunyai teras Singapura yang kuat akan memberi galakan dan semangat untuk pekerja teras Singapura meningkatkan kemahiran mereka serta gigih bersaing demi meraih peluang untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan.
Conclusion
I would like to close my speech by making two key points.
First, NTUC will continue to help workers of all collars, ages and nationalities achieve gainful employment through better jobs, and a better living through higher wages so that they can live a better life.
We call on the Government to continue formulating and implementing labour policies that aim to develop a globally competitive workforce and a great workplace, for a cohesive society and a secure economic future for all Singaporeans.
To our employers, we hope that you will do your part to transform your business, enhance productivity and competitiveness and upskill your workers for future jobs. This is Singapore’s Tripartism Model!
Finally, this pandemic has been with us since early 2020 and there is still no sign it will go away anytime soon. As a union leader and on behalf of my fellow Sisters and Brothers in the Labour Movement, I would like to take this opportunity to express our utmost appreciation to all my fellow essential service workers, be it in the healthcare, security, cleaning, transport, telecommunications, nearer to my heart – power and gas, and even water - thank you, thank you very much for your unwavering commitment, dedication and resilience to serve our country and our people during this pandemic.
Mr Speaker Sir, with this, I support the Budget!
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