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Are our vulnerable workers ready for an endemic COVID-19?
Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Finance, which seeks to provide targeted support measures to help businesses and individuals who have been most directly affected by the tightened restrictions to combat the local COVID-19 clusters that have formed rapidly within our community.
The proposed extensions to the Job Support Scheme, the Temporary Bridging Loan Programme, and the Enhanced Enterprise Financing Scheme – Trade Loan will be vital in providing businesses with much needed liquidity to stay afloat. These will in turn help to save jobs in the most affected sectors, and we in the Labour Movement are in full support of these measures.
In his speech, the Finance Minister also spoke about the realities of living with an endemic COVID-19 and how the Government is preparing a roadmap for Singapore to learn to live normally with the virus.
My speech today will focus on the indirect impact that COVID-19 has had on two vulnerable segments of our workforce. They are our migrant workers and our PMEs.
Time to shine the spotlight (again) on workplace safety
Madam, our workers are dying, literally! The first half of 2021 saw 22 workplace fatalities, with 11 deaths recorded in the month of February. More recently, three workers died within a period of five days in separate incidents in June. According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the workplace fatalities involved safety lapses, which mean that the accidents could have and should have been prevented.
The increase in workplace fatalities come as we re-open our economy, with various tough Safe Management Measures imposed at our worksites to curb the spread of COVID-19. Examples include cohorting of workers, establishing split teams, and making sure workers do not cross zones within the worksite, and even within the dormitory. While these measures have worked well in curbing the spread of the virus among our migrant workforce, have they inadvertently caused the rise in workplace accidents? Some workers that I have spoken to tell me that they used to be able to spontaneously assist each other in high-risk tasks at the worksite, such as during heavy-lifting works. But they cannot do so now, which means there are fewer eyes and hands to do the same dangerous work.
Or perhaps the issue is fatigue caused by an acute shortage of manpower in the high-risk sectors? According to Ministry of National Development, about 1,900 migrant workers decide to leave Singapore each month since the Circuit Breaker was imposed last year. Industry associations tell me that the reasons for their departure was because they were homesick, others because they were terribly worried about their family members back home. Companies have found it difficult to find replacement workers, so more responsibilities are loaded onto their existing workforce. This inevitably leads to worker fatigue, which research has linked to a higher risk of workplace fatalities.
I am glad that the Government has recently allowed a relaxation of requirements for construction companies to bring in additional manpower from less-traditional sources. Industry associations too, have started a pilot to bring in migrant workers from India in a calibrated manner. I would like to ask how many migrant workers have been brought into Singapore through such schemes? Is the number even close to the monthly outflow?
Madam, we need to act decisively to stop the upward trajectory of workplace fatalities. If we do not act now, we stand to lose more lives to workplace accidents than to COVID-19 since the outbreak began. It is a grim milestone that we hope not to see.
I hope that the Government can review whether there is a causal link between the Safe Management Measures imposed at high-risk worksites and the rise in workplace accidents and workplace fatalities. If so, can we adapt and review the cohorting and zoning rules if 100% of workers within the site are fully vaccinated?
The Labour Movement reiterates our continued calls for all companies in Singapore to conduct refresher Workplace Safety and Health courses for their workers, especially for those who have been away from the worksite for an extended period. I also urge companies to put in place strict measures to prevent untrained, uncertified workers from operating machineries and performing other high-risk tasks. In fact, all companies should participate in the Safety Time Out called for by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council so that they can review their safety practices at their own sites.
Madam, beyond workplace safety, our migrant workers have also been grappling with social isolation. For the past 15 months, many of them have not been able to go out freely during their off days. This has had an impact on their mental wellbeing.
I would like to urge the Manpower Ministry to monitor closely the mental health of our migrant workers. How does MOM intend to assist our migrant workers in overcoming the sense of social isolation that many in the dormitories are currently facing?
Prolonged Work-From-Home bringing Singaporeans to a mental breaking point
Madam, another group of workers whose mental health we need to watch closely are our Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs). Many have been working from home in the past 15 months and a growing number are facing mental health issues.
According to a March 2021 survey commissioned by human resource software firm, Employment Hero, 7 in 10 local employees felt stressed by COVID-19 in the past 6 months. The Labour Movement too, has conducted our own ground sensing and about two-thirds of those we spoke to said they experienced difficulties distinguishing work and non-work hours when working from home. This might be why Microsoft’s Work Trend Index reported that 58% of workers in Singapore said they felt overworked, while 49% felt exhausted.
But despite our high stress levels, there remains significant barriers to seeking assistance. A poll by SG Mental Health Matters found that almost 80% of participants felt that costs would be a barrier to seeking quality mental healthcare. Zaobao also recently reported a local study that found that individuals who suffer from mental health issues are more than two times likely to lose their jobs.
Madam, we must take concrete steps to break the stigma, and make quality mental healthcare more accessible to all Singaporeans. I hope we can review and consider legislating some of the recommendations listed in the Tripartite Advisory on Mental Well-being at Workplaces. If workplace burnout continues to be a key workplace mental health challenge, then we may very well need our very own Right to Disconnect legislation to safeguard our workers’ mental resilience.
The Labour Movement is taking the lead to make mental health support more accessible for our workers. NTUC is working closely with the Singapore Psychological Society and the Association of Psychotherapists and Counsellors, to put together an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) package for our unionised companies that is significantly cheaper than similar high quality EAP services found commercially. We want EAP services to be available in all companies.
Other issues arising from prolonged WFH arrangements
Many PMEs have also given me feedback that the prolonged Work-From-Home arrangements have caused other tensions to emerge. Neighbours now quarrel because of the slightest noise and smell. Our homes are meant to be a safe space, where we can live, work, and play in peace. But I can empathise with both sides – the new homeowner trying to move into their new home as soon as possible, and their neighbours trying to do an important work presentation virtually from home. As telecommuting work arrangements become more prevalent, we must do more to ease the tensions between neighbours. Could the Community Mediation Centre provide statistics on the common issues that go to mediation, so that we can embark on a public education campaign to minimise such disputes?
Are we prepared for the transition to a Work-From-Anywhere reality?
Madam, in recent months we have seen proposed travel bubbles with other countries bursting before they had the chance to fully form. While the COVID-19 pandemic has caused global travel to come a virtual standstill, the working landscape however, has become more globalised than ever. The year-long Work-From-Home arrangement has normalised remote working, and both employers and employees have started to realise that a mobile computing device with an internet connection is all that is required to work globally.
I recently visited a large multi-national company, where I met a Singaporean Project Manager who told me that he now manages multiple construction projects and track each worksite’s progress from the comfort of his living room. Is our workforce prepared for this new reality? What is being done to help Singaporeans tap on such global opportunities?
But Madam, the reverse can also be true. What is to stop local contractors from hiring foreign project managers who need not necessarily be based physically here? What about the traditional IT, HR and Finance jobs that can now be performed remotely from anywhere in the world? Should Singaporeans be worried about such “invisible” competition that cannot be controlled by our existing work pass systems? These are questions better tackled sooner, rather than later.
Conclusion
Sir, in conclusion, the proposed support measures by the Finance Minister will go some way in helping businesses in the sectors that continue to be directly impacted by the prolonged fight against COVID-19. But as we prepare for an endemic COVID-19, we must look beyond those directly impacted by the virus, and care for those whose physical safety and mental health are at risk as they struggle to cope with the New Normal. We also need to urgently consider the ever-looming threats and opportunities that the work-from-anywhere trend will bring, and help prepare our Singaporean workforce for this new reality.
With that, I support the measures put forth by the Finance Minister.
