The first session of the 14th Parliament convened on 2 August 2021.
We bring you the highlights of that session.
Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) Desmond Choo and Yeo Wan Ling stood in favour of the proposed amendments to the Child Development Co-Savings Act.
The Bill, which was first introduced in Parliament on 5 July 2021, proposes to give some parents – including those who adopt – cash benefits should their current employment not qualify them for maternity and paternity leave.
Extending more Benefits to Single Mums
However, Mr Choo, who is also an NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, called for the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) to consider greater support for single mothers.
He said: “Under the current framework, single mothers are not entitled to various benefits. For example, they are left out of the Baby Bonus Scheme which provides a cash entitlement of $8,000 for the first and second child. Furthermore, although many single mothers are in the workforce, they are ineligible for parenthood tax rebates and reliefs such as the Working Mothers Child Relief.”
While he understood that extending these benefits to single mothers may deviate from the traditional definition of a family unit, Mr Choo said that majority of single mothers are in positions not within their control.
“I urge the ministry to consider extending more benefits to single mothers, such as the Baby Bonus Scheme and the various reliefs that single mothers are disentitled from,” he said.
Ms Yeo, who is the NTUC’s Women and Family director, echoed Mr Choo’s suggestion by calling on the Government to create a support network for single mothers.
She said: “In 2013, the Labour Movement had called for equal benefits for single mothers, and as a result, we now see unwed mothers entitled to the same maternity leave, childcare and infant care leave, as well as the enjoyment of CDCA benefits.
“We will continue to stand with single mothers, and not compound the burden of having to raise a child singlehandedly.”
Encouraging Fathers to use Paternity Leave
Ms Yeo urged employers to do more by encouraging fathers to make use of their paternity leave.
She said that although our take-up rates are strong against international standards, the benchmark should instead be compared to the take-up rates of maternity leave in Singapore.
“While no employers are hanging signs on office walls discouraging fathers from taking paternity leave, many fathers might feel the threat of being implicitly penalised for taking days off to care for their children,” she said.
She said employers should go a step further to actively encourage fathers to take days off to take care of their family, especially in the form of using their paternity leave days.
Ms Yeo also called on the Government to incentivise employers who champion equal parenting roles together with strong families and children.
She suggested to expand the the Working Mother’s Child Relief and Grandparent Caregiver Relief to working fathers.
“By availing incentivisation schemes to both mothers and fathers, this would reflect the better sharing of parental duties, reinforce the positive communications and visibility to the important role males play in parenting and indeed caregiving,” she said.
Flexible Redistribution of Maternity and Paternity Leave
Lastly, Ms Yeo called on the Government to allow parents the flexibility in deciding how to use and share their maternity and paternity leave.
She said: “This flexible redistribution of the total maternity and paternity leave entitlement pie, does not create an additional burden to employers who are facing manpower shortages, and yet places choice and full control in the hands of parents.”
Cleaning Sector PWM
For failing to adhere to the requirements of the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), the National Environment Agency (NEA) has issued warning letters and imposed financial penalties against 52 and 57 cleaning businesses respectively since 2018.
This was the response given by Sustainability and Environment Minister Grace Fu to MP Wan Rizal on the number of licensed cleaning businesses that failed to comply with the PWM since its implementation in 2014.
“These companies failed to comply with the requirements under the PWM, such as failure to pay eligible cleaners with bonuses or progressive wages,” she said.
Workfare Income Supplement (WIS)
All lower-wage employees and Self-Employed Persons (SEPs) are required to contribute to CPF to benefit from Workfare Income Supplement (WIS).
This ensures that workers continue to take personal responsibility in saving for their longer-term retirement and healthcare needs while receiving Government support.
Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said: “SEPs are only required to contribute to their MediSave accounts after declaring their incomes at the end of the work year. They have up to two years to do so. Based on the latest available data, among SEPs who met all other Workfare criteria for Work Year 2018, 9 in 10 fulfilled the required MediSave contributions and received their Workfare payouts.”
Mr Zaqy was responding to MP Leon Perera on the number of SEPs who could not qualify for WIS because of their lack of MediSave contributions.
During the two years, SEPs can choose to pay their Medisave either as a lump sum or through monthly GIRO instalments.
Mr Zaqy said that the CPF Board also exercises flexibility – helping SEPs facing financial difficulties such as by reducing monthly instalments by extending the GIRO arrangement or temporarily deferring monthly instalments.
Mr Zaqy concluded his speech, saying: “We recognise that this is a difficult period. SEPs who are facing significant income loss and require urgent financial assistance may apply for the MSF’s COVID-19 Recovery Grant or COVID-19 Recovery Grant Temporary. Taxi and private hire car drivers are also receiving additional financial support from the Land Transport Authority’s COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund.”
Fraudulent Certifications in Work Pass Applications
Foreigners who submit false qualifications to fraudulently obtain work passes can be charged under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, which carries a fine of up to $20,000, up to two years imprisonment, or both.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said that between 2018 to 2020, 11 Employment Pass and S Pass holders working in the Infocomm Technology (ICT) industry were found to have submitted false qualifications to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The offenders have since had their work passes revoked, and they have been permanently barred from working in Singapore.
Dr Tan was responding to a parliamentary question by MP Gan Thiam Poh, on how many Employment Pass and S Pass holders have submitted fabricated or forged education certificates in the ICT industry over the past three years.
While employers have the primary responsibility to ensure the authenticity of their candidates’ qualifications, Dr Tan said: “MOM also conducts additional checks by screening the qualifications submitted through our database of institutions. This database is regularly reviewed through our scan of open-source reports and research from third-party screening organisations.
“For applications containing qualifications from institutions not in our database, we require employers to submit verification proof from third-party screening organisations to ensure the qualifications submitted are accredited. We will reject applications containing fake or unaccredited qualifications.”
Work Pass Restrictions
Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), work pass holders are only allowed to work for the official employer specified in their work pass card.
Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said that it is an offence for work pass holders to perform work for any other person or business entity.
He said: “Work pass holders found to be engaged in illegal employment will face a fine of up to $20,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both. MOM will also debar them from working in Singapore. Likewise, employers who employ any foreigners without a valid work pass will face a fine of up to $30,000 or imprisonment of up to 12 months, or both.”
Dr Koh was responding to MP Chua Kheng Wee Louis on how the Ministry enforces restrictions on work pass holders working beyond their designated employer.
Between 2016 and 2020, MOM has issued an average of 160 warnings to work pass holders per year to those found engaged in illegal employment. All of them were debarred from working in Singapore.
