By Shukry Rashid
Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) address various ministries on behalf of workers during the latest session of Parliament.
Ministry of Manpower (MOM)
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General (ASG) and MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC Zainal Sapari asked about the number of complaints the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) has received on alleged discriminatory practices at the workplace between 2011 and 2015. He also wanted to know the trend of such practices based on race and religion.
Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck replied that MOM and TAFEP receive on average about 400 complaints each year, and about 10 per cent, or nearly 30, are related to race or religion.
ASG Zainal also queried the actions taken by TAFEP or the Ministry against companies with these discriminatory practices and whether TAFEP has sufficient authority to mediate or resolve those that are reported.
Minister Teo replied that prior to 2014, TAFEP took an advisory approach in counselling employers, all who have since heeded the advice. He added that MOM and the tripartite partners will step up its public education campaign and ramp up training for HR practitioners on selection and recruitment of employees.
Ministry of Transport
NTUC ASG and MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC Ang Hin Kee asked whether there has been adequate dialogue during the Ministry's engagement with stakeholders on the recently announced 'light touch' regulations requiring private car hire drivers to be licensed, undergo background checks and medical screenings and register their cars.
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan replied that consultations were held with private hire companies, the National Taxi Association, the National Private Hire Vehicle Association and commuters.
He added: “While we need some regulations to protect commuters' interests and safety, we have strived to ensure that these are not so onerous that they stifle innovation of new services and business models.”
NTUC Director of Industrial Relations (Field) and MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC Melvin Yong asked whether the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has any plans to work with the public bus operators to recruit more women to join the bus captain profession, especially those seeking to re-enter the workforce.
Minister Khaw replied that LTA has been working with bus operators to recruit more local bus captains, including women. For example, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation have introduced part-time employment schemes, which can appeal to those who need work schedule flexibility. Tower Transit Singapore and Go-Ahead Singapore also offer female employees up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. Female employees at Tower Transit enjoy an enhanced maternity benefit of $300–$700 annually, as well as additional childcare leave.
Ministry of Finance
ASG Zainal asked whether any ministries and statutory boards have adopted the Price-Quality Method for tender evaluations when procuring cleaning, security and landscape services. He also queried the average percentage of price over quality adopted in such procurement contracts awarded in 2015 to date, and whether the Government will consider adopting a 30:70 ratio for the Price-Quality Method as recommended by the Tripartite Committee for Low-Wage Workers and Inclusive Growth.
Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam replied that the public service has been practicing the Price-Quality Method for many years.
He added: “However, its adoption and the weightage of the ‘Quality’ factors used vary from procurement to procurement depending on the context of each procurement.”
‘Quality’ factors were also considered in the award of all tenders in 2015 to date, making up 20–70 per cent of the total evaluation criteria.
According to DPM Tharman, the Government agrees that such services should not be procured based on price alone, and is further reviewing the emphasis of ‘Quality’ factors in the evaluation of tenders.
Source: NTUC This Week
