Maintaining a fair workplace for pregnant employees
11 March 2005
The Editor
Lianhe Zaobao
Fax: 6319-8121
We note that the Ministry is investigating into the complaint of the sacked childcare teacher.
Women constitute a critical part of the Singapore workforce and their presence is very visible in today’s workplace. This is especially the case in the childcare industry where almost all employees are female.
While most employers heed the Government’s call in adopting family-friendly workplace practices, there still exist errant employers who discriminate against pregnant female workers. For example, there are still cases where pregnant female workers are unfairly terminated so that payment of maternity benefits entitlements can be avoided by their companies.
We would like to take this opportunity to call on all employers to treat their pregnant employees fairly. There are instances when pregnant employees complain that there are additional pressures given by the management in an attempt to induce them to resign, hence relinquishing their maternity benefits. While such allegations against employers can be difficult to prove, we should guard against abuse by employers who take advantage of the situation to dismiss pregnant employees without a good basis.
We urge all employers to provide a fair and equal opportunity for their female employees at the workplace. We should recognise the important contributions made by women in our society and accord them the rights they are entitled to.
Union members who face any problems with unfair discrimination at the workplace due to pregnancy can contact their union or call the NTUC One-Stop Centre at or chat with NTUC Membership Services at ntuc.co/chat.
Halimah Yacob
Secretary, NTUC Women’s Committee
