Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered the National Day Rally speech today at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) Headquarters at Ang Mo Kio.
In his speech, PM Wong spoke on two key announcements, the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme and the enhancements to Government-paid parental leave, both of which NTUC has actively championed for over the years for our workers.
In response, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng welcomed the announcements and shared in his Facebook post:
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PM Wong’s first National Day Rally brought some great news for Singaporeans! Happy to see good bold moves in his speech. At the same time, some very practical support for Singaporeans addressing work, family, housing and educational needs. I’m glad to have been part of some of it.
Together these efforts will help shape a more successful, caring and inclusive society.
I am especially appreciative to PM Wong and the government for heeding calls by the Labour Movement. NTUC has been advocating a temporary financial support for the involuntarily unemployed, which arose from NTUC’s engagements with workers and union leaders. Labour MPs have actively championed for working parents and today’s announcement on shared parental leave (for parents with newborns) is indeed very good news! NTUC will continue to be alongside workers because #EveryWorkerMatters
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4dQTcOF
Link to Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/qELdRcCCJVwXBYzy/
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In response to the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay expressed his support in his Facebook post:
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Earlier this evening at the National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the upcoming implementation of the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. I’m very heartened that PM Wong and the Ministry of Manpower have considered NTUC’s, unions’ and workers’ suggestions and feedback to provide temporary financial support for those who are involuntarily unemployed with up to $6000 over a period of up to 6 months.
NTUC has been advocating for temporary financial support for the involuntarily unemployed, which arose from NTUC’s engagements with workers and union leaders over the last decade. Since 2014, I’ve been advocating for this support coupled with active labour market policies, and have consistently raised this issue both inside and outside of Parliament. In addition, through the NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce in 2021 and our #EveryWorkerMatters Conversations that concluded in 2023, we’ve heard the concerns of many workers about job security, finding new employment, and managing living expenses during periods of involuntary unemployment.
I’m hopeful that the new scheme will alleviate their concerns and give them a boost as they look for new jobs. Besides monetary assistance, I hope that the scheme will be accessible for jobseekers, integrated with career guidance and employment facilitation services, and sustainable while incentivising jobseekers to return to work as per what PM Wong has mentioned. This is important because I believe this would empower the involuntarily unemployed with the necessary resources for active job search and skills upgrading, helping them secure new employment that suits their career goals.
I also hope that the scheme would provide a reassuring cover for workers, including our PMEs, so that they can bounce back into employment with help from the scheme.
NTUC will continue to work with the Government, and I look forward to the Government’s implementation of this financial support for our workers because Every Worker Matters.
In addition to the worker updates, am glad that the government has responded to my call to review the GEP Programme which I have raised in Parliament the past two years. This will allow every Singaporean student an opportunity to embark and excel in a subject(s) that they are passionate about and have special interests, abilities, and capabilities in, to fully maximise their true potential. Looking forward to more details when Ministry of Education shares.
Read more here: https://bit.ly/4duLrOw
Link to Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/62E96sznYUDibWqB/
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In response to the Enhanced Parental Leave Schemes, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Yeo Wan Ling shared her support in her Facebook post:
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NTUC has been calling for more support for parents and caregivers for decades. Women, who bear a disproportionate share of caregiving, often struggle to balance work and family commitments.
PM Wong’s announcement at the National Day Rally on the recent enhancements to the marriage and parenthood package will be welcomed by our families. Parents with newborns now have the flexibility to share 6 weeks of leave between them, on top of their existing maternity and paternity leave entitlements. This marks a significant step forward in recognising the importance of shared parenting responsibilities for both parents in raising their children.
As the Director of the Women & Family Unit at the NTUC, I've urged the government to explore ways to balance the weight of parenting responsibilities more evenly between fathers and mothers. Today’s announcement will provide more inroads in the workplace, to the normalisation of fathers taking on more family caregiving responsibilities.
Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) will no doubt play a complementing role to enhanced paid leave. While paid leave provides caregivers with time off to manage urgent matters, FWAs enable them to fulfil sustainable long-term caregiving responsibilities and remain active in the workforce.
I am particularly excited to hear that the enhanced maternity & paternity leave measures will continue to be extended to our Self-Employed and freelance workers. More Singaporeans are choosing to be freelancers due to the flexible nature of such work, many doing so because they are caregivers. These measures will no doubt provide much relief to this community.
As the needs of society and working caregivers evolve, NTUC will continue to champion our workers' interests and develop an ecosystem of support for a Singapore Made for Families! #EveryWorkerMatters
#SingaporeMadeforFamilies #NDR2024
Link to Facebook Post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/aeDtcTtQfNBYPcED/
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