NTUC's response to Ministry of Manpower's proposed amendments to the Employment Act
2 September 2008
Media Statement
1 The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has called for a public consultation on the proposed amendments to the Employment Act (EA).
2 The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and its affiliated unions support the proposed amendments as these are the result of an extensive consultation, through a tripartite committee of which NTUC is a member, among the tripartite partners. The proposed amendments are timely as the last substantive amendment to the EA was done 13 years ago.
3 By giving the Labour Movement’s feedback and suggestions to MOM on the proposed amendments, we want to ensure that workers’ rights and interests continue to be protected and stay relevant in a dynamic working environment with a changing workforce profile. On the whole, the proposed amendments are balanced and beneficial to workers as they give better protection and address the changing needs of our workers.
4 We are also pleased that some of the suggestions raised by the Labour Movement have been taken into account in the proposed amendments, as we have championed for some of them for a few years on various platforms, including at the Parliament. One such suggestion is the raising of the salary ceiling for non-workmen from $1,600 to $2,000, given that our median wage has gone up over the years, which would allow more employees to be included in the ambit of the EA, so that they are entitled to overtime, rest day pay and public holiday pay. Another suggestion is to remove the exclusion of confidential staff from the EA as this blanket exclusion is no longer relevant nor beneficial, and as its removal would entitle them to basic employment benefits.
Mdm Halimah Yacob
Deputy Secretary-General
National Trades Union Congress
