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At the Debate on the Budget 2021 statement today, nine Labour Members of Parliament (MPs) / Nominated Member of Parliament will share NTUC’s aspirations for more support for different worker groups across different segments of our workforce to protect our workers and their jobs, as we look to emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic stronger together.
The Labour MPs’ speech summaries are highlighted below:
• Mr Heng Chee How, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General, Senior Minister of State for Defence and MP for Jalan Besar GRC
Speech highlights: Protecting senior workers
As we seek ways to emerge stronger from the crisis, Mr Heng shares how we must also ensure that we do so together with our senior workers in mind. He proposes five measures to do so, including helping those in distressed sectors keep their jobs or proactively train them for new jobs, strengthening adoption of flexi-work arrangements, raising the statutory retirement and re-employment ages and CPF contributions as agreed, and ensuring lifelong learning for lifelong employability.
• Dr Koh Poh Koon, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General and MP for Tampines GRC
Speech highlights: Uplifting lower wage workers | Supporting workers’ training and business transformation
Dr Koh shares more about NTUC's aspirations and ideas to expand progressive wages and practices to uplift our lower wage workers (LWW), ensuring that wages and careers do not stagnate over time. Specifically, he shares four key ways for faster and wider expansion of the Progressive Wage Model, as well as enhancements to the Workfare Income Supplement for immediate wage uplift. He also moots the setting-up of a tripartite committee to ensure that any price increases flow directly into the hands of LWW. Further, he highlights how efforts of NTUC’s Training and Transformation Group in training our workforce and transformation of businesses via Company Training Committees and Operations Technology Roadmapping has been useful in our collective efforts to emerge stronger.
• Mr Patrick Tay, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for Pioneer SMC
Speech highlights: Boosting employment and employability of vulnerable PMEs
With job security and employability identified as top concerns of PMEs, Mr Tay reiterates the importance for tougher measures to strengthen the Singaporean Core and curb discriminatory hiring. He urges the Government to seriously look at and consider anti-discrimination legislation to eradicate all forms of discrimination and discriminatory practices at workplaces. He also suggests that it is timely to consider introducing some form of transitionary insurance (i.e. unemployment insurance) to help workers who lose their jobs.
• Mr Desmond Choo, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for Tampines GRC
Speech highlights: Support for youths in career and mental wellbeing | Strengthening gig economy to protect freelancers
Addressing the job and financial concerns of youths, Mr Choo continues his previous call to incentivise employers to convert traineeship positions to permanent jobs. He also calls for greater support to protect the mental well-being of youths, and to subsidise them on their second degrees/diplomas. On strengthening the structures of the gig economy, he calls for three areas of support for freelancers: social protection, improving regulations, and training support.
• Mr Melvin Yong, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General and MP for Radin Mas SMC
Speech highlights: Preparing for the future of work | Supporting workers to work-from-home
In light of the work-from-anywhere and work-from-home culture, Mr Yong calls for a rethink of current manpower policies, in particular our Work Pass, Employment Pass and Technology Pass systems. He also urges the Government to review the SkillsFuture Credit programme to encourage utilisation and equip Singaporeans with future-ready skills. Supporting NTUC’s push to place workers into jobs, he announces the new Jobs Closer to Home programme to help match caregivers in Radin Mas to nearby jobs.
• Mr Seah Kian Peng, NTUC Enterprise Group CEO, NTUC FairPrice Group CEO and MP for Marine Parade GRC
Speech highlights: Developing good online culture | Respecting diversity at the workplace
To develop a good digital culture amidst the pandemic, Mr Seah highlights the need to improve digital literacy and infrastructure to protect Singaporeans against scams, provide hardware for good online learning, and free Wi-Fi and broadband access for all low-income families. He also calls on Singaporeans to be better attuned to and respect diversity at the workplace, and make sure we do not leave anyone behind during our digital transformation journey.
• Ms Yeo Wan Ling, NTUC Director, U SME and Women & Family Unit, and MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC
Speech highlights: More respite care support for caregivers | Supporting working women
Ms Yeo emphasises the need to offer women greater choice, protection and potential in the workplace. To help women alleviate their caregiving responsibilities, Wan Ling calls for an in-community registry of professional caregivers to provide women access to short-term respite care, as well as additional subsidies to help primary caregivers relieve the financial burden of seeking assistance. She also suggests for the government to establish a resource centre where women can explore new career options, seek mentorship opportunities, expand their network and provide guidance to others.
• Mr Fahmi Aliman, NTUC Director, Operations and Mobilisation Division and MP for Marine Parade GRC
Speech highlights: Expanding Progressive Wage Model | Promoting the welfare of migrant workers
Mr Fahmi Aliman calls for enhancements to the higher Workfare Income Supplement Scheme to help uplift workers in the essential services sector, as he encourages service buyers to adopt progressive practices such as outcome-based contracting. He reiterates NTUC’s ambitions in expanding the Progressive Wage Model to other sectors such as pest management and strata management. He also urges the Government to review legislation on migrant worker accommodations and mandate electronic payment of salaries to better protect and improve the welfare of our migrant workers.
• Mr Abdul Samad Abdul Wahab, NTUC Vice-President, General Secretary of Union of Power And Gas Employees and Nominated MP
Speech highlights: Protection of Singaporean Core | Expanding Progressive Wage Model
In his first speech as a Nominated Member of Parliament, Mr Abdul Samad highlights the importance of having a strong Singaporean Core and urges companies to make our local workers the employees of choice, and to ensure our workers are future-proofed through necessary training. In addition, he echoes NTUC’s aspirations to push the Progressive Wage Model to more sectors, beyond just focusing on lower wage workers.
For the final content of speeches, please check against delivery. Speeches are embargoed until delivery.
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