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The Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC) has conducted another round of reviews of the Cleaning Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to ensure its relevance in uplifting and transforming the cleaning industry. This is a timely and necessary review to recognise the importance and higher value of work shouldered by our cleaners, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following several rounds of discussions with key stakeholders the past one year, the TCC’s latest recommendations set out the implementation timeline of the enhanced PWM training guidelines and the updated list of approved WSQ modules, as well as a six-year schedule of wage increase to the PWM baseline wages from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2029. This is the first wage review that takes reference from the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers’ (TWG-LWW) objective to ensure wage growth is ambitious enough to close the gap with workers earning median wages.
Minimising the Risk of Workplace Injuries
The PWM training guidelines had earlier required all resident cleaners to attain at least two Workforce Skills Qualification (WSQ) Certificates in Environmental Cleaning Modules or equivalent. In December 2019, Workplace Safety & Health (WSH) was made mandatory as one of the two WSQ modules, with the second module to be selected from a list of core modules that had been validated and endorsed by TCC. This would take effect in 2022.
In its latest report, the TCC further recommends for all cleaning businesses to meet the enhanced PWM training requirements by 31 December 2022. This will help cleaners ensure their personal safety when carrying out cleaning tasks, especially with the increased cleaning demands and standards brought on by COVID-19.
In addition, the list of WSQ training modules has been updated, and will periodically be updated to ensure its relevance.
Helping Cleaners Keep Pace With Industry Transformation
As the cleaning industry undergoes transformation with greater adoption of technology, efforts are being made for cleaners to be trained in tandem as well. To ensure cleaners are well equipped with the necessary skillsets to meet the greater demand of their job, the TCC recommends that the total number of WSQ training modules that cleaners must be trained in be increased.
Beyond 2025, cleaners in lower job rungs must complete a total of three WSQ training modules, while those in higher job rungs must complete four modules. These are inclusive of the mandatory WSH module.
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PWM Job Roles
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Current
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By 31 Dec 2022
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Beyond 2025
|
|
|
Min. 1 WSQ module
(for licensing conditions)
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1 Mandatory WSH Module
+ 1 Core Module
= 2 Total
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3 modules in total
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-
Multi-skilled Cleaners
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Mechanical Driver
-
Supervisor
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4modules in total
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Uplifting wages further from 1 July 2023
To ensure that wages commensurate with skills, base wages of cleaners across all job levels will see a year-on-year increase from 2023 to 2028, with wage adjustments in the first three years reflecting a stronger desire to uplift cleaners’ wages and narrow their income disparity with other workers. The first adjustment in 2023 will see base wages of General Cleaners increase to $1,570, up from $1,312 in 2022. Details of the wage adjustments are as follows:
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Wage Adjustment and Incrementto the PWM Baseline Wage Floor from 1 July each year
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PWM Job Level
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2022
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2023*
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2024
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2025
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2026
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2027
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2028
|
-
General Cleaner
-
Indoor Cleaner
|
$1312
|
+ $258
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
|
|
$1421
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+ $249
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+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
-
Outdoor Cleaner
-
Healthcare Cleaner
-
Dishwasher
-
Conservancy General Cleaner
-
Restroom Cleaner
-
Refuse Collector
|
$1530
|
+ $265
|
+ $265
|
+ $265
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
-
Multi-skilled Cleaner cum Machine Operator
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Conservancy Refuse Collector
|
$1749
|
+ $261
|
+ $260
|
+ $260
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
-
Supervisor
-
Mechanical Driver
|
$1967
|
+ $243
|
+ $245
|
+ $245
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
+ $170
|
*Dollar quantum in year 2023 serves to round up the wages to nearest $5/$10 for ease of implementation and communication
Labour Member of Parliament Mohd Fahmi Aliman, who is also a member of the TWG-LWW and co-chair of the sub-committee looking at wages, said, “The recommendations made by the TCC is important as it is the first set of proposals to be released following the formation of the TWG-LWW. The recommendations are aligned with the outcomes desired by the TWG-LWW and which reflect our society's strong desire to uplift the wages of our essential service workers. What this means for our cleaners is that they can continue to look forward to higher starting pay and base wage increase every year. Our cleaners have been doing an important job and we want to appreciate their contributions to society in keeping Singapore clean and safe.”
Zainal Sapari, NTUC Assistant Director-General and Chairman of the TCC, said, “The proposed PWM Wage Ladder comes after extensive consultations with industry stakeholders. Despite the economic uncertainty and due to the nature of the cleaning business, we felt that it is important to provide a clear and transparent six-year schedule of increase as it provides greater certainty to service providers and service buyers to price and award the cleaning contracts that would be fair to all stakeholders, including our cleaners. Given the mandated wage increases and enhanced training requirement, I would urge the essential service workers in the cleaning industry to keep an open mind and continue to upskill themselves as the industry adopts more technology and jobs are redesigned. The TCC will continue to make regular reviews to the cleaning PWM to ensure that recommendations remain relevant and beneficial for all stakeholders.”
More details of the above recommendations can be found in the TCC Report.
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Additional Quotes from Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC) representatives:
Ms Noor Irdawaty, General Secretary, Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU)
“The union regularly engages our cleaners on the importance of being equipped with the right skills to take on higher-value jobs, as the industry pivots to using automation and digital solutions to make cleaning work easier, safer and smarter. We are encouraged to see more and more cleaners embracing training and technology, and seeing that their role in upkeeping cleanliness of the environment is one to be proud of. Our union leaders are working closely with their respective management through the Company Training Committees to identify skills and training that would help the cleaners and other essential service workers in the environmental services industry to do their job well.”
Mr Jeffrey Chua, TCC Co-Chair, Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) Representative
"The implementation timelines of the cleaning PWM skills and wage ladders were agreed on by the tripartite partners to give the industry sufficient time to adapt. We urge all stakeholders to plan ahead and work together, with long term positive outcomes in mind. This will enable more opportunities for adoption of outcome-based contracts, technology and training of workers for mutually beneficial outcomes.”
Mr Tony Chooi, President of Environmental Management Association of Singapore (EMAS)
“The pandemic has highlighted the job worth of our cleaners as they become one of the first lines of defence against COVID-19. Cleaning service providers are therefore supportive of the steps being taken to uplift the wages, welfare and work prospects of our cleaners. An important part of this is investing in workers’ training, which cleaning business should continue to invest in. Importantly, we hope that service buyers also support these efforts and adopt outcome-based contracting, which includes leveraging technology and ensuring that our cleaners are equipped with relevant skills to perform their jobs safely and more productively. We call on service buyers to work in partnership with their service providers to achieve positive outcomes for all parties.”
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