Tan Chuan-Jin

[Sembawang]

http://momsingapore.blogspot.sg/2012/09/workright-lets-all-do-our-part.html

[h=2]27 September 2012[/h][h=3]WorkRight: Let’s All Do Our Part [/h]
70-year-old Chow Mui Kai has been working as a general worker at Ya Kun since 2008. She toasts bread, washes the dishes and clears tables at the F&B outlet located at Raffles City. Mui Kai works 6 days a week, either during the morning shift from 7am to 3pm or the afternoon shift from 3pm to 11pm. She was quite a feisty lady and I really enjoyed chatting with her. I asked her whether I could take a photo with her. She kindly obliged.

​

I met Mui Kai during a joint MOM-CPFB audit inspection last week. This was part of our routine inspections which aim to ensure companies comply with employment laws, such as the CPF and Employment Acts. Workers must receive their due CPF contributions, enjoy leave entitlements and get paid promptly and accurately. Mui Kai shared that besides receiving her monthly wage on time, she has also undergone training, fully supported by the company. She has enjoyed regular salary increments and has received her Workfare payouts.

I am impressed by Ya Kun’s efforts to employ older local workers - about 80% of their workforce is made up of mature employees. Ya Kun plans to expand the number of outlets by the end of the year by continuing to tap on our silver workforce.

​

During the audit, I also met 60-year-old Mohamed Taib Bin Mohamed who is a senior security officer. Taib had no complaints, and shared that he is happy with his job. He enjoys his current work and has no problems coping with the security duties. His employer pays him on time, he gets CPF contributions to save for his retirement and also Workfare.

Meeting the workers during our morning inspection reminded me why enforcement and education on the ground about employment rights is necessary. The majority of employers here are responsible. A good employer is a responsible one, who ensures that the employment terms and conditions of his workers are well taken care of. In turn, workers are more likely to be dedicated and committed.

While most employers are responsible, there are some who continue to flout the law, hoping to benefit from short-term gains. MOM and CPF Board are therefore ramping up inspections, audits and promotional outreach activities under our “WorkRight – I Know My Employment Rights. I Do It Right” Campaign. This is to ensure that workers are not underpaid for their contributions at work and enjoy their employment rights. It is crucial for workers to understand that going along with their employers to forgo their CPF contributions is to their disadvantage as they will be missing out on government subsidies such as Workfare. Employers also will be reminded to do the right thing and fulfil their due obligations under the CPF and Employment Acts.[1]

Even as we work on increasing the wages of our low income workers, inclusive growth isn’t just about the dollars and cents. A progressive workplace and fair work practices ensure that employers are responsible and our employees, particularly low-wage workers, are not shortchanged.


Everyone has a part to play, even if you are not an employer or an employee. We cannot do this alone. We need everyone to come onboard to create a fair work culture where everyone’s contributions are recognised. You can help to raise awareness about WorkRight amongst your friends and family members too. If you know of employers who are non-compliant, you can report by calling this hotline: 1800-221-9922, visit www.mom.gov.sg/workright or email [email protected]. The identity of the caller will kept strictly confidential.

So let’s WorkRight – so that workers know their employment rights and employers do it right.


Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin


[1] For more details, please refer to the press release .

 

[Sembawang]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f....257251717650944.61655.182928775083239&type=1

Tan Chuan-Jin:

Several moons ago, I shared about my resident who came to see me for assistance with guardianship of her grand daughter. We sought Legal Aid help. When I asked if she'd like for some form of financial assistance to tide her over, she said that she was still able to manage and that we should help others who may be more in need. She is a divorcee and having issues with her daughter who had largely abandoned her grand daughter. We kept in touch as we followed up on other issues.

Over the months, I remembered her joy when her daughter returned. Only for it to be dashed again when she realised that she only came back for her mum to settle her hospital bill. The daughter swore that she would stay with the family and even put her name in with her mother to purchase a flat together. She disappeared and left the mother high and dry, and facing a crisis as she now had problems securing a housing loan. She risked losing the flat.

We managed to settle everything thanks to HDB's officers who worked with her to find a viable solution.

She came over to see me as she was going to shift to Yishun this weekend. I got her 6 year-old grand daughter to pinky-promise to look after her granny!

She gave me this mug. I thought the quote here actually spoke volumes about her as a person. I am truly inspired by her courage and resilience. All the best!

 

[Sembawang]

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.443977885644992.97164.182928775083239&type=1

Tan Chuan-Jin:

Kembangan-Chai Chee Lantern Festival 2012

Events like this are important for a number of reasons. First of all it is an opportunity for us to celebrate some of our traditional festivals. In the hustle and bustle of modern day life, we can forget some of these age-old traditions. I am sure it'd evolve with time, but preserving and celebrating our respective traditions is an important part of our make-up as a people. We are diverse with unique characteristics, but yet united by common bonds and shared values.

Secondly, this is a community event. A house on its own has no further meaning save being a physical structure for refuge. It becomes a home because of the people and the love that they share with each other. This space becomes home for the community because friends and neighbours gather to just spend a simple evening together. Sharing such moments are precious because many of us often have our own lives beyond our immediate community. It helps give greater meaning to the place we live.

Lastly, occasions like this allow our residents who may not be able to afford major excursions a night out with friends. I know F1 is roaring in town and what a spectacle it must have been. But for us in Kembangan-Chai Chee, this was our little outing in this small corner of Singapore.

And what a pleasant evening it was!

 

[Sembawang]

http://momsingapore.blogspot.sg/2012/09/manpower-realities-beyond-numbers.html

[h=3]Manpower Realities: Beyond the Numbers[/h]
Our Foreign Workforce – Where We Are Today

The recently released data on our population statistics showed that our foreign workforce numbers continue to grow, and some Singaporeans have expressed concern. This is understandable. On the other hand, companies also remain concerned that the Government is over-tightening our foreign manpower policies. Earlier this month in Parliament, we discussed the Work Permit (WP) and S-Pass stock. I explained that while the rate of rejections had increased, foreign labour numbers were actually still rising, albeit at a slower rate. I said that it could be seen as a ‘happy problem’ because businesses were doing well enough to demand for more labour, in spite of the tightening.


Two of our Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs), both of whom are businessmen, came to speak to me at tea break, to discuss this. Like most of the businessmen we have been speaking to, they were surprised that the stock of S Passes and WP was still increasing. Many of them have been appealing for more foreign workers and feel that we are unreasonably making it difficult for businesses, even though the macro numbers and trends show otherwise.


Our tightening has certainly had an impact and is being felt by companies, but businesses are still expanding or being set up. This demand for foreign manpower is very considerable and many businesses remain prepared to pay the higher costs involved. Let us take a closer look at the present numbers, and see the trend over the last few years.

​

Our WP stock [excluding foreign domestic workers (FDWs)] grew by 20,600 in the first half of 2012. Much of the inflow in the past few months was due to foreign construction workers. HDB, for example, will need about 30,000 construction workers to meet this year’s building programme. The cumulative requirement of construction workers could rise to 50,000 within the next few years.


Our Employment Pass (EP) stock contracted marginally (-700), the first half-yearly reduction since 2009 when the recession hit us. I think our adjustments are beginning to be felt at the Professional-Managerial-Executive (PME) level. However, S Passes registered strong growth of 14,200 in the first half of this year. Because of the tightened EP requirements from January, it is likely that companies are using S Passes to bring in the more junior level PMEs. We are taking a close look at this group.


Overall, the growth in foreign manpower (excluding foreign domestic workers) in the first half of 2012 has slowed to 34,100, which is lower than that of 36,800 in the first half of 2011. The slowdown in growth of foreign manpower in sectors other than construction is more obvious: 18,600 in the first half of 2012 –about 40% lower than the 31,200 in the first half of 2011.


We are on the right track in our efforts to reduce dependency on our foreign labour but this will take time. How much time exactly will depend on many factors, particularly the extent of our tightening measures and how fast companies restructure and improve productivity. And as you can imagine, this will definitely not be overnight.

Foreign Workforce Numbers

Pass Type​	Dec 2007​	Dec 2008​	Dec 2009​	Dec 2010​	Dec 2011​	Jun 2012​
Employment Pass (EP)	99,200​	113,400​	114,300​	143,300​	175,400​	174,700​
S Pass	44,500​	74,300​	82,800​	98,700​	113,900​	128,100​
Work Permit (Total)	757,100​	870,000​	856,300​	871,200​	908,600​	931,200​
Work Permit (Foreign Domestic Worker)	183,200​	191,400​	196,000​	201,400​	206,300​	208,400​
Work Permit (Construction)	180,000​	229,900​	245,700​	248,100​	264,500​	277,600​
Total Foreign Workforce	900,800​	1,057,700​	1,053,500​	1,113,200​	1,197,900​	1,234,100​
Total Foreign Workforce (excluding Foreign Domestic Workers)	717,600​	866,300​	857,400​	911,800​	991,600​	1,025,700​

<tbody>
</tbody>

Data may not add up to the total due to rounding.

The Realities

Singapore cannot grow our foreign workforce without limits, given our land, infrastructure and social constraints. But to shrink our foreign workforce altogether will also be quite dire as many of our companies may close, relocate and with that a sharp rise in retrenchments and possibly higher unemployment amongst Singaporeans. We must therefore rein in the pace of foreign workforce growth, but at a pace that businesses can adjust.


Our productivity effort must continue aggressively. We have often said this, and for good measure. Our rate of job creation outstripped GDP growth in the last three quarters (from fourth quarter of 2011 to second quarter of 2012), resulting in negative productivity growth over the same period. Without good consistent productivity growth, the competitiveness of our companies, and hence wages will be affected.


Productivity growth must be a key driver for sustainable wage growth. One reason for negative productivity is the availability of low-cost foreign labour – which would explain why the number of foreign workers continues to grow rapidly. Low labour costs make it less urgent for companies to invest in technology and innovation. This is simply not sustainable. I know that we cannot mechanise everything; some jobs do require the human touch. But I am not aware of any country with high productivity levels which has easy access to low-cost labour.

Beyond the Numbers

Focusing on numbers tend to gloss over more fundamental concerns. What kind of society do we want? And what would be the look and feel of the economy be to support that? We all agree that that there is more to life than GDP growth. It must be so. However, there are still practical needs to meet.
Let me share my top line objectives and concerns. Firstly, we need to generate enough jobs for Singaporeans – not just number of jobs, but also quality of jobs, in line with Singaporeans’ increasing education and expectations. So how do we keep Singapore dynamic enough that we offer a range of possibilities for our people?


Secondly, we need to generate sufficient income to fund the various Government expenditures for Singaporeans. We need to look at what levels of economic growth and what type of growth will help us meet these objectives. As our resident labour force is slowing, we will have to rely more on productivity growth (rather than labour force growth) to fund higher government expenditures. What percentage of labour and productivity growth do we need to factor in?


This underscores why productivity is so important. The higher our productivity, the greater space it affords us to depend less on additional labour inputs. We are in the process of re-looking the structure of our economy and the quality of growth. For example, manufacturing contributes more than 20 per cent of Singapore's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and has led the economy out of recent downturns. It also provides good skilled jobs for Singaporeans. As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong rightly pointed out over the weekend, this is one sector where businesses can do more to beef up the industry, particularly on the productivity front. So for this sector and the economy as a whole, how can we generate sufficient good jobs to meet the job needs of locals, while keeping Singapore vibrant and avoiding excessive job creation which would have to be filled by foreigners, which in turn will add stresses to our infrastructure and social fabric? This is tricky because the economy is not simply shaped by dials which we can set.


On the Government’s part, the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council (NPCEC) has developed sector-specific productivity improvement strategies to help 16 priority sectors embark on productivity improvements and provide productivity related schemes and funding. We have also just launched a new initiative to boost productivity- the Job Flexibility for Productivity (JFP) initiative for the hotel sector. Local employees will get more opportunities to work across different functions, gain skills and enjoy higher wages. Foreign work permit holders (WPHs) will be allowed to perform different job functions. Currently, they can only perform the specific job on their work permit card. With JFP, hotels can now do more with their current workforce, instead of having to hire additional foreign workers. The industry can then share the productivity gains with workers as well.


Such measures will be useful, but we cannot stop there. I think the balance of driving forces favours re-calibration towards even more moderate foreign workforce inflow, to encourage companies to pursue higher productivity business models and processes and away from labour-intensive growth. We will monitor closely over the next few months and take further measures down the road, if needed.


The Way Forward – Looking after Singaporeans and Singapore

It is important to again emphasise that our priority is to look after the interests of Singaporeans and Singapore, not just for the present but on a sustained basis for our future. Creating good job opportunities for Singaporeans does not come automatically because companies will come and go based on opportunities available globally. We need to arm local workers with the right skills so that they can enjoy inclusive growth in Singapore with rising real wages and a better quality of life. At the same time, I am fully aware of the concerns of too large a foreign workforce. We will increase our infrastructural support to ease the congestion, even as we continue to find the right balance for the labour market. If needed, we will tighten foreign workforce controls further. Companies must do their part and transform.


Let us think hard and discuss this constructively with fellow Singaporeans, employers and workers alike – on how we can navigate this path where we can best provide for our people and society, while calibrating our foreign manpower framework in a complementary manner. It is not just about numbers, it is about finding that delicate balance that will deliver sustainable wage growth for Singaporeans, growth prospects for businesses, and a societal composition that we can accept.



Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin

 

[Sembawang]

Tan Chuan-Jin:

Community activities provide residents with an opportunity to come out with their families and to also mix with neighbours. Some activities catch on better than others but the idea is to have a wide range so that we can cater to different interest groups in simple and affordable ways.

Active ageing must become an important part of our outreach as many of us will be ageing and living longer. Going forward, we are looking at the 90+ range for many Singaporeans. It's about ageing gracefully and to age well. Effort must start early as we establish good habits. Hence activities like brisk walking, cup stacking, kite flying and so on are useful to promote.

It is also about getting our kids outdoors and interacting in person and not be glued to our PSP and computer screens. Should we not have more face to face conversations and not just IM chats. Active ageing must include that development of a community spirit however big or small the community. The social relationships developed plays a big part in ouremotional and mental well being.

Even blood donation can be a family and social activity!

http://www.hsa.gov.sg/publish/hsaportal/en/health_services/blood_donation/wheretodonate.html

 

[Sembawang]

Tan Chuan-Jin:

Mdm Goh Geok Eng is 90! with
Mdm Jing 78. They are selling their handiwork at Mountbatten Town Night@Dakota Crescent. Mdm Goh is incredibly cheerful and bubbly. She keeps active in the community making handicraft etc. Great atmosphere here with families out and enjoying themselves with friends and neighbors.

 

[SgParent]

[h=3]Let’s All Do Our Part [/h].

http://forums.delphiforums.com/3in1kopitiam/messages?msg=64261.1

 

[winnipegjets]

Until he decides to take an 80 percent cut in his salary, he has moral right to be in office. Toss him out in the next election.