Discriminatory practices have no place in S'pore: Tan Chuan-

[Greatbirdlegend]

 

i was surprised to read this in the morning.

but read liao song can already...don't take it too seriously.

after all guidelines are just that - guidelines

 

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Discriminatory practices have no place in S'pore: Tan Chuan-Jin

By S Ramesh | Posted: 31 October 2011 1123 hrs

 

SINGAPORE : Ensuring Singaporeans remain at the core of the workforce is the objective of a revised set of guidelines by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices.

 

Speaking at a tripartism forum on Monday, Minister of State for Manpower, Tan Chuan-Jin, stressed that discriminatory practices have no place in Singapore.

 

At the National Day Rally, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong spoke of what it meant to put the interests of Singaporeans first, in areas ranging from housing to healthcare.

 

In his speech, Mr Lee had explained that the Manpower Ministry will work with tripartite partners to develop guidelines for fair employment practices and responsible recruitment practices, so that when a Singaporean is working side by side with a foreigner, they both feel fairly treated and nobody feels that he is at a disadvantage.

 

The revised set of guidelines by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices comes after nearly 10 weeks of consultations with unions, employers and government officials. They also received some 450 suggestions online by various interested parties.

 

Stephen Lee, president of the Singapore National Employers Federation, said: "Singapore is like a dragon boat; the employers are rowing on one side of the long dragon boat, (and) the unions are rowing on the other side....And you all know that if one side rows faster or out of sync from the other one, the boat will go round and round, and we lose the direction. We need to pull together and row at the same speed so that we can point the boat to the finishing line and get there as fast as we can.

 

"There is also (someone) sitting at the head of the boat and beating the drums and taking the lead, and that is the government. So if you take this analogy, we are all in the same boat, and the employers and workers, we all have our role to play. If we play our role well (and) well directed by the government, this dragon boat will win the race."

 

There is now a new section, titled "Hiring and Developing a Singaporean Core", to existing guidelines. It urges employers to make reasonable efforts to consider Singaporeans for positions on merit and to develop their careers.

 

These could include ensuring jobs advertised are open to Singaporeans; working with educational institutions, career centres and recruitment agencies to attract and recruit Singaporeans; and developing the skills and expertise of existing Singaporean employees for higher level jobs.

 

Alexander Melchers, vice president of the Singapore-German Chamber of Industry, said: "I know many German employers, they want to employ Singaporeans and they do employ Singaporeans. If they can't find Singaporeans, then they resort to employing foreigners. But if they had a choice to employ Singaporeans, I am convinced they will always do so."

 

Lim Swee Say, secretary-general of NTUC, said: "The unions and the labour movement, we have not pushed for a Singaporeans-only guideline. In fact, if you study the input from the labour movement carefully, we make it very clear what we are pushing for, (that is) to establish and nurture a core of Singaporean workers in every major sector of the economy.

 

"We do not believe in complete globalisation, we are not pushing for complete localisation. Every industry, every enterprise ought to adopt a balanced approach. We do object if certain industries, certain enterprises pursue globalisation to the extreme and basically keep going back to MOM (Ministry of Manpower) for more foreign manpower, and keep telling MOM that Singaporean workers are not willing, not able, not enough."

 

One way the objective of ensuring Singaporeans remain at the core of the workforce could be achieved is for companies to examine their wage structures.

 

Mr Tan Chuan-Jin said: ".....in our dialogues with companies, we do encourage companies to consider whether in certain sectors....(they should) restructure the wages. The businesses are doing well, but when you look at the wages, especially at the low-wage worker level, it isn't quite moving at that bit. And if you continue to offer wages at particular levels, you would not be able to draw Singaporeans."

 

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices said that since 2006, there have been some 350 complaints against employers about unfair employment practices, and all the employers corrected their practices when approached.

 

- CNA/cc/ms

[Without_a_car]

normally when government has to issue guidelines means the situation is very jiatlat liao

[Ender]

So how they enforce? Wait for us to complain and react?

[Greatbirdlegend]

normally when government has to issue guidelines means the situation is very jiatlat liao

 

you mean the last election results wasn't jiatlat enough?

then let them continue the wayang show and see what happens in the next GE lor.

[Greatbirdlegend]

So how they enforce? Wait for us to complain and react?

 

guidelines cannot be enforce la.

don't give some businessmen heart attacks ler.

they will always be able to find ways around these guidelines.

[Jman888]

So how they enforce? Wait for us to complain and react?

 

 

pass a bill to become a MOM law? then fine employer heavily if breached? director go to jail?

[13177]

So how they enforce? Wait for us to complain and react?

I think this is what they intend to do. Only will react and salvage the situation when people complain very badly.

[Without_a_car]

you mean the last election results wasn't jiatlat enough?

then let them continue the wayang show and see what happens in the next GE lor.

 

among the new MIWs Tan come across as being sincere, let's see if it's been proven otherwise

[Ender]

guidelines cannot be enforce la.

don't give some businessmen heart attacks ler.

they will always be able to find ways around these guidelines.

Enforce wrong word. I mean how they ensure a certain majority follow the guideline? Is it wait for us to complain then react?

[Greatbirdlegend]

among the new MIWs Tan come across as being sincere, let's see if it's been proven otherwise

 

if they are sincere then good - shows that they are starting to listen and get their heads out of their arses.

if they are still going to wayang good also - give them more ropes and let's see in the next GE.

either way just read this with a bucket of salt and observe what they do.

[Greatbirdlegend]

Enforce wrong word. I mean how they ensure a certain majority follow the guideline? Is it wait for us to complain then react?

 

yes it's just business as usual.

try the official feedback channels.

[Ahtong]

On paper, I can say the job is open to ALL applicants. But when the resumes come in, all the local ones get placed in the trash bin. On the surface there is no discrimination but in reality, employers can still happily discriminate behind closed doors.

 

The only real factor forcing employers to hire locals is the quota for hiring Work permit / S pass but there is still a loophole because there is no limit on Employment pass. On paper EP cost more money to hire but many tiongs when interviewed will suggest some fudging of the numbers.

 

Singaporeans are also no angels. If you are based in an ulu area, see how many local applicants you get.

 

So basically the whole sytem is farked, from govt policy to employer mindset to cunning FTs to daft locals.

[Jman888]

On paper, I can say the job is open to ALL applicants. But when the resumes come in, all the local ones get placed in the trash bin. On the surface there is no discrimination but in reality, employers can still happily discriminate behind closed doors.

 

The only real factor forcing employers to hire locals is the quota for hiring Work permit / S pass but there is still a loophole because there is no limit on Employment pass. On paper EP cost more money to hire but many tiongs when interviewed will suggest some fudging of the numbers.

 

Singaporeans are also no angels. If you are based in an ulu area, see how many local applicants you get.

 

So basically the whole sytem is farked, from govt policy to employer mindset to cunning FTs to daft locals.

 

 

as long as you have <2% unemployment rate, people get to choose

[13177]

True, sometimes also cannot blame those companies employ foreigners, as locals really very "fussy and choosy"!

[Greatbirdlegend]

True, sometimes also cannot blame those companies employ foreigners, as locals really very "fussy and choosy"!

 

my office is in a remote ulu location and i've more than 90% singaporeans in my department.

yes it's true some singaporeans are terrible and i've gone through more than my fair share.

but that has never stopped me from hiring singaporeans.

you cannot discredit a whole group just because of a few black sheeps.

that just means that you have a bad manager.

i apply this equally to foreigners.

but my stance is always singaporeans first.

[13177]

Sometimes besides location, there are also some other factors, like the industry, the pay, the benefits offered etc. Even some companies they priority is s'porean first, but sometimes the resume you received could be foreigners more than locals?! Or dont have locals write in?

[Shull]

Local companies are known to be very fussy and stingy with their benefits.

 

A good example that i experienced:

 

6mths ago, i was a fresh grad and had 2 offers. Both are involved in Engineering.

 

1) European MNC with a local setup. Singapore branch has around 10 staff including operators. 14 days AL, travel allowance, travel insurance. Management staff in SG consist of 100% Singaporeans.

 

2) Local SME dealing with manufacturing specialised steel products. Around 100 staff including bangla workers. 7 days AL, no travel allowance, starting pay is 20% lower than then MNC.

 

No prize for guessing which one i chose.

Edited November 1, 2011 by Shull

[Westkid]

pass a bill to become a MOM law? then fine employer heavily if breached? director go to jail?

Should hang.