‘Laws against discrimination will give guidelines teeth’
Discrimination not a festering problem, but laws will give more protection to workers, says Manpower Minister
While workplace discrimination is not a festering problem in Singapore, it does happen to some workers, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said during a radio show yesterday.
Enacting laws to prevent it will give current anti-discrimination guidelines teeth, he added.
He noted that the move to translate the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep) guidelines into legislation also reinforces the point that Singapore is transparent about workplace fairness.
The move was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally speech on Sunday. Tafep tackles discrimination among employers.
Dr Tan said during the MoneyFM 89.3 The Breakfast Huddle show: "As we pivot, as we have pulled back as a result of this pandemic, and as we now want to go out again, as we encourage (companies to) build back better, as we encourage industry transformation, as we encourage innovation and so on, we also want to make sure that we reinforce and we protect our Singaporean core."
The Republic has stacked up well against Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in terms of protecting women and elderly workers against discrimination at workplaces, Dr Tan stressed.
"If you look at the span of the last couple of decades, the entire Tafep together with the Fair Consideration Framework and also the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management have all worked pretty well," he added.
He was referring to the framework that requires employers to consider Singaporean workers fairly and the mediation body for employment disputes.
The new anti-discrimination laws will cover sex, age, race, religion and disability. They will give enforcement agencies the power to sanction and penalise errant employers.
Some have raised concerns that such a law could have the unintended consequence of deterring companies from setting up shop here, but Dr Tan said he did not see this happening.
JOB PROTECTION
Most companies here do not engage in discriminatory practices, he pointed out, and the law would help nudge the small number of errant firms in the right direction.
Dr Tan disclosed that an independent workgroup, set up to look into job protection for delivery workers linked to online platforms, has started its work.
Based on their contracts, such workers are not considered employees and are thus not entitled to workmen compensation or employer Central Provident Fund contributions, among other things.
He noted there are 40,000 self-employed people in Singapore who are mostly working as private-hire drivers, delivery riders or taxi drivers. He disclosed that some form of union representation for these workers "could be forthcoming".
He said for the country to continue to prosper, it must remain open, and efforts will be made to reskill and upskill Singaporean workers.
"At the end of the day, what we want to do is to be a highly innovative society, always very nimble and receptive to change because that is the only constant," he said.
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