Singapore and ILO extend agreement to promote decent work in Asean

THE International Labour Organization (ILO) and Singapore have extended an agreement to continue promoting decent work in South-east Asia, covering areas such as occupational safety and health, according to a joint statement on Tuesday.

Under this partnership, the ILO and Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) cooperate in three key areas: occupational safety and health; fostering social dialogue and cooperation between governments, employers and workers; as well as other labour and workplace practices.

First inked in June 2011, the partnership agreement will now be valid until the end of 2021.

It was signed by Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, ILO assistant director-general and regional director for Asia and the Pacific, and Aubeck Kam, MOM permanent secretary.

"We greatly welcome the commitment of the Singapore Ministry of Manpower to supporting these joint activities and sharing its expertise on work related issues with countries and partners throughout Asean," Ms Asada-Miyakawa said.

"This work is more important than ever as we seek to build back better from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic," she added.

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According to the press statement, technical cooperation under the agreement has covered the development of an occupational safety and health profile in Brunei, employment disputes in Asean and risk assessment in the Philippines.

Training has been conducted for labour inspectors in Vietnam and for government officials in Brunei on labour force surveys and labour market information systems.

The collaboration has also supported a number of study visits, including for Vietnamese and Cambodian delegations relating to industrial relations and the National Wages Council.

Mr Kam said Singapore is pleased with the extension of the partnership agreement with the ILO.

"It reflects Singapore's continued commitment to working with the ILO to share experiences and best practices to promote decent work for workers, especially in these uncertain times," Mr Kam said.

He added that activities under the agreement will be complemented by the work of the Regional Centre for the Future of Work, recently launched by Singapore to raise regional capabilities and foster regional conversations related to work issues.

Previous activities held under the agreement included the Singapore-ILO Conference on the Future of Work in 2019, the Sub-Regional Workshops on the implementation of the Maritime Labour Convention in 2006 and 2018, and the 21st World Congress on Safety and Health in 2017.