New tripartite committee on workplace fairness to be set up to tackle discrimination

TO ensure that all Singaporeans have a fair access to opportunities in the job market, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng on Monday announced the setting up of a Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness (TCWF) to review the framework for workplace fairness in Singapore.

He said the committee will gauge whether legislation is “the best policy option” in tackling workplace discrimination.

“Legislation could give us more enforcement powers against errant employers beyond suspending work-pass privileges, and confer better protection on employees who whistle-blow,” said Dr Tan in a Parliament speech.

“It also sends a clearer signal on what we, as a society, will not tolerate as bad behaviour on the part of employers.”

The minister was, however, mindful of the role of legislation and its pitfalls, which can produce less-than-ideal outcomes. He added that there was a need to “carefully study our options, weigh the costs and benefits, and determine what would work best in Singapore’s context”.

“If legislation is the correct step to take, the committee will examine in greater detail the appropriate scope, and how to avoid the pitfalls experienced by other jurisdictions,” he said.

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The announcement was made in response to a speech by labour Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Tay, who raised concerns of workplace discrimination which disadvantages Singaporean professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).

Citing several examples he had heard from the ground, Mr Tay highlighted the unhappiness among these workers, who have seen roles they can do being filled by foreign PMEs.

“It is important to recognise the role that foreign manpower plays, which is to complement and enhance the capabilities of the local workforce – not to replace it,” said Mr Tay, who is also assistant secretary-general of National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

Dr Tan, who announced the set-up of the TCWF by tripartite partners in response, will also co-chair the committee, along with NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) president Robert Yap. Members will include employer, union, human resource community and senior government representatives.

Primarily tasked with upholding workplace fairness and examining policy options in tackling workplace discrimination, TCWF aims to complete its work by the first half of 2022, said the Ministry of Manpower in a statement.

Mr Ng, the labour chief, wrote in a Facebook post that he was glad about the move, and added that the setting up of the committee would complement efforts of the joint NTUC-SNEF PME Taskforce.

In closing his speech, Dr Tan assured Singaporeans that the government will continue to review its position and strengthen the “Singaporean core”, noting that the post-pandemic world was likely to see many changes.

Acknowledging that legislation, with its merits, was not a “silver bullet”, he said that Singapore needs a balanced suite of measures and to avoid becoming hampered by an overly rigid framework that hurts all parties involved.