Plans for secondment of construction workers to be reviewed: Desmond Lee

ORIGINAL plans for the secondment of construction workers will be reviewed, following feedback from firms, Second Minister for National Development Desmond Lee said in Parliament on Friday, during the debate on the Fortitude Budget.

The government's intention was to allow workers to be temporarily seconded to other firms so that manpower distribution would be optimised and more projects could restart sooner, said Mr Lee, who is also Minister for Social and Family Development.

However, firms said that some might require workers for their own projects that are about to start, and cannot afford to second them to other projects. The Manpower Ministry and the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will review this, and work with the industry to find better ways to achieve such optimisation, he said.

He also clarified that new requirements about space in foreign worker accommodation are not compulsory, but are being piloted for new quick-build dormitories, to be put up by the end of the year. "We have been working with industry association to make sure these requirements are practical, even as we seek to achieve safety, and will be prepared to consider further inputs," he said. So far, more than 20 requests from contractors who wish to build new construction temporary quarters or factory-converted dormitories have been approved.

Another change made after feedback from the Singapore Contractors Association Limited is to remove the regular testing requirement for Construction S-Pass and Work Permit holders who do not live in dormitories, and work only in offices and do not visit worksites.

The government also recognises that even after construction projects restart, firms have to bear additional costs to meet the new Covid-19 requirements, which were not priced into existing contracts. In the short term, the government is helping to bear the additional costs, including testing costs for workers.

"In the longer term, the government will continue to support the construction industry and provide assistance to cope with the additional costs," said Mr Lee. "We will share more details on the specific measures when we are ready."

To help employers plan ahead, more regular updates will be provided to the industry, including a rolling forecast of the dormitory clearance schedule. The BCA will also be the point-agency to handle queries on construction restart, to avoid the situation where companies do not know who to approach for information.