Businesses, workers need to find new ways to emerge stronger from pandemic: Tan See Leng

SINGAPORE businesses and workers must find progressive new ways to reimagine and restructure the way they work, to emerge stronger from Covid-19, Minister of Manpower Tan See Leng said on Wednesday (Apr 27) in his May Day Message.

While the fight against the pandemic is not over, Singapore is in a stronger position now, said Dr Tan, noting that 2021 saw growth in employment, improvement in unemployment rates and a decline in retrenchments.

“As we stand now, our prospects for 2022 look even more promising. We are opening borders, easing safe-management measures and moving towards normalcy,” he noted.

During the last 2 years, the focus was on preserving livelihoods. As Singapore emerges from the pandemic, the tripartite partners - the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation - will continue to helping workers adapt to the changes that are needed, said Dr Tan.

One focus is upskilling workers through means such as company-training committees, while also expanding progressive wages to more sectors and occupations so as to cover up to 9 in 10 lower-wage workers.

A second focus is to strengthen protection for workers. This includes improving employment protections for platform workers and ensuring a more balanced relationship between workers and platforms, with an Advisory Committee on Platform Workers having reached out to more than 20,000 workers to date.

Meanwhile, to strengthen workplace fairness, a tripartite committee is working to enshrine the tripartite guidelines on fair employment practices in law. Said Dr Tan: "It will send a strong signal that we do not tolerate workplace discrimination of any form, and broaden the range of actions that can be taken in the event of a breach."

Thirdly, given the shift in employers and employees' preference for flexible work arrangements (FWAs), the tripartite partners have committed to raise the adoption of the tripartite standard on FWAs to cover at least 4 in 10 workers by the end of 2022. Guidelines to set norms in flexible working arrangements are also being developed.

Over the past 2 years, Singapore's brand of tripartism has helped in managing the impact of the pandemic, according to Dr Tan. “The fact that employers and workers have come through the last 2 years of Covid-19 without the need of excess regulation or litigation, but with a sense of unity and cohesion, should give us even greater confidence that our tripartite approach works well."

He added: "We are confident that with the close cooperation between NTUC and employers, we can build a resilient Singapore for everyone."