Delegates at regional meeting on labour issues reaffirm support for tripartism

DELEGATES from Asia, the Pacific and the Arab states on Friday (Dec 9) adopted the Singapore Statement, which outlines priorities in labour policies and actions for all the participating countries, and a to-do list for the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO).

The countries had come together at the 17th Asia and the Pacific Regional Meeting (APRM) in Singapore, and after four days of discussions, crafted a document that reaffirmed their commitments to tripartism, and to address persistent work deficits in the regions; sticking points included the lack of social protections and gender gaps – areas in which progress has been slow since the last meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in 2016.

Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng told reporters on the sidelines of the event at the Raffles City Convention Centre that countries needed to work out common denominators in their discussions, as many were facing the same labour issues. However, their ideas and expectations for the solutions varied greatly. For example, countries were jointly concerned about protections for platform workers, but defined platform workers differently.

Asked for his insights into the APRM, he replied: “Many of (the countries) actually aspire to have the kind of trust, the kind of working relationship that (Singapore’s tripartite partners) have painstakingly built over the last five decades.” (Tripartism in Singapore refers to the collaborative approach adopted by unions, employers and the government to promote shared economic and social goals to reap win-win outcomes for all parties non-confrontationally and objectively.)

The minister added that communicating ideas and policies at forums such as the APRM also opens the way for Singapore to learn from other countries and tweak its policies.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the event, Dr Tan said that practising tripartism and social dialogue, offering protections to every worker, and ensuring inclusive economic recovery were ways to heed the call-to-action adopted at the 109th International Labour Conference in June 2021 – namely, to work towards “a human-centred recovery from the Covid-19 crisis that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient”.

He said that tripartism was the foundation of the ILO and must remain so. He urged employers to recognise the negative impact of unfair treatment of workers on society and businesses, and called on workers themselves to transform to remain agile.

Governments play a crucial role in anchoring this three-way partnership, providing targeted support and formulating fair, implementable and coherent labour policies while balancing the views of workers and employers, he added.

And if it is impossible to protect every job, then workers must have the tools to do so themselves – through attaining sought-after skills, he said.

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He noted that, while ensuring that existing groups of disadvantaged workers receive necessary support and protections, an eye must be kept on workers who may be engaged in new forms of work as the economy evolves.

Covid-19 has changed the way people work and “turbo-charged” the growth of the digital-platform economy, which has provided millions of workers with opportunities. But it has also challenged governments to ensure sufficient protections for these workers, Tan said.

The 17th APRM was attended by 388 delegates – including 22 ministers and vice-ministers from 35 countries in Asia, the Pacific and Arab states region.