About 1 in 5 eligible employees not paid in line with Progressive Wage standards: MOM
The ministry does not, however, track training or working hour requirements by the various Progressive Wage Model sectors
[SINGAPORE] About one in five eligible employees are not paid salaries in line with the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) or Occupational Progressive Wages, which aim to raise incomes of lower-wage workers.
In a written parliamentary reply on Thursday (Nov 6), Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng said that about eight in 10 eligible employees received salaries meeting the requirements.
He was responding to Member of Parliament Melvin Yong, who asked about the compliance rate for wages, training and working-hour caps required across the PWM sectors.
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) does not track training or working hours requirements by the PWM sectors, said Dr Tan.
The PWM, which applies to Singapore citizens and permanent residents working full-time or part-time under a contract of service, covers lower-wage sectors such as cleaning, security, retail, food services and waste management.
Occupational progressive wages, designed for such employees in companies that also employ foreign workers, apply to specific occupations across sectors – currently, administrators and drivers.
Yong, who is a labour MP, also asked how the government intends to improve compliance in sectors that fare poorly.
Dr Tan said MOM would continue conducting targeted inspections in sectors with lower compliance rates.
It would also work with the tripartite partners and PWM sectoral leads to educate employers and help them meet their PWM requirements.
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