ASG Patrick Tay: Worker Discrimination Due to Companies Exploiting System, Not Foreign Competition

A small proportion of egregious companies that exploit the system is why some workers are experiencing discrimination, not foreign competition, said NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay in his parliamentary speech on 14 September 2021.

Mr Tay was debating the motion tabled by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on securing Singaporeans' jobs and livelihoods, and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai's motion on foreign talent policy.

He spoke in support of Mr Wong's motion and in opposition to the one tabled by Mr Leong.

Mr Tay said that the PMEs he met understood the need for a foreign workforce to complement the local workforce.

"They [the PMEs] do not advocate for the closing of borders to foreigners, but they want actions taken against employers who are recalcitrant in their hiring policies to protect our locals from discrimination," he said.

More Needs to Be Done

More needs to be done to weed out egregious companies despite the Government's measures and policies over the years to minimise unfair hiring and workplace practices, said Mr Tay.

Some of these measures and policies include the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP), the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF), Triple Weak Scrutiny, tightening requirements for S pass and Employment Passes.

"We need to look at ways to ensure that local PMEs receive fair opportunities and treatment while maintaining competitiveness in the economy," said Mr Tay.

Calling it a big move, Mr Tay added that he is heartened that the Government has responded to his speech in parliament on 26 July 2021 by setting up the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness (TCWF) and a tribunal to address workplace discrimination, and legislating fair employment guidelines.

"Many union members, workers and PMEs I have spoken to are heartened by the announcements and acknowledged that these are the right steps taken to punish errant employers and correct discriminative hiring policies and practices. They are positive that this will send a clear message against workplace discrimination and eradicate unfair hiring practices," he said.

NTUC Will Do Its Part

NTUC will represent workers and PMEs' voices and contribute actively to the TCWF, said Mr Tay.

As part of the committee, NTUC will look into improving workplace fairness through both legislative and non-legislative options and consider measures to tackle workplace discrimination.

NTUC will also continue to surface recommendations to strengthen Singaporean Core.

According to Mr Tay, these recommendations will include enhancing the EP application review process by considering a range of factors beyond the individual applicant's education qualification and salary; facilitating skills transfer from foreign specialists to local PMEs through skills transfer schemes; strengthening Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to take decisive action against errant employers who pay lip service to the FCF and who practise age and nationality discrimination.

Mr Tay also called on tripartite partners and workers to invest even more in training and skills upgrading.

"For a start, employers and businesses can partner NTUC and the Labour Movement in this journey. In this age of disruption, digitalisation, transformation and the next normal, we need to ensure and enable workers to stay ready, relevant and resilient - ready with the new skills, relevant for the new jobs, and resilient to the new changes," he said.