Plenty of help will be coming workers’ way to help them weather the tough times ahead and be future-ready. Here are the highlights announced by the Ministry of Manpower at the Committee of Supply debate.

By NTUC This Week team

More Help for PMEs

Enhancements to Career Support Programme (CSP)

• All PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) regardless of age will now be able to benefit from CSP.
• Non-mature PMETs (aged below 40) who are unemployed for at least six months will now be eligible.
• Previously, mature PMETs (aged 40 and above) had to be unemployed for at least six months to be eligible. Now, they can apply immediately after being made redundant.

More support for the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP)

• The number of sectors with PCPs will be doubled from 10 to 20 in the next three years.
• New PCPs will not just facilitate career conversion across sectors, but also within.
• Currently, PCP provides employers with salary support for PMETs re-skilling for new jobs at 70% of the salary capped at $2,000 a month. Enhanced salary support will now be capped at 90% at $4,000 a month for PMETs under CSP.

Assessment for triple-strong and triple-weak firms will be based on the companies’:

• Singaporean Core compared to the industry norm.
• commitment to developing the Singaporean Core.
• economic linkage or social impact.

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) will engage these triple-weak firms to help and advise them to build their Singaporean Core. These firms will also be subject to closer scrutiny and will face potential suspension of work pass privileges.

MOM will also extend its support for triple-strong firms through the Human Capital Partnership

• This facilitates the exchange of manpower to support overseas developmental postings for Singaporean staff.
• This facilitates the inflow of overseas experts for knowledge transfer to Singaporeans.
• To be launched later this year, with more details to follow.

“I am glad that our lobbying efforts have paid off and that the Ministry of Manpower has accepted our key recommendations and suggestions to further strengthen the Singaporean Core by introducing new and tighter measures and also help fellow PMEs stay employed and employable through targeted PCPs as well as stretching the scope of the Career Support Programme to encourage companies to hire mature PMEs including all PMEs who are retrenched or have lost their jobs.”

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay, who champions PMEs

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Stronger Support for Rank-and-File Workers

Help Singaporean workers to adapt and grow (rank-and-file)

• More Place-and-Train programmes
  • Up to 70% wage support and 90% course fee subsidy.
• Enhanced Work-Trial
  • Improves job matching.
  • Higher training allowances of $7.50 per hour (capped at 80 hours).
  • Better retention incentive of $500 for the worker

“Under the Place-and-Train programme, we need to ensure successful placement of these workers by strengthening our job matching from a psychological perspective, providing the mentorship for guidance, encouragement and motivation for these workers to continue to persevere and benefit from the transition into future jobs or promising industries of the future . We need to increase the success rates over time so that workers resilience in completing the programme and being inducted into the job is - seamless throughout the journey and that there are opportunities for career progression and for them to graduate out from rank-and- file to a PMET jobs.”

NTUC Central Committee Member K Thanaletchimi, who speaks up for rank-and-file workers

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Strengthening HR Practices

HR Sectoral Tripartite Committee

The HR Sectoral Tripartite Committee (HRSTC) comprises representatives from unions, businesses, institutes of higher learning and Government agencies. It was formed in September 2015.

Over the last six months, the HRSTC has engaged over 150 stakeholders through focus group discussions. Many gave feedback that HR needs to evolve to better support businesses and play a more strategic role, moving its focus on operational and transactional aspects to an emphasis on strategic approach.

Employers also expect that HR professionals better apply their skills to align and support organisational goals more effectively.

Hence, the National HR Professional Certification Framework was announced. 

National HR Professional Certification Framework

• Developed as one of the initiatives under the HR Sectoral Manpower Plan.
• This framework will strengthen the capabilities of HR professionals in Singapore, helping them to drive business transformation and organisational changes.
• Makes HR a a strategic business partner to nurture human capital and be better at attracting, grooming and retaining local talent.

“Together with other Labour MPs, I did call on the need for a HR certification framework. I am delighted to note that the Minister has heeded the call of the Labour Movement decisively and categorically. My hope is that with this national certification programme, the importance of tripartism and working together will be one of the core for HR professionals to understand and appreciate that tripartism is the DNA for growth and economic prosperity for both businesses and workers in Singapore.”

NTUC Central Committee Member K Thanaletchimi, who wants to push better HR practices

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A Focus on SMEs

Enhancements to the Lean Enterprise Development (LED) Scheme to support SMEs to be manpower-lean:

• Project funding grants and short-term foreign manpower flexibility.
• Multi-agency support.
• Capability development and capacity enhancement.
• Expanded outreach through 10 multipliers comprising trade associations and chambers (TACs).

“A capable team and suitable content in the TACs is key to ensure that the policy intent of assisting SMEs to transform and their workers to adapt and grow are met. Relying only on more brochures and more websites and more visits to workshops and seminars can only do so much. I am glad that MOM has come up with a strong support for their LED strategy and one way in which SMEs can achieve breakthroughs may be through a stronger and more effective TAC that can assist to deliver the various incentives to the enterprises and their workers. “

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Ang Hin Kee who hopes SMEs get better support

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Empowering Older Workers

More employment support for older workers

• The upping of the re-employment age from 65 to 67 will  take effect from 1 July 2017
• The law allowing a wage cut at the age of 60 will be removed. Increase the options for older workers to be re-employed by another employer. The worker must agree to the transfer and the new employer must take on the full re-employment obligations.

"I am happy that our efforts in pushing for a higher re-employment age ceiling from 65 to 67 has now borne fruit. This gives more assurance to older workers reaching the age of 65 of continued employment. I certainly welcome the repeal of the provision allowing wage cut at the age of 60. The repeal is reassuring to workers that it is performance that is rewarded and not age that is penalised. On allowing group companies to offer re-employment to positions within the group subject to the expressed agreement of the worker opens up more chances for companies to identify job openings for the workers who so agree. It is a win-win arrangement with safeguards for the worker."

NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How, the voice for older workers 

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Better Workplace Dispute Management 

Setting up of Employment Claims Tribunal and Tripartite Alliance

• Employment Claims Tribunal under the State Courts replaces the Labour Court.
• It is a similar concept to the Small Claims Tribunal with quick and more inclusive avenues for more workers to resolve salary-related disputes provided for in laws or employment contracts.
• Mediation is compulsory.
• The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management will see the tripartite partners establish a tripartite centre to help more employees and employers manage employment disputes amicably.  

“With the Employment Claims Tribunal and the Tripartite Alliance on Dispute Management,  I hope to see our tripartite partners, especially NTUC and our unions jointly play a bigger role to help and support all workers especially PMEs when they are faced with workplace issues.”

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay, who focuses on legal matters impacting workers

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For All Workers

Raising Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Standards

• Raising awareness
• Building WSH capability, especially in SMEs. MOM will be launching a WSH capacity building programme, with more details to follow soon.
• Strengthening enforcement and imposing harsher penalties on companies who consistently flout safety rules.

“I am heartened to hear from Minister of State (MOS) Mr Sam Tan that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will adopt a four-pronged approach to reduce workplace fatality and incident rate. A workplace fatality is one too many. We must not take workplace safety for granted as all workers must be able to work in a safe environment. I have raised at the Committee of Supply that more needs to be done to raise our WSH standards at the workplace. NTUC will work closely with our tripartite partners to raise awareness and build WSH capability. It is important that MOM continues to strengthen its enforcement and where necessary, impose heavier penalties to stem out unsafe practices at the workplace. Indeed, I agree that we must push WSH upstream with the companies and industries so that they will be able to do something to reduce downstream fatalities and accidents at the workplace.”

NTUC Director of Industrial Relations Melvin Yong, who spoke on the importance of WSH

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWA) Online Portal

• To provide employers and employees with a one-stop access to resources, such as workshops, trainers and consultants, toolkits and guides.
• To be launched in the second half of 2016. 

"To help our young families, I believe that legislated right to FWA is still important and we must still advocate for it. It has the potential to help young mothers who are now hesitant to request for FWA after they come back from maternity. The FWA options shared by MOM are important symbols of where we stand as a society in valuing people as our most important assets. It also accurately reflects the challenges faced by our mothers. It also encourages our companies to seriously work towards providing FWA. Family-centric workplaces are possible but it requires both legislation, and the inventiveness and boldness of our tripartite partners."

NTUC Director of Youth Development Desmond Choo, who speaks on family matters for workers

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Other announcements

Enhancements to P-Max

• Training on proper HR practices to help SMEs better recruit, manage and retain newly-hired PMETs.
• SMEs will receive a one-time $5,000 grant if HR processes are successfully implemented. They can also receive salary support for PMETs under CSP and PCP.
• More programme managers will be appointed down the road to expand the reach from 1,100 to 1,400 PMETs.

Source: NTUC This Week