Adherence to National Wages Council Guidelines as Qualifying Criterion for Companies to be Eligible for Government Funding

Ms K Thanaletchimi asked the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry will consider making the National Wages Council (NWC) guidelines an important qualifying criteria for companies to be considered for funding under the Transform and Grow and Adapt and Grow initiatives.

Mrs Josephine Teo: The National Wage Council (NWC) guidelines may be voluntarily adopted by companies, depending on their circumstances. The tripartite partners have consistently taken this approach, to recognise that companies vary in their ability to afford the recommended wage increases or payments. Requiring the adoption of the guidelines as a criterion to access government support schemes, whether administered by Workforce Singapore or other agencies, would be inconsistent with this approach.

Instead, the NWC carefully considers inputs from the unions, employers and Government representatives, to ensure that its recommendations are well-balanced. Outreach efforts by both the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) are also critical in promoting the adoption of the guidelines.