SHOP ASSISTANTS EMPLOYMENT BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister for Labour and Welfare (Mr Lim Yew Hock): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, I have His Excellency's consent to the Second Reading of this Bill.

Sir, in moving the Second Reading of the Clerks Employment Bill yesterday, I had already covered most of the ground in respect of this Bill. I cannot think that hon. Members need to be convinced of the need for legislation to protect shop assistants. As a class of worker, they have never been very vocal in demanding this or that. Nevertheless, Sir, since assuming office as Minister for Labour, I have received a steady stream of letters from shop assistants outlining their grievances and asking that some sort of protective legislation be devised to assist them. These grievances, Sir, can be summarised very simply: that their contracts of service are so vague that they never know exactly what rights they have under them; that their employers make all sorts of deductions from their salaries, especially when they wish to resign and they have asked that their wages be settled in full; that their wages are seldom paid regularly; that their hours of work are too long; and that holidays or sick leave are grudgingly given. And they have asked particularly, Sir, that they should be given the right to have their complaints settled in the Labour Court. All these grievances will be removed when the Bill before this House becomes law.

The opportunity has also been taken to include earlier legislation for shop assistants, namely, the Weekly Holidays Ordinance and the Seats for Shop Assistants Ordinance.

Sir, it is Government's intention to commit this Bill to a Select Committee and any comments that hon. Members may have on this Bill will, of course, be fully considered by the Select Committee when appointed. Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

The Minister for Commerce and Industry (Mr J. M. Jumabhoy): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am sure this Charter of Rights for shop assistants will be hailed with satisfaction by shop assistants all over Singapore. It is common knowledge, Sir, that shop assistants are being made to work at present from anything up to 9 to 12 hours a day; in some cases up to 13 hours a day. Consequently they get very little time off for healthy recreation or relaxation. This Bill, Sir, seeks to limit the working hours of shop assistants to 8 or, in certain cases, to 9 hours a day at contracted wages, and the maximum fixed per week is 44 hours in normal cases.

Sir, this Bill also seeks to uplift the status of shop assistants in Singapore from that of mere machines, used for profit earning for employers, to that of human beings.

This Bill, Sir, as also the Clerks Employment Bill which had its Second Reading yesterday, goes to prove that the Labour Front Coalition Government is continuously seeking to better the lot of the working class, and no matter what amount of propaganda is made by certain Members of the Opposition who seek to set themselves up as champions of the working class, I am sure this fact will not go into hiding.

Mr John Ede (Tanglin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have only two points I wish to make. The first refers to clause 37 (1) on the subject of an additional half-day holiday for shop assistants, theatre and restaurant employees. There is often a considerable difference between the hours of working of shop assistants and restaurant employees, the latter, in some cases, working either wholly or mainly in the evenings. In this sub-clause, therefore, in line 3 on page 11 of the Bill the words,

"every shop assistant employed therein shall be allowed in each week an additional holiday of one half-day commencing at such hour in the afternoon as may be fixed by the Minister",

may mean, unless the words "in the afternoon" are omitted, that some restaurant employees will get another full day's holiday per week instead of a half holiday, which I do not think is the intention of this Bill. This is a matter which will have to be looked into further in Select Committee.

Secondly, I must draw the attention of the Minister once again to clauses 48 to 50 regarding the very wide powers given to inspectors. Yesterday I questioned, in respect of similar clauses in the Clerks Employment Bill, the need in clause 48 to "enter without previous notice at any hour of the day or night any place where he has reason to believe any shop assistant is employed". And I also queried the omission in clause 50 (a) of a proviso to be found in section 9 (2) of the present Weekly Holidays Ordinance that "no person shall be compellable to answer any question if the answer may tend directly or indirectly to incriminate". Sir, I asked the Hon. the Chief Minister to justify the very wide powers being given to inspectors and yesterday he omitted to give me a reply. I hope that he will do so today.

Mr Lim Yew Hock rose -

Mr Speaker: In reply?

Mr Lim Yew Hock: Yes, Sir. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I point out to the Member for Tanglin that clauses 48 to 50 were taken from the Labour Ordinance which was approved in the previous session of the Legislative Assembly? The operation of these two sections in the Labour Ordinance has been done in a very fair and just manner and no complaints have been received by the Government in regard to any unjust operation. But in view of the representations made by the hon. Member, the points which he has raised will, of course, be duly considered by Government in Select Committee.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time.