CONTRACT LABOUR

Mr Bernard Rodrigues asked the Minister for National Development (a) to list the areas in which contract labour has been introduced in his Ministry to perform jobs previously carried out by regular labour; and (b) to state the reason or reasons why contract labour has been engaged to perform jobs previously carried out by regular labour.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, contract labour has not been introduced by my Ministry to displace the regular labour force. It has always been the practice, when there are temporary peaks in the volume of regular work with which the regular labour force cannot cope, to let the work out on contract. Otherwise an increase in the regular labour force for an occasional overflow of work would mean a redundancy problem when the volume of work returns to normal.

In one particular case, the regular labour force expressed aversion to the work of removal of sludge in the Ulu Pandan Sewerage Disposal Works because of the unpleasant smell, and asked to be taken off these duties. This work has therefore been given out to contract since the end of 1963.

However, in certain fields of unskilled labour such as grass cutting, planting of grass along road sides and side tables of roads, the efficiency of the regular labour force is being checked against work allocated on contracts in order to see whether departmental labour is keeping up its rate of productivity. There has been a tendency in the regular labour force to slow down the pace of work in order to create overtime on public holidays and Sundays. If this trend persists, the productivity of the regular labour force will become lower and lower and finally ludicrously uneconomic.

This problem is now widespread in all Government Departments where overtime can be created by slowing down the pace of work. The Government is having a committee to look into this matter with a view to removing the temptation to slow down productivity in order to create overtime. Unless this problem is solved, the disparity between departmental labour and work let out on contract will make it absurd for the Government to continue its present policy of high daily wages at the minimum of $4.55 per day for unskilled labour, with double and treble overtime for Sundays and public holidays. The Government is sure that most of its union leaders are keen to protect their honest and hard-working members and will want to eradicate malpractices leading to deliberate malingering and absenteeism.Absenteeism is sometimes as high as 25 per cent on a week day and as low as 3 per cent on a public holiday when treble pay obtains. In some cases, drivers of lorries have earned as much as $380 per month and workers have earned more than $200 per month through artificially created overtime giving them incomes more than their supervisors. This problem has become more and more vicious over the last six to seven years. A possible solution would seem to lie, as in the case of the Singapore Port Authority, in the abolition of overtime through the introduction of shift duties at rates of pay which guarantee that the total take-home pay will be at least 26 days full wages per month for each worker.

The Government will be discussing this matter with the unions to work out a solution which will do justice not only to the honest and industrious workers but also to the tax-payers.

Mr Rodrigues (Telok Blangah) rose ---

Mr Speaker: A supplementary question?

Mr Bernard Rodrigues: Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. Will the Minister state why he has not consulted the union concerned before accepting and making use of contract labour? Will he also undertake to consult the union concerned in future?

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, in my reply just now, I said we do make use of contract labour during peak hours. That means there is some work which has got to be done quickly. On the one hand, we are trying to do our very best to expedite the work of the Government; and on the other hand, there is a request here which says, why did I not consult the trade union? It would have taken me at least six months to get an answer from them if I were to consult them whether contract labour could be used or not. I think it is well within the authority of the Government to employ contract labour if and when we think it necessary to expedite work.

Mr Ho See Beng (Bras Basah): A supplementary question. Will the Minister tell this House how exactly the Government intends to implement the P.A.P. policy on socialism ---

Mr Speaker: That is not a supplementary question.

Mr Ho See Beng: Sir, I would like to put it in another way.

Mr Speaker: The Member will have to rephrase it.

Mr Ho See Beng: If contract labour succeeds in increasing efficiency, will the Government permit it to create more inroads into the public sectors?

Mr Speaker: That is better.

Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker, Sir, we are aware of the abuse which can take place in contract labour. But, at the same time, Mr Speaker, Sir, we are elected by the people to administer the government. We are trustees of the public funds. We are not going to spend money to enlarge a force where malpractices such as I have stated exist. It is our duty, Sir, to see that the labourer is worth his pay. We do not want to have malingering. We do not want to have artificially created overtime. In this respect, I say that the trade union leaders and the members of the trade union themselves have a responsibility. We are here to foster a more enlightened labour policy. But, in doing so, Mr Speaker, Sir, it takes not only the Government, but the labour leaders and the members of the union to see that both play their part. It is only when there is a certain minimum standard of efficiency that we can undertake to see that more and more daily-rated labourers are being used to carry out our work.