RETRENCHED WORKERS (Figures)

Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Labour what is the number of workers retrenched during each of the years 1966 to 1968, and what is the percentage of these numbers in the private sector.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour (Mr Sia Kah Hui) (for the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Labour): Mr Speaker, Sir, the British Armed Forces commenced their retrenchment exercise sometime in mid 1967, and during that year declared 479 civilian employees redundant. In 1968, 4,340 civilian employees were declared redundant, of whom 3.293 ex-employees of the British Navy were employed by the Government-owned Sembawang Shipyard as from 1st December, 1968.

In the private sector the number of workers retrenched during each of the years 1966 to 1968 is as follows:

In 1966 there were six firms involved and 94 workers were retrenched.

In 1967 there were 13 firms involved and 322 workers were retrenched.

In 1968 there were 11 firms involved and 390 workers were retrenched. Based on the figures available in the Ministry of Labour, the total number of workers retrenched in 1966 was 94, all of whom were employed in the private sector. In 1967 a total of 801 workers were retrenched, of whom about 40 per cent were from the private sector. In 1968 a total of 4,730 workers were retrenched, of whom only about eight per cent came from the private sector.