WORK PERMITS (Complaint of unfair treatment)

Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Labour whether he is aware of the allegation that multinational companies have no difficulty in obtaining work permits by the hundreds for their workers while small local companies find it very difficult to get even one; and whether his Ministry will conduct investigations into the bona fide of the alleged complaint, and, if it is established, whether he will take steps to correct this unfair treatment against our own citizens.

The Minister of State for Labour (Mr Sia Kah Hui) (for the Minister for Labour): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Labour does not discriminate between multinational companies and local companies in the issue of work permits. The issue of work permits is also not dependent on the size of the companies. Rather, it is based on the qualifications of the applicants.

The Ministry recently introduced a Work Permit Scheme for Foreign Workers. This scheme allows manufacturing companies to recruit workers from neighbouring countries on a block basis. Again, the scheme does not make distinction between local or foreign manufacturing companies. Any manufacturing company which is facing difficulties in recruiting large numbers of workers and has the capacity to recruit foreign labour and to provide them with proper accommodation and repatriate them upon expiry of their contracts will be given approval to recruit foreign workers under the scheme.

Mr Ho See Beng: Sir, since the Minister of State denied that there was discrimination, I wonder whether he is able to produce the number of work permits issued to multinational companies in the last six months, and compare it with the number issued to small local companies for the corresponding period? What is the difference?

Mr Sia Kah Hui: Sir, of course, I cannot produce the figures. But bearing in mind the number of small local companies, if I produce the figures, he will see a great difference because the multinational companies employ a large number of workers while, as the hon. Member has said, the figure for the small local companies would obviously be very small. So what is the purpose of the comparison?

Dr Augustine H.H. Tan (Whampoa): Sir could not the Minister of State produce figures to show the proportion of acceptance to rejection of applicants for work permits for multinational companies, against those for the local companies?

Mr Sia Kah Hui: Sir, obviously I cannot give them right now. If the Member were to file another question, the figures can be supplied.