NATIONAL MARITIME BOARD (Employment of Singapore seamen)

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Minister for Communications and Information, Second Minister for Defence and Second Minister for National Development how many Singapore seamen are registered with the National Maritime Board and of that number how many of them were employed on ships as at the 1st February 1985.

The Minister for Communications and Information, Second Minister for Defence and Second Minister for National Development (Dr Yeo Ning Hong): Mr Speaker, Sir, as of the 1 February 1985, the total number of seamen on the active register of the National Maritime Board was 4,292. The inactive register of those who informed the Board that they do not wish or are not available presently for sea employment has another 977 names. 2,287 seamen are employed at sea.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Would the Minister outline to the House what steps, if any, his Ministry is taking to ensure that Singapore seamen find employment on ships that call at Singapore?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the problem of unemployment of seamen is an international problem, as a result of the slow- down of the shipping industry worldwide. Our objective must be to continue to encourage ships that come to Singapore to employ our local seamen.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, my question was more specific than that. I would ask the Minister not to content himself with saying our policy must be to encourage companies to employ Singapore seamen. May I know specifically from him what steps his Ministry is taking to see that Singapore seamen find employment, particularly on ships that are registered under the Singapore flag?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Mr Speaker, Sir, we will continue to encourage the productivity of our seamen by ensuring that they upgrade themselves so as to be competitive with seamen from other countries.

Dr Augustine Tan: Supplementary question, Mr Speaker, Sir. Is the Honourable Minister aware that some of the unemployed seamen have found alternative occupation in the overfull employment situation in Singapore?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Mr Speaker, Sir, yes, the answer is correct. There are large numbers of seamen who have already found jobs in Singapore. We have in Singapore a unique situation in the world, that is, an economy that generates more jobs than there are workers, so much so that we have to bring in in excess of 150,000 workers from abroad. Many of these jobs are available to a seaman to take up. Indeed, I have given the number of 977; these have all found jobs locally. Out of those who are still considered on the active list, many of them may have already got jobs locally but have not informed the National Maritime Board as they are not required to do so.

Dr Augustine Tan: Supplementary question, Mr Speaker, Sir. Is it not true that many of the seamen are highly skilled in various trades and that, therefore, it will be very easy to convert them to alternative occupations?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, that statement may be true. Many of them are skilled in matters of engineering and mechanics, and various other technical fields, and should have very little difficulty in our overfull employment situation in getting the jobs.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister talks about overfull employment. Is he aware that more than a thousand of our Singapore seamen have been unemployed for as long a period as a year or more, and are still waiting to find employment on ships?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the National Maritime Board does not require the seamen to report when they have already found employment on land, and therefore the Maritime Board does not keep record of seamen who are unemployed.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Is the Minister aware that some years ago the National Maritime Board provided a waiting room for Singapore seamen who were without jobs to wait to be called up if any employers wanted seamen on board their ships?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, having large numbers of seamen sitting around waiting for jobs is not a very productive activity.

Mr Jeyaretnam: The question is: was there not a practice some years ago allowing Singapore seamen to be on hand at the National Maritime Board so that jobs could be found for them?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, I cannot see how the putting aside of a small room for seamen to sit and wait could create jobs. The correct approach must be to encourage our seamen to upgrade their skills in an extremely competitive industry - an industry that is not localized in Singapore but an international industry. Sir, as long as our seamen are having very high incomes compared to those in the region, then our seamen will have to prove that they are worth the salaries or the wages that they are paid. Our objective must be to encourage our seamen and officers to upgrade their skills to continue to be competitive and in that way earn their keeps and make themselves productive and worthwhile to their employers.

Mr Jeyaretnam: I see that the Minister refuses to answer the question. I do not know whether he has been obtuse or is just being stubborn about it. Does the Minister not know, I repeat, that some years ago the practice was to require companies, who have registered their ships in Singapore, to get their seamen through the National Maritime Board who would then allocate men from their register on to the ships?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the practice continues and any shipper or shipping line that requires local seamen has indeed been in touch with the National Maritime Board for names for consideration for selection for employment on board ships.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Do you require all ships registered in Singapore to get their seamen through the National Maritime Board?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the objective in Singapore's approach is to encourage productivity and an open market economy. And in the process, we encourage shippers to get their own seamen, either through the National Maritime Board or if they already have adequate means of selection and employment of seamen elsewhere, they would be able to get them elsewhere, without having always to go through the channel of the National Maritime Board.

Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam (Fengshan): Mr Speaker, Sir, can the Minister consider using the Skills Development Fund and getting the National Maritime Board to organize courses to upgrade the skills of our seamen?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, this is indeed a good suggestion and has been put into practice where money from the Skiffs Development Fund is made available for the upgrading of seamen and officers.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Do I then understand the Minister to say that the National Maritime Board does nothing whatsoever to find employment for Singapore seamen? Does the Minister know that our seamen are losing out to all the foreigners who come here because the companies can employ them at a cheaper rate? Yes, they can employ them cheaper. Is this what you do to your own seamen?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the Member for Anson has said very correctly that they can employ seamen from other countries at a cheaper rate. Let me give him an idea of how much cheaper and that may explain partially why some of our seamen are unable to obtain employment with the shippers.

Sir, for an ordinary seaman in Singapore, he is paid $1,500 approximately, in round numbers. ($1,498 was the figure obtained from rates provided by the SOS.) In neighbouring countries, the equivalent figure could be anything as far down as $270. We are talking about a factor of close to six. For the bosun, the Singapore bosun is paid $2,125. In neighbouring countries, the bosun can be paid $317, a factor of about six also. Sir, this represents the world market for seamen of different calibre and of different abilities. Our objective must be to ensure that when our seamen draw that sort of high salaries, high incomes, they give that sort of performance to make it worth while for the shippers to employ Singapore seamen and Singapore officers.

Sir, I know that the Member for Anson has got a simple solution to all the complex problems of this world. His objective is really to solve small problems and in the process create big problems. And if the big problems create trouble for Singapore, so much the better because then he can say, "Ah, we have brought the Government down." Sir, this is not our approach. Our approach is to take the long-term view of the situation and attempt to solve the problems systematically, rationally. And this is why our objective is not to be protectionistic but to continue to encourage and provide the means for our workers in all categories, not just the seamen alone, but workers in all categories to upgrade their skills to make them capable of earning more and in the process have a much better life.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Now we have it. Is it the Government's intention to force our seamen to accept slave labour rates?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, the Member for Anson obviously was not listening at all.

Mr Jeyaretnam: I was.

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: The objective is to encourage them to earn higher salaries through higher productivity.

Mr Jeyaretnam: What steps is the Ministry taking to see that the companies pay a fair wage to their seamen?

Dr Yeo Ning Hong: Sir, a fair wage is what all market economies pay for any scarce resource. And where a job is available and people are willing to take it, that represents a fair wage. I see the Member for Whampoa nodding his head. He is an economist and he will tell us that that is fair.