VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF DISABLED PERSONS

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Acting Minister for Labour if he will outline in detail against each recommendation why the Government has not felt able to ratify and adopt any of the recommendations contained in the: (i) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention 1983 (No. 159); and (ii) Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Recommendation, 1983 (No. 168), adopted at the International Labour Conference in June 1983.

Mr Lee Yock Suan: As stated in Miscellaneous Paper No. 5 of 1985 presented to Parliament on 1 August 1985, the Government has decided not to ratify or adopt the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983 (No. 159) and the Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Recommendation, 1983 (No. 168) for the following reasons:

(i) Employment of the disabled is best left to market forces and enlightened employers rather than enforced through legislation.

(ii) With the tight labour market, disabled persons have been able to secure suitable employment after appropriate training.

Each country is run differently depending on its people, resources and state of development. It is not appropriate to adopt in total conventions drafted to meet the standards of more advanced Western countries.

Singapore has its own programmes for the vocational rehabilitation and employment of disabled persons. Thus the Disablement Resettlement Scheme of the Ministry of Labour assists persons disabled by industrial accidents to undergo vocational rehabilitation for the purpose of gainful employment. Under this Scheme, disabled persons are helped in securing on-the-job training in light industrial establishments as well as in sheltered workshops run by voluntary organisations.

The Ministry of Community Development administers an Incentive Scheme funded by the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry to help disabled people to gain employment. Under the Scheme, the employer is reimbursed for the first 1 month's salary paid by him to the disabled employee. The Scheme also provides a transport and meal allowance of $5/- for the disabled employee during the first two weeks of his employment or until he receives his first salary payment.

The Handicaps Welfare Association has set up a Vocational Assessment and Placement Centre and a centralised job placement service with the support of the Ministry of Community Development and the Singapore Council of Social Services.