MINISTRY OF LABOUR

Parliament of Singapore · 10 January 1994 · 8th Parliament

Official Report, 10 January 1994, Vol 62, Issue 1 · Open in the reader (summaries, search, filters)

DR LEE BOON YANG Minister for Labour

The Ministry of Labour will vigorously promote a conducive environment for creating more and better jobs for Singaporeans. We will protect the safety, health and social security of our workers.

Labour Relations

  1. We will work closely with employers, workers and unions to promote harmonious industrial relations and to enhance our international competitiveness. We will promote wider implementation of the flexible wage system to make the economy more responsive to international competition, and to reward workers for their contribution to productivity and profitability. Together with employers, unions and the Industrial Arbitration Court, we will implement the recommendations of the Flexible Wage System Review Committee appointed by the National Wages Council.

  2. We will review provisions of the Employment Act to keep them relevant in the changing business environment.

Efficient use of Manpower

  1. We have raised the retirement age to 60 through legislation on 1st July 1993. Employers should invest more in training and skill upgrading of employees, particularly the older workers, to help them improve their productivity and remain employable. We will review the tripartite part-time employment guidelines and consider formalising them as regulations under the Employment Act, in order to create more part-time employment, and encourage more economically inactive persons to join the workforce.

Foreign Workers

  1. We will continue to allow a controlled pool of foreign workers to complement the domestic workforce and support economic growth. We will give preference to skilled and compatible foreign workers who may be suitable for assimilation.

  2. We will vigorously prosecute Singaporeans found illegally employing foreign workers.

Industrial Health Safety

  1. We will protect workers' health by preventing and controlling occupational health hazards and diseases.

  2. We will continue to encourage factories to adopt measures to enhance workers' safety, and prevent occupational health hazards and diseases. We will step up training for workers and supervisors on industrial safety and health.

  3. We will introduce more comprehensive safety and health requirements to protect workers in hazardous industries such as the shipbuilding and ship repairing.

Social Security

  1. We will extend the CPF Scheme to more self-employed Singaporeans by requiring all self-employed persons who renew or apply for licences after 1st January 1994 to be up-to-date in their Medisave contributions. We will encourage CPF members to provide for their retirement by buying life annuities with their CPF savings.

  2. We will review the CPF Minimum Sum Scheme in the light of an aging population and lengthening life span, in order to increase the Minimum Sum and ensure that Singaporeans have sufficient savings for their old age.

  3. We will review the CPF Dependants_ Protection and MediShield Schemes to give more protection to CPF members insured under the Schemes.

Source: Singapore Parliament Official Report (Hansard) for 10 January 1994. Republished on SGParliament.