Tripartite Guidelines on Re-Employment of Older Employees Released For Public Consultation

Aimed at preparing businesses and employees for re-employment legislation come 2012

The Ministry of Manpower, on behalf of its tripartite partners, is inviting public consultation on the draft Tripartite Guidelines for Re-employment of Older Employees (“Guidelines”) (See Annex A). This follows an earlier advisory released in April 2008 by the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers (“TriCom”). This set of draft Guidelines is an updated expansion of the advisory, incorporating feedback from both employers and unions. It seeks to help businesses and employees better prepare for the re-employment legislation in 2012.

2.The draft set of Guidelines was announced by Minister for Manpower and Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers¹ (“TriCom”), Gan Kim Yong, at the Industrial Relations Seminar on 16 November 2009.

3.The draft Guidelines provides practical advice on good re-employment practices, and includes the following:

• giving employers the flexibility to employ and retain older workers beyond the minimum statutory age of 62;
• offering practical solutions to help employers put in place the necessary systems and processes for re-employment, such as :
  • pre-retirement planning and re-employment consultation,
  • job arrangements for re-employment,
  • adjustments to wages and benefits, and
  • the offer of employment assistance payment (EAP); and
• encouraging older workers who are adaptable and skilled to continue to work and contribute to the society.

4.Urging companies to implement re-employment practices sooner rather than later, the Manpower Minister said, “With one in five residents aged 65 and older by 2030², companies will have to include more older workers in their company workforce profile. The sooner companies put in place the process and systems for re-employment, the better positioned they will be to meet the challenges ahead. This will result in a win-win outcome for businesses and older workers as they prepare for 2012.”

5.Mr Heng Chee How, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC, who is also a member of the TriCom, said, “These Guidelines strengthen the Labour Movement's efforts to promote fair, flexible and sustainable re-employment. They will help companies tap on the value and experience of their workers beyond the retirement age. They will also help older workers who are adaptable and skilled to stay employed and continue to make their contributions.”

6.Over the past one and a half years, the workgroup has been listening to the views from employers and workers alike, to come up with this set of draft Guidelines comprising flexible solutions to help employers continue to tap on the expertise and experience of older workers, while allowing older workers to continue contributing to the company. As part of the consultation process, we welcome employers, employees and unions to give their views and feedback on the draft Guidelines and how re-employment could be more effectively implemented by companies," added Mr Alexander Melchers, Chairman of the Tripartite Implementation Workgroup (TIWG) and Vice-President of SNEF.

7.The public is invited to give their feedback and views on the draft guidelines via the Consultation Channel in the REACH portal by 18 December 2009. The tripartite partners will consolidate the feedback received and finalise the tripartite guidelines, which is expected to be released early next year.

 

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¹ The TriCom was set up in 2005 to recommend measures to enhance the employability of older workers. Following PM's announcement in 2007 to introduce re-employment legislation by January 2012, a Tripartite Implementation Workgroup (“TIWG”), chaired by the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), was set up under the TriCom to focus on implementation issues and help companies to adopt re-employment early.

² Statistics from the “Report on the Ageing Population” compiled by the Committee on Ageing Issues.