Up to 3,000 local workers to benefit from new Progressive Wage Model for Waste Management Sector

1. The Tripartite Partners have agreed to expand the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) to a fifth sector – Waste Management. This expansion is a first step in the broader effort by the Tripartite Workgroup for Lower-Wage Workers (TWG-LWW), to develop a multi-year roadmap to uplift the employment outcomes and well-being of lower-wage workers (LWWs).
   
   
2. Up to 3,000 local workers in Waste Management will be covered and benefit from the PWM, first proposed by NTUC in 2020.  Similar to the PWMs in Cleaning, Security, Landscape, and Lift & Escalator sectors, the Waste Management PWM will provide a clear career progression pathway for workers in the sector to earn better wages as they improve their skills and productivity.
   
   
3. To oversee the implementation of the PWM, the Tripartite Partners have formed the Tripartite Cluster for Waste Management (TCWM). The TCWM, chaired by Mr Fahmi Aliman, Director, Operations & Mobilisation, NTUC, and co-chaired by Mr Felix Loh, Deputy Honorary Secretary, SNEF, will comprise representatives from service buyers, service providers, unions, and government agencies. The full composition of the TCWM is in Annex A.
   
   
4. The TCWM will develop the job ladders, training requirements and wage benchmarks of the PWM. It will consult multiple stakeholders in the process, to help ensure that the PWM is tailored to the unique conditions of the sector and benefits all stakeholders – workers can upskill and enjoy higher wages, employers can raise the productivity of their operations, and service buyers can benefit from improved services. The complete Terms of Reference of the TCWM are in Annex B.
   
   
5. The TCWM targets to issue its recommendations for the PWM in the second half of 2021.
   
   
   

    

   ANNEX A

    

   COMPOSITION OF THE TRIPARTITE CLUSTER FOR WASTE MANAGEMENT (TCWM)

    

    

   Chair			Co-Chair
   Mr Fahmi Aliman Director, Operations & Mobilisation National Trades Union Congress Concurrently Mayor, South East District Position			Mr Felix Loh Deputy Honorary Secretary Singapore National Employers Federation Concurrently Chief Executive Officer, Gardens by the Bay
   Members
   Position	Organization	Representative
   Labour Movement	Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees’ Union (BATU)	Mr Zainal Sapari Executive Secretary Concurrently Director, U Care Centre, NTUC
   		Mr Mohamad Yatim Bin Ahmad Vice Chairman SembWaste Pte Ltd Branch
   	Employment and Employability Institute	Ms Tan Cheong Ling Head, Built Environment
   Industry Association/ Service Providers	Waste Management & Recycling Association of Singapore (WMRAS)	Ms Melissa Tan Chairman Concurrently General Manager, Wah & Hua Pte Ltd
   		Mr Milton Ng Vice-Chairman Concurrently Chief Operating Officer, 800 Super Waste Management
   		Mr Neo Hong Keat Exco Member Concurrently Senior Vice-President, SembWaste Pte Ltd
   		Ms Erika Tan Sub-committee for Waste Collection Concurrently Manager, HCG Environment
   Service Buyers	Singapore International Facility Management Association (SIFMA)	Mr Jonathan Koh Board Member Concurrently Assistant Vice-President, Property Management, Operations Singapore Post Limited
   	Singapore Hotel Association (SHA)	Mr Ho Chung Kain Board Member Concurrently Director, Keck Seng Hotel Pte Ltd
   	Real Estate Developers’ Association of Singapore (REDAS)	Mr Moses Lee Committee Member Concurrently Vice-President, Investments & Asset Management, Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd
   	-	Mr Tony Lombardo Chief Executive Officer Asia Lendlease Corporation
   Government	Ministry of Manpower	Mr Lee Chung Wei Divisional Director Workplace Policy and Strategy Division
   	National Environmental Agency	Mr Desmond Tan Group Director Resource & Sustainability Group
   	Workforce Singapore	Ms Safrah Eusoof Director, Enterprise Development Group Healthcare, Social & Business Services Division
   	SkillsFuture Singapore	Ms. Loh Gek Khim, Director, Industry Development Division 1

    

    

    

   
   

    

    

   Annex B

    

   The TCWM’s Terms of Reference are to propose interventions and mechanisms that will:

    

   1. Develop and periodically review the progressive wage model (PWM) for waste management workers, including the wages, wage ladders, training requirements and progression pathways;
      
      
   2. Develop strategies to support progression up the PWM career ladder, such that waste management workers’ wages can increase with better training, higher responsibilities and improvements in productivity and standards;
      
      
   3. Monitor compliance with the PWM and its impact on the industry; and
      
      
   4. Review ways to improve working conditions of waste management workers.