Speech at Conference on Fair Employment Practices
Mr Gan Kim Yong, Acting Minister , Orchard Hotel
Mr John de Payva
President, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)
Mr Bob Tan and Mdm Halimah Yacob
Co-Chairs of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices,
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning,
1. It is my pleasure to join you today at the Conference on Fair Employment Practices. Let me begin by congratulating the tripartite partners for organising this timely conference which is presented by the Singapore Tripartism Forum in partnership with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP). I would also like to thank the speakers, especially those who have flown in from overseas to share their insights at this conference.
2. Today's event is the first time a conference focusing on the adoption of fair employment practices is held in Singapore, and it is a topic of great relevance to many employers and worker representatives.
Fair Employment – A Win-Win Proposition
3. Singapore's workforce is a diverse one in terms of ethnic, religious, age and gender makeup and it will continue to be so. Fair employment is therefore important as it widens the pool of candidates that employers can recruit from, increasing their chances of recruiting the best person for the job. As illustrated in the opening video, fair employment is a win-win proposition. It not only makes business sense, but also gives everyone an opportunity to prove their worth.
4. Employers who hire on merit will be rewarded with the most suitable and competent candidate for the job. This is clearly demonstrated in the case of Mr Robert Long, the 70-year old Japanese food chef and the Hokkien-speaking Ms Pillai 1. When given a chance, both of them had defied stereotypes, excelled in their jobs, and contributed greatly to their organisations.
Promotion of Fair Employment Practices
5. In the last 10 years, we have made significant progress in promoting fair employment practices. We started in a modest way in 1999 with the release of the Tripartite Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Job Advertisements. The results were positive, and the Guidelines were updated in 20062 to further raise the bar. Since then, there has been a significant drop in the number of job advertisements that would have been perceived to be discriminatory, from 19.7% in 2006 to 1.7% in 2008.
6. We stepped up our efforts on this front over the last three years. In 2006, the tripartite partners formed the Tripartite Alliance on Fair Employment Practices (or TAFEP) to spearhead fair employment initiatives. This was followed by the setting up of a full-fledged Tripartite Centre for Fair Employment in 2007 to drive promotional efforts and provide advisory services. Today, I am heartened to note that with the signing of the Employers' Pledge of Fair Employment Practices by Fedex, 1000 companies have signaled their commitment to be fair employers. I urge more employers to similarly show their support for this important cause.
7. Nonetheless, changing mindsets cannot be done overnight. While most of our employers are fair, TAFEP continues to receive isolated complaints of alleged employment discrimination from aggrieved workers. We encourage individuals who have encountered or experienced discrimination at their workplace to contact TAFEP for assistance. All feedback will be treated in confidence and the Centre will work with employers to improve their employment practices. For instance, last year, an executive who was initially offered a job, was discouraged from starting work when her supervisor discovered that she was pregnant. The Centre subsequently convinced the management of the importance of fair employment, and they made good their job offer and welcomed the executive. To further assist employers, we are also launching an e-learning tool and a handbook today, featuring some leading Fair Employment Practices to encourage and help employers find workable solutions for themselves.
Fair Employment in the Downturn
8. I would like to emphasise that the principles of fair employment remain relevant to employers, whether in an upturn or now in a downturn. In the current economic climate, many firms will be preoccupied with cash flow and other business issues. Some companies might be inclined to put the fair employment agenda on the backburner. But I urge employers not to lose sight of our long-term goal of making fair employment an integral part of our corporate culture. Even in the downturn we need to press ahead with efforts to shape the behaviour and mindsets of employers to hire on merit. Those who put in place enlightened hiring practices now will be more attractive to talent and job-seekers when the economy recovers and the job market tightens,
9. Fair employment is not limited to the hiring practices. There are other in-employment practices that businesses should internalise, including the need to properly handle grievances, administer performance appraisals, and manage dismissals and terminations. Similar to the selection of job candidates, employers should premise their decisions on transparent, merit-based criteria, such as the employee's work performance.
10. Employers can learn from companies such as McDonald's, which believes that every member of its crew has the potential to be a manager. Many of McDonald's management staff had started out in junior positions, and had risen through the ranks based on their ability and job performance. One such employee is Mr Jeffrey Tan. Jeffrey joined McDonald's in 1979 at age 20 as a part-time crew at the first McDonald's restaurant at Liat Towers. For his drive, competence and dedication, he was rewarded with successive promotions and was appointed McDonald's Director of Operations in March 2007. Jeffrey is currently heading McDonald's operations in Malaysia.
11. As employers contemplate cutting costs and managing manpower needs to get through this recession, they must also remember to act fairly and responsibly towards their employees. When human resources are poorly managed, there could be negative spillovers that may lower staff morale, tarnish the firm's reputation, and ultimately impact the firm's bottom-line in the long term. It is therefore in the interest of businesses to ensure that their employees' concerns and needs are properly and sensitively addressed.
Tripartite Partnership
12. A key part of the strategy in tackling manpower management challenges is for companies to closely involve and consult their workers when making decisions. Indeed, even and especially during a downturn, promoting fair employment provides an important base upon which mutual trust can be strengthened. Individual employers can take reference from our national tripartite efforts.
13. The strong tripartite relationship between employers, the unions and the Government, as exemplified by TAFEP, represents a unique approach to dealing with complex issues. Much of the progress made so far would not have been possible without the support and collective efforts of the tripartite partners and stakeholders. The TAFEP co-Chairs, Mdm Halimah Yacob and Mr Bob Tan, have ably led the TAFEP programmes to shape the perceptions and mindsets of employers, employees and the public against discriminatory workplace practices. As with the development and roll-out of the other downturn measures such as the Skills Upgrading Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR), the close collaboration of the tripartite partners in advancing the objectives and principles of fair employment are all the more important in these challenging times.
Conclusion
14. With the strong support of tripartite partners, I am confident that employers will increasingly embrace fair employment practices as an integral part of their corporate culture in Singapore.
15. I wish you a fruitful day of discussion. Thank you.