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Speech by MOS Dinesh Vasu Dash at Appreciating Our PWM Workers cum Please Watch-over Me Comic Book Launch

Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, Senior Minister of State for Manpower, Heartbeat@Bedok

Speech by Minister of State for Manpower, Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash at Appreciating Our PWM Workers cum Please Watch-over Me Comic Book Launch

 

19 July 2026

 

Mr Melvin Yong, Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC and Mr Kuah Boon Wee, Vice-President, SNEF,

Members of PWM Tripartite Clusters,

Brothers and Sisters,

Ladies and gentlemen,

 

  1. Good morning. It is a pleasure to join you today at NTUC’s “Appreciating Our PWM Workers” Campaign launch.

     

  2. Our Progressive Wage Model workers play a vital role in keeping Singapore running – ensuring our environments are clean and safe, maintaining the infrastructure which we depend on, and meeting many of our essential needs. Your dedication and professionalism inspire us all, and I would like to thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

     

  3. I am also glad to note that NTUC is launching a comic book today, drawing upon the experiences and perspectives of our PWM workers. The stories encourage us to see and show appreciation for the workers in our midst. They also capture how PWM has supported the livelihoods of our workers and enabled their aspirations. It also shows the collective effort between the Government, the Labour Movement and employers, and how this has made a difference to their lives.

     

    PWM: Our Shared Journey to Uplift Lower-Wage Workers

     

  4. Tripartite collaboration has been a hallmark of the PWM since its inception. NTUC first conceptualised the PWM as an approach to uplift our lower-wage workers, given concerns about stagnant wages in outsourced sectors arising from competitive tendering processes. What set the PWM apart was that it provided not just a wage floor for workers, but ladders for progression – such that wages would rise alongside skills and productivity improvement.

     

  5. With tripartite partners' strong support, the first PWM was introduced in the cleaning sector in 2012. Today, over 150,000 lower-wage workers benefit from the PWM wage and career progression pathways.

     

  6. At the heart of each PWM is tripartite consultation and consensus. We develop wage and training requirements by bringing together relevant union, employer and Government stakeholders. This has allowed for PWM requirements to be grounded in the unique realities and needs of each sector or occupation.

     

  7. This is why the PWM has delivered meaningful gains for our workers and businesses alike. Workers have benefitted through sustainable wage growth, in tandem with concrete opportunities for career and skills progression. Employers have been able to tap into a more productive and engaged workforce, with PWM helping them attract and retain talent in their sectors. Hence, it is a win-win partnership for all.

     

  8. Earlier this month, I announced that we will be introducing our tenth PWM, in the pest management sector. The expansion of the PWM to this sector recognises the important role our pest management workers play in safeguarding our public health, and is the next step in our collective efforts to uplift lower-wage workers.

     

    Building on Our Progress

                                                                                                                    

  9. Since 2025, we have announced updated PWM wage schedules for food services, retail, in-house security, administrators, and drivers. Negotiations for the remaining PWM sectors are underway or will be commencing shortly.

     

    Increase in Baseline Leave Entitlement for Outsourced PWM Workers

  10. Another issue that tripartite partners have been studying is how to better support our outsourced PWM workers in terms of annual leave provisions. We have heard feedback from these workers that they face difficulty accumulating their fair share of annual leave. Under the Employment Act, employees start with 7 days of annual leave in their first year of service, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum entitlement of 14 days.

     

  11. But for outsourced PWM workers, this progression can be difficult to achieve and maintain. Service buyers frequently switch providers, and each time workers are rehired on a fresh contract, their leave entitlements could be reset back to 7 days. Despite performing the same role for many years, their service goes unrecognised, and their leave entitlements stagnate at the baseline of 7 days.

     

  12. For this reason, I am pleased to announce that we will increase the minimum annual leave entitlement for outsourced PWM workers from 7 days to 10 days. This will ensure that these workers receive annual leave entitlements that reflect their work and years of service. About 60% of outsourced workers across five PWM sectors – cleaning, security, landscape, lift and escalator and waste management – will benefit from this increase.

     

  13. The new minimum should not affect the annual increase in leave that outsourced workers are currently entitled to under the Employment Act. Workers who already receive leave benefits above this new minimum should continue to receive them, in accordance with their employment terms and the Employment Act.

     

  14. Beyond supporting workers, this move is in line with our broader effort to professionalise outsourced PWM sectors – sectors that many of us rely on every day for essential services. It will enable these sectors to better attract and retain talent, harness a stable and capable workforce, and a core resident workforce that will be able to deliver consistent and quality service.

     

  15. To allow businesses time to adjust, we will implement this increase in baseline leave entitlement progressively from 2029 onwards. This will allow employers and service-buyers to plan ahead and incorporate the change into their contracts, and better manage the operational and cost impact. We will share more implementation details closer to the implementation date.

     

    Closing

     

  16. In closing, the PWM at its core is an expression of our values as a society. It reflects our shared belief that every worker deserves respect and dignity, and that hard work should carry with it the promise of progression and a stake in Singapore's prosperity.

     

  17. Tripartite partners are fully committed to realising this vision. But all of us will also have to play our part – in appreciating and showing our respect to the workers around us every day, our willingness to support businesses that pay Progressive Wages, and our conviction that every trade is worthy of respect.

     

  18. May we continue to build a Singapore where every worker belongs, and no contribution goes unrecognised.

     

  19. Thank you.