MOM to help prepare firms for labour law changes

January 20, 201410:29 am823 views

MOM to help prepare firms for labour law changes

Expect a flurry of activity in the Manpower Ministry before changes to Singapore’s main labour law kick in on April 1.

The Manpower Ministry (MOM) will be holding talks and workshops to get firms and workers ready for changes to the Employment Act enhancing the minimum employment standards that firms must stick to.

“We will reach out to employers, employees, human resource practitioners and the general public through seminars and workshops, collateral and mainstream media advertorials,” said an MOM spokesman.

The changes to the Employment Act were passed in Parliament in November. Among them is an increase in the monthly salary ceiling from $2,000 to $2,500, which puts 150,000 more rank-and-file workers under the protection of the labour law.

BACKGROUND STORY

Employment Act changes from April 1

All workers earning up to $2,500 each month will get to claim overtime pay. Now, only those earning up to $2,000 and manual workers earning up to $4,500 each month can do this.
Those earning monthly salaries of between $2,000 and $2,500 will also be entitled to be paid if they work on rest days. They will get annual leave under the law. Currently, they have to negotiate these benefits directly with their employers.
Firms that ask their professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) earning up to $4,500 to work on public holidays will have to pay them extra or grant them time off. They are also entitled to paid sick leave.

The PMEs can also turn to the Labour Court for help if their believe they had been sacked unfairly. Now they have to hire their own lawyers and take their employers to civil courts, a process which costs them money and takes a longer time to resolve.

source: thestraitstimes.com

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