The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be enhancing the capabilities of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to go beyond promotion work, said Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say in Parliament on Thursday (March 24).
Over the past three years, the group has received 1,400 complaints, 70 per cent of which are “nationality-related”, revealed Mr Lim, who was responding to questions about employers who were attempting to get around foreign manpower ratios.
Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC), in a parliamentary question, had noted how some employers would offer lower-grade jobs to locals and recruit foreigners for supervisory roles.
Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines GRC), in a supplementary question, had noted TAFEP’s “important work” in tackling work discrimination, especially in hiring foreign workers, and asked if they could go beyond doing promotion work.
In response, Mr Lim said “yes”, adding that more details would be shared during the Committee of Supply debates.
On action that will be taken over complaints of local workers being treated unfairly, Mr Lim said these include a letter of warning from MOM and curtailing of rights to employ foreign workers, including suspension.
But he stressed that one should not jump to the conclusion that it is a problem when “foreign workers have to report to local workers, or local workers are asked to report to foreign workers”.
“We have to be mindful that in the workforce today, we have a two-thirds local and one-third foreign workforce. There are industries where the higher level positions are held mainly by locals,” Mr Lim added.
news source: todayonline.com
