1/24/2021

STRENGTHENING THE SINGAPOREAN CORE (OF EMPLOYERS) - Part 1 + 2

 SSO said...STRENGTHENING THE SINGAPOREAN CORE (OF EMPLOYERS) - Part 1

The following was written on Josephine Teo's Facebook page on Tuesday (19 Jan):

"As we kick off 2021, our foremost priority is to keep Singaporeans in jobs and help displaced Singaporeans get back to work.

To achieve this, we are providing stronger support for employers to develop their Singaporean core. Through the Jobs Support Scheme, Jobs Growth Initiative and other programmes, employers of local employees get generous wage and training support.

While the Government has provided a range of support to help employers develop their Singaporean core, employers too must play their part in ensuring that they hire fairly on the basis of merit. This means that when a job is advertised, the best candidate should be considered. Attributes which are not relevant to the job such as nationality, gender, age, race, and disability should not be considerations. Jobs should also not be kept to a “closed circle of friends”. Ultimately, employers should keep to the spirit, not just the letter, of the Fair Consideration Framework and the Tripartite Guidelines for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices.

I am heartened that the Singapore Business Federation and the Trade Associations and Chambers Alliance have come together to pledge their support for fair hiring and progressive employment practices

(see statement here -> https://www.sbf.org.sg/…/786-joint-statement-on-fair-hiring…).

This represents the business community’s commitment in preventing workplace discrimination and adopting progressive human resource practices, so as to develop a strong Singaporean core. These progressive employment practices also makes business sense. When businesses hire fairly and based on merit, they will have access to the widest pool of candidates that can help them succeed. It will motivate their employees to give of their best, knowing that the company practices fair employment. Fair employment is not just right, it is win-win too. - Jo Teo."


1. Hooray! Employers "Teo Bey Pio" (strike lottery) again! All employers need to do is to either throw their weight around or throw tantrums, then the Mother of Labour will throw good money (from taxpayers) to the bad apples. What a brilliant solution! Yah, of course, win-win too!

2. It has dawned on me since once upon a time, long long ago, four or five MOM leadership changes ago, that since the ministry changed its name from the Ministry for Labour (MFL) to Ministry of Manpower (MOM), it became a softie in the face of employers. Why?

3. Is it because it actually has no Man and no Power? If so, who is the Man and the real Power behind it?

4. Or, is it because it is reluctant to behave like a man and afraid to exercise its power? If so, why?

5. I strongly believe it has something to do with the Tripartite concept. The Tripartite is supposed to be the three parties of Government, Trade Unions and Employers come together for the interests of the Employees, the Labour Force (actually the strongest force in any country, except Singapore). Why except Singapore?

6. In Singapore, if you care to examine deeply, you will realise that the Tripartite actually represents the Three Huge Groups of Employers coming together to join as a single "Unified Front" to safeguard the Interests of ALL EMPLOYERS against the interests of ALL EMPLOYEES. That means the employees have no real representation, no real protection, and no real clout, i.e. powerless and leaderless.

7. The Three Huge Groups of Employers are:

A. The Largest Group of Employers is the Government with the Civil Service, he Government Investment Corporation, he Government-Linked Companies, the Temasek Holdings and all its subsidiary holdings companies, like DBS, POSB, Singapore Technology, Changi Airport Group, and SIA. It has in effect growb to become like a Huge Banyan Tree with a huge canopy of leaves blocking off all the sunlight from above and sucking up all the nutrients from below. Under such circumstances, only creepers and parasites can grow.

B. The National Trade Union Congress, which has, over the decades, evolved from numerous actual labour-caring unions into a pseudo make-belief uncaring unrecognisable monster which mutated into a Super Giant Octopus with its tenacious tentacles of businesses stretching to every loop and into every corner of the island. It is now the second Largest Group of Employers. Unionism has become just a pass-time hobby and a springboard platform for certain people to navigate and transform themselves into Ministers and Presidents.

C. The third Largest Group of Employers in Singapore is represented by the Singapore Business Federation and the Trade Associations and Chambers Alliance. This group has the least power among the three. However, it has the most leverage because the other two groups dare not openly claim themselves to represent the interests of Employers. They have to act like the Government and the Trade Unions at least in front of all the watching eyes of the workers/employees. Therefore, whatever this group proposes, the other two groups will wholeheartedly support in silence, while the workers and employees suffer in silence (because nobody is willing to speak up on their behalf).

8. So, whatever MOM or MTI says, its all about strengthening the Singapore CORE OF EMPLOYERS. Don't be a fool to interpret that it is about strengthening the Singapore Core of Employees. Because the employees are inconsequential, easily replaceable and powerless. They are totally at the mercy of the Tripartite of Employers.

Wake up! 

SSO - 22 January 2021

11 comments:

  1. Tripartite means three-legged tripod that supports a heavyweight item.

    In Singapore's context, the three legs of Employers support their businesses, their growth and productivity, and the bottom line profits.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 1. Failure of the Trade Unions in Singapore to protect the workers. Since the amalgamation of all trade unions under the umbrella of NTUC, the political leadership has manipulated, through replacing union leaders with political leaders, the unions of workers to become a paper tiger without teeth and skin.

    2. Failure of the government to remain solely as the Government when it started to build its own business empire to compete with the small and medium businesses on an unfair footing, for obvious reasons. Not only that. When the Government is in the business business, it can easily control and manipulate prices, rentals and taxes for its own benefits.

    That's why today the workers simply have no say in anything.

    The trade unions don't actually represent the workforce but are themselves businesses manipulating the workforce to their own advantages.

    The Government has its own businesses to take care of, to generate more profits every year, to ensure their elected and selected elites have lucrative employment and power over the masses. Very serious conflicts of interests. How to be fair to the workers?

    Lip service has become a well-polished and professional endeavour of natural progression.

    ReplyDelete
  3. They talked so much about the Tripartite, as though it is the Heaven sent Saviour to save the workers. In reality, it is actually a conspiracy of three big gangs to gang up against and exploit the workers, especially local workers.

    ReplyDelete
  4. India's PM Modi has seen through the veil and therefore designed the CECA to protect and advantage his Indian citizens working in Singapore.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Kpkb no use lah. Only way is to vote in more and more Alternative political parties and members of Parliament.

    When a political party is in power for too long, it becomes self-serving, over-confident and arrogant.

    It becomes callous, blind, deaf and careless.

    It becomes self-entitled, incestuous, and inbreeding to the extent that it goes around naked. Yet it does not realise people can see that it is totally and obscenely exposed.

    Shame because the symbol and the trademark. Appropriately represented by one who is called by Netizens as SHAME.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sorry, in the last paragraph, "because" should be "becomes".

    ReplyDelete
  7. As of Sunday noon (24 Jan), Singapore happily imported additional 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection from foreign lands.

    This brings the total number of detected Covid-19 infection cases to 59,308. This total does not include the 89,000 foreign workers who have been infected but not reported earlier.

    All of the 48 newly imported cases have been placed on Stay-Home Notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore.

    “Amongst them, 4 are Singapore Permanent Residents, and 10 are foreign domestic workers,” said MOH.

    The remaining 34 could have come from outer space because MOH seems unable or unwilling to say where they come from.

    ReplyDelete
  8. From Tuesday (Jan 26), all households must not host more than eight guests a day, as part of stepped-up measures to combat rising Covid-19 infections ahead of Chinese New Year.

    The Covid-19 infections in Singapore would have ended months ago if not for the daily import of Covid-19 cases, enabled by the PAP 4G elites' open-leg FT policies which cater to the narrow interests of business people at the expense of the rest of society.

    ReplyDelete
  9. How to ensure every household has only 8 guests every day?

    How many households are there in Singapore?

    How many watchers are required to monitor each and every household?

    What about the non-Chinese? Are they also restricted to have only 8 guests per day?

    If I have 80 guests in one day, I can space them out with one or two hours interval and ensure that there are not more than 8 guests at any one time, why must I be restricted to only 8 guests per day?

    Should not it be 8 guests at any one time, instead of 8 guests per day?

    ReplyDelete
  10. After the CNY, there will be an increase in the number of Covid-19 infections. Most probably also new strain infections.

    This backside itchy policy, as stubborn as a mule type of behaviou, due to arrogance and over-confidence, as well as stupidity, is going to backfire for sure.

    Expert Task Force - MY FOOT!

    ReplyDelete
  11. When they refuse to ban people coming from the world's top two worse infected countries, you can expect things will only get worse.

    This kind of silliness is unforgivable.

    ReplyDelete