The government has warned foreign managers that they should not
marginalise qualified local candidates in order to hire and promote
their own kind.
Minister of State for Manpower
Tan Chuan-Jin announced on Monday new guidelines targeting
discriminatory
practices against
Singaporeans
such as job advertisements indicating that foreigners are preferred
and the preferential hiring of foreigners over suitable
Singaporeans.
These new guidelines were drawn up in response to the high number
of cases -- 51 in the first nine months of this year -- of unfair
treatment based on nationality lodged with the
Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep),
reported The Straits Times.
Here are three case studies on why Singaporeans are lodging
complaints of preferential treatment:
Tan, who was speaking at a tripartism forum, stressed that while
foreigners are still welcome to work in Singapore, the core of a
company's workforce must remain Singaporean.
The Member of Parliament for
Marine Parade group representation constituency said that even
though the government is tightening its grip on importing foreign
labour, employers on the ground must still be watchful over their
actions as many Singaporeans have expressed displeasure over
discriminatory practices in their workplace.
“Let me emphasise that discriminatory practices have no place in
Singapore,” he said. He added that companies have a responsibility
“to attract, recruit and develop Singaporeans so that Singaporeans
remain at the core of our workforce”.
When asked why laws were not drawn to fight discrimination, Tan
replied that this issue isn’t straightforward. He said that
employers’ mindsets must be changed to tackle the problem, and it’s
better done through moral suasion.
He added that anti-discrimination laws would reduce flexibility in
the labour market, which is a strength for Singapore, the same
paper reported.
Tan, however, assured that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will act
against employers who refuse to eliminate discrimination.
MOM will work with consult employers to resolve issues, but if that
doesn’t work, the ministry will have to use other methods, such as
slapping demerit points on employment agencies.
In addition, Tafep will hold workshops to educate employers and
ease them into the new guidelines.
Labour chief Lim Swee Say and employers’ group chief Stephen Lee
both support the new guidelines.
Lee, president of the Singapore National Employers
Federation, said
that firms having Singaporeans as their workforce core enforces
their competitiveness in the long-term as foreign workers tend to
be more mobile.
He also pointed that Singapore’s foreign worker cap, which stands
at one-third of the three-million-strong workforce, is one of the
world’s highest. Lee also said that companies must nurture
Singaporeans as their core.
“If you replace your core with all foreigners because of short-term
expediency, then I start to question the viability of the company
in the long run,” Lee said.
Lim, NTUC secretary-general, said that employers need to change
their mindsets. Some employers don’t think Singaporeans are willing
to take on low-level jobs, while not possessing the ability to take
on high-skilled ones.
Many Singaporeans also complain that employers are not willing to
pay better for low-level jobs, while not doing enough to help them
move up to higher-level ones.
from yahoo news
