PA kicks off bid to craft a million flowers from plastic bags

April 28, 2014, 9:23 pm

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By David Ee, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

TECK Ghee in Ang Mo Kio GRC yesterday hosted a "bring your own bag" event with a difference.

The special guest was the ward's Member of Parliament, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who brought 20 plastic bags and joined 500 residents and volunteers in turning the bags into flowers.

Post by Lee Hsien Loong.

The event kicked off the People's Association's (PA's) effort to get people islandwide to craft one million flowers from used bags, as a way to show their love for the nation as it approaches its 50th birthday next year.

The flowers, which represent people's wishes for Singapore, will eventually be part of a gigantic "flower bed", which will be displayed at the opening of Chingay 2015, to be held on Feb 27 and 28 at the F1 Pit Building.

The PA is inviting groups across the island to take part, including schools, businesses, faith groups, clan and immigrant associations, and ordinary households.

After Chingay next year, the "flowers" will be shown at the PAssionArts Festival next April. They will then be sold to recycling firms to be turned into flower pots or new bags.

For some of the participants yesterday, their wishes for the nation ahead of a half-century of independence were tinged with gratitude for Singapore's journey.

"I feel happy that Singapore has reached 50 years without too many conflicts," said transport officer Habel Low, 64.

"I wish for harmony and stability, especially with our multiracial society. We have to give and take and tolerate one another."

Teck Ghee Primary pupil Lim Yin Kang, 12, had just two wishes: for the country to remain a safe place to live, and for it to become "less stressful" for students.

Others wished for a more environmentally conscious Singapore and close-knit communities.

Mr Low said that ultimately, he worries about the cost of living and hopes that his two sons, aged 26 and 17, will "get jobs and a place to stay".

As for PM Lee, who made five flowers, he seemed to have babies on his mind. Just before giving out prizes at the Teck Ghee Baby Show, which was held alongside the event, he told the new parents present that raising children is "one of the greatest joys" in life.

He quipped: "I hope that next year when we have a baby show, you will come back. This group of babies may be too old, but I hope you have a new group of babies to participate next year."

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Three self-help groups may get bigger grants

April 28, 2014, 10:20 pm

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Govt prepared to match their efforts to reach out to needy: Lawrence Wong

By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

THREE self-help groups with plans to step up community outreach might enjoy increased funding from the Government, as part of efforts to build stronger social safety nets and help low-income families.

Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong told reporters on the sidelines of a community dialogue at Bukit Batok East that the Government is prepared to increase grants to the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) and the Eurasian Association (EA) to match their efforts to reach out to the needy.

The three are looking at ways to raise more funds for their communities, including increasing their Central Provident Fund check-off rates, which are amounts individuals contribute towards self-help groups on a monthly basis.

The Government provides a matching grant to donations raised by self-help groups - up to an annual cap.

Just last year, the Government raised the cap for the matching grant for Yayasan Mendaki, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) and Malay Muslim organisations from $4 million to $5 million from this financial year onwards, in response to their increased efforts to help the community.

Sinda now receives up to $1.7 million a year, while EA gets not more than $200,000 annually.

CDAC does not receive yearly grants.

It received a one-off grant of $10 million to be used from 1992 to 1997.

Both SINDA and CDAC welcomed more government support, saying they have been expanding their outreach and enhancing their programmes.

SINDA chief operating officer Ravindran Nagalingam told The Straits Times that the group has been running a deficit of just over $1 million for the past few years. Costs went up as they whittled class sizes for their tuition programmes down to about 10 students, and hired tutors trained by the Education Ministry.

CDAC said that since the start of the year, it has opened a new centre in Ang Mo Kio, launched skills training awards and offered more programmes in schools customised to students' needs.

The Government will announce its revised matching grant caps later this year.

Mr Wong said: "If these communities are doing more on their part, the Government then, in response, will be committed to providing more in terms of matching grants... it's in line with our philosophy that the Government and the community both work together to help individuals."

That was a point he brought up at the start of the community dialogue, where he and Parliament Speaker and Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob discussed topics like national service, education and youth issues with about 150 grassroots leaders and residents.

Mr Wong spoke about the new way forward mapped out by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech last year, which will see greater support for individuals, especially those who are vulnerable.

He said social policies need the Government and the community to work together to be effective.

"The Government can build more hospitals, but it's up to the community to promote a healthy lifestyle. The Government can build more HDB flats, but it's up to you to make this a home," he told the audience.

"These are the things that the Government cannot substitute. It's up to the community to also do its part to rally together and create that sense of home and that sense of belonging."

Building ties to tackle common challenges

April 28, 2014, 10:38 pm

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By Jean-Pierre Bel, Published TODAY, 28 Apr 2014

In October 2012, my Prime Minister, Mr Jean-Marc Ayrault, visited Singapore and signed a strategic partnership between the Republic and France. This was Singapore’s second such partnership, following one with the United States.

I met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong exactly a year later and took up his invitation to visit Singapore from April 20 to 22. Besides meeting PM Lee again, I called on President Tony Tan and had useful meetings with Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob and the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms Grace Fu.

COMMON CHALLENGES

One of the main reasons for my visit was to strengthen people-to-people exchanges between France and Singapore on areas of common concern.

Lying more than 10,000km apart, our countries appear to be very different. France has a much longer history and her population is more than 10 times that of Singapore.

However, we are facing some similar challenges. These include integration of foreigners in our societies, an ageing population and inter-generational bonding, and climate change.

On immigration and the integration of foreigners, at a time when the far-right discourse is gaining ground in Europe, we have a duty to demonstrate that an open and fair society is beneficial to all.

France has adopted measures to facilitate the integration of foreigners and fresh immigrants into French society. These include offering classes on French language and culture, helping them in their job search and holding workshops with school representatives to ensure their children adjust well in our school system.

I believe both France and Singapore are well placed to reconcile our respective national identities with globalisation and the challenges it poses to our societies.

The population in both countries is ageing and this has heightened healthcare concerns among the people. Faced with this common challenge, we both have to find ways to optimise our healthcare systems and work towards greater efficiency, even though our starting points are very different.

There is also a key difference in the way our social safety nets operate. One area we can work together is to study how best to utilise manpower and technology to provide the best care for the elderly.

In an ageing society, it is critical that the healthcare system provides for the needs of the most vulnerable citizens, including the poor and lonely. France introduced universal medical coverage in 2000, much like the MediShield Life scheme being introduced here, which is especially aimed at ensuring that low-income earners are also able to afford healthcare. This universal coverage is available not only to French citizens, but also to foreigners residing in France.

Singapore and France also face similar challenges caused by global warming: Rising water levels, air pollution and climate-induced migration, for instance. France will be hosting the Paris 2015 United Nations conference on climate change, where we aim to adopt a new and ambitious international framework until 2030 for the reduction of emissions.

Singapore is a regional leader in these issues and one of the few Asian countries that has put forward an emission cut commitment. We will work closely with our Singaporean partners to make the Paris 2015 conference a success. On all these common challenges, I would like to encourage further dialogue between not only officials and Members of Parliament, but also students, researchers and representatives from the civil society.

STRENGTHENING BILATERAL TIES

During my visit, I also saw first-hand that Singapore has truly become a global city with talents from all over the world. The fact that more than 600 French companies are now based in Singapore (where they employ about 40,000 people), and that more than 12,000 of my countrymen have settled here, bears mentioning.

The French community here is a young and dynamic group with more than 300 entrepreneurs and more than a hundred scientists working in Singapore’s world-class laboratories in areas such as biotechnology.

Lastly, I also told our distinguished Singaporean hosts that France looks forward to the 2015 Singapore jubilee as it will not only mark the Republic’s 50th year of independence, but also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries.

I personally look forward to attending all the events and exhibits of the Singapore ‘Festivarts’ cultural festival that will be held all over France in spring next year to celebrate this anniversary.

This landmark event is the culmination of a decade-long partnership between France and Singapore on cultural policy and I am sure it will help our two people to develop closer ties and better understanding.

Jean-Pierre Bel is President of the French Senate.

A better way to improve social graces

April 28, 2014, 10:53 pm

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By William Wan, Published TODAY, 25 Apr 2014

With the prevalence of smartphones and social media today, it is becoming more common to see images and video clips of bad behaviour and mischief being posted online and shared. The intention, no doubt, is to publicly shame the perpetrators of these acts. This cannot be a healthy social norm. As much as we want people to be more gracious, shaming them into doing so is not the way to go about it.

Shame is a feeling that one is a bad person whereas guilt is a feeling that one has done a bad thing. In her research on children, psychologist Karen Caplovitz Barrett found that shame makes the subject feel small and worthless, and he or she usually responds by lashing out at a target or escaping the situation altogether. It can be devastating as it is a negative judgment that goes to the core of one’s personhood.

Guilt, though an equally negative judgment, addresses only the unacceptable action, which can be corrected by better conduct.

In Prof Barrett’s study, when children feel guilty, they tend to experience regret and remorse, and they feel empathy for the one hurt by the bad action and consequently seek to correct it.

If you want someone to improve his behaviour, deliberate shaming is clearly not the answer, though a feeling of guilt may help. So what can we do?

FAMING INSTEAD OF SHAMING

Ideally, it would be great if we can agree that the culture of shaming is not positive and wholesome for society. May I put forth a simple suggestion to set us on this journey of eradicating public shaming. Let’s call it name-and-fame instead of name-and-shame.

The next time you see someone doing a good deed, a kind act or something worth holding up to, take a photo or record a video of it. Then post it up on your social network and share it with others. Also, do not forget to go forward and pat the person on the back to celebrate his act.

Can such a movement get a foothold in our society? Will people share love instead of hate? It goes against much of our common history, which shows humanity as quick to anger, but slow to love. Yet, with all the ills that have come with social media, there has also been, on any given day, a strong push to spread stories of kindness and happiness.

Just looking through my Facebook news feed recently, I saw a video of a Muslim girl and a Jewish girl reciting an incredible poem together about how religion should not divide people despite differences. Another video showed a 79-year-old lady performing an amazing salsa dance that would outshine dancers a third her age, leaving the judges on Britain’s Got Talent speechless. I also saw a video advertising the world’s toughest job, which turned out to be a clever stunt to get people to realise how mothers have the world’s toughest job.

So if it is not true that people do not want to spread goodness, let’s create more goodness for people to share.

Instead of showing the ugly side of Singapore on social media and the Internet, let’s show our better selves.

Perhaps reverse psychology will kick in here and those who are bent on unpleasant and hurtful conduct might just feel guilty and decide to do something about correcting their own behaviour.

Dr William Wan is the general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement.

Labour chief calls for nation of better customers

April 28, 2014, 11:10 pm

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By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

WORKERS providing a service are not the servants of their customers, said labour chief Lim Swee Say, as he called for a nation of better customers in his annual May Day message released yesterday.

Overly demanding customers would cause even more of a strain on the labour crunch, which is here to stay for years to come, he added. “As we strive to become a more advanced economy, we must also strive to be a nation of better customers and better people.”

Although Labour Day on May 1 has traditionally been used by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) to celebrate workers’ contributions to Singapore, the labour movement is turning its focus – for the first time – to customers, with a campaign to get them to show more appreciation to workers.

“Instead of complaining that the service standard in Singapore is still not good enough, why don’t you ask yourself ‘Are the customers in Singapore good enough?’” said Mr Lim, who is NTUC secretary-general.

Mr Lim in a media briefing last week on NTUC’s May Day celebration plans.To kick off the campaign, 1,000 union members will fan out across Singapore on Labour Day this Thursday to say “thank you” to 100,000 workers.

NTUC is also mulling over plans to get workers to highlight model customers. The effort could help firms cope with the labour crunch, said Mr Lim, noting that workers are shunning service sector jobs as “customers are adding to the stress”.

He also warned: “The labour market will remain tight until 2020, and even tighter all the way to 2030.”

He explained that the local manpower growth will slow with the ageing population, and that curbs on the inflow of foreign workers will continue. To cope, “employers have to learn to make better use of every worker and treat every worker better”. Workers, on their end, should not take job certainty for granted and keep upgrading their skills, he added.

In a separate message yesterday, NTUC president Diana Chia said unions will step up the drive to get more workers from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to join unions, because SMEs hire “a large proportion” of the labour force.

“We do this because we believe that no worker should be deprived of the benefits of union members,” she said. This ranges from having a union to speak up for workers when negotiating with employers to shopping rebates at FairPrice.

NTUC has some 780,000 members, including over 70,000 from its youth wing, and retirees. There are about 140,000 foreign workers and 570,000 local workers.

NTUC kicks off its May Day celebrations tomorrow, where it will hand out over 100 awards to firms and individuals at a dinner at Orchid Country Club.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will give his annual May Day Rally speech this Thursday at the new Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability in Jurong East, named after the former president who was a union leader.

Labour market to remain tight until 2030: NTUC head
S’poreans must adjust mindset to succeed in the economic restructuring ahead, says Lim Swee Say in May Day Message
By Amir Hussain, TODAY, 28 Apr 2014

The labour market is set to remain tight till 2020, and even tighter all the way to 2030, said labour chief Lim Swee Say.

While the tightening of the labour market will spur a faster pace of economic restructuring, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General said the labour movement is determined to keep upgrading workers’ skills and creating good jobs, in order to succeed in the transition.

To that end, he has called for an adjustment in Singaporeans’ mindset, to “change our economy, our workforce and our society for the better”.

Employers have to learn to make better use of every worker, and treat every worker better, said Mr Lim in his May Day Message ahead of Thursday’s celebration. “Competition for good people will not ease. Only better employers can attract and retain better people and grow more profitably,” he added.

Mr Lim noted that Singapore’s economic growth is healthy and wages continue to move up faster than inflation, but he cautioned on the need to find ways to go through the economic restructuring “as smoothly (and) as effectively as possible”.

He told reporters: “Because if we get it wrong, our economy may lose our competitiveness, our job growth may slow down, and eventually businesses may either relocate or just completely close down their operation.”

Workers, meanwhile, should not take the tight labour market for granted, Mr Lim said, as he pointed to the global move towards robotisation and the use of technology to reduce dependency on labour. Hence, Singaporeans have to “value our jobs more and take greater pride in what we do”.

Mr Lim’s comments came as figures released last week by the Manpower Ministry showed that 11,560 workers were laid off last year, slightly more than the 11,010 in 2012. Overall, the top reason for redundancy was the restructuring of business processes, reflecting the ongoing productivity drive. This affected 40 per cent of workers laid off last year, up from 37 per cent in 2012, the MOM said.

Senior Regional Economist at Barclays Leong Wai Ho felt Mr Lim’s May Day Message was an “apt reminder that global competition is intensifying”. “As wage costs rise due to the labour tightening and the ageing of our workforce, along comes pressure for workers to be ever more productive and value adding,” he added.

DBS Senior Economist Irvin Seah, meanwhile, noted that it remains to be seen whether the tight labour market will slacken in, say, the case of a recession. However, from a structural perspective, the population is ageing and the foreign labour policy is tighter, so the labour market will remain “persistently tight for many years to come”. On unemployment from the restructuring, Mr Seah noted that the only way to mitigate this is to reskill and retrain workers so they remain employable.

On the tight labour market, Deputy General Secretary of the Amalgamated Union of Public Employees Yeo Chun Fing noted that workers may be more stressed as employers push for higher productivity.

In his message, Mr Lim also said that as the Republic strives to become a more advanced economy, it must also strive to be “a nation of better customers and better people”. He urged Singaporeans to treat service workers as equals: “The globalised world thrives on mutual dependency, mutual support and mutual acceptance. Good services beget good customers, and good customers beget good services,” he said.

Executive Secretary of the Healthcare Services Employees’ Union Patrick Tay noted that his union members want their customers — patients and their families — to treat healthcare staff with respect and honour. But the mindset change will not be an easy task, he said, noting that expectations are high. “It takes everyone to join hands to make Singapore more gracious and a great place to live and to work in,” he added.

Uphill task to get homes to cut waste

April 29, 2014, 11:51 pm

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By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

WHEN visitors come to Singapore, they always remark on how leafy and clean the island is. That is, until they find out how household recycling works - or doesn't.

While 61 per cent of all the rubbish chucked out last year was recycled, this was hardly the case for household waste streams such as plastic and food waste. Just 11 per cent of plastics and 13 per cent of food waste were recycled.

"Our overall recycling rate is around 60 per cent, but at the domestic (household) level, it is only around 20 per cent," said Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan in the Budget debate in February.

In 2010, British visitor Mary Veel wrote to The Straits Times Forum to express her surprise at Singapore's dismal progress in recycling.

"England is not particularly well-organised in many areas, but in the matter of recycling, we appear to have mastered more of the issues involved," she wrote.

Singapore residents, too, complain about recycling not being a social norm, and about a lack of infrastructure. "The concept of recycling is lacking in Singapore, compared to other developed countries. All one needs to do is look into any rubbish bin to find recyclables mixed with organic garbage," wrote Mr Elgar Lee last year in a letter to The Straits Times.

What exactly does recycling entail and why does it matter that Singapore is no role model in this area?

When you harvest newspapers or cardboard or cans instead of putting them into the bin, that is the first step. But after that, the materials need to be collected and processed. Newspaper gets pulped and turned into new paper; glass bottles are melted down and re-shaped into new ones.

Technologically, those steps are relatively easy. But collecting enough material to justify the cost of investing in a paper mill, or distributing the recycled paper to users, can be much harder.

Yet in a society that consumes more and more, recycling makes our environment a little bit more sustainable.

If copper and aluminium are not recycled, they have to be mined; recycling aluminium uses about 5 per cent of the energy of mining bauxite and manufacturing aluminium from it. If plastic is not recycled, it has to be made from fossil fuels, which in turn have to be extracted from the earth.

And of course, all this extraction and processing takes energy and water. As energy costs become higher and resources more scarce, the balance begins to tilt in favour of recycling.

In Singapore, there is no need to separate recyclables into metal, paper and plastic. Instead, they are separated at a centralised facility. If recyclables are put in the recycling bin properly, public waste collectors are contractually bound to collect, separate and recycle them. Usually, this means selling them to larger firms overseas that aggregate metals and sell those to metal smelters, or that collect plastics and turn them into pellets for future use.

But if the recyclables in the bin at the foot of each HDB block are contaminated with food waste or other non-recyclables, the public waste collector has to toss them out. If trash in Singapore does not get recycled, not all is lost. It gets incinerated to generate a tiny percentage, roughly 3 per cent, of Singapore's electricity.

At least, it does not get buried. In other countries, rubbish that is not recycled often goes into landfill, where plastics can take thousands of years to decompose.

Singapore does have a landfill - Pulau Semakau, south of the mainland. After rubbish is incinerated here, the ash goes to the island, along with waste that cannot be incinerated. But Singapore disposes of more than three million tonnes of rubbish a year. At this rate, Semakau will run out of space between 2035 and 2045.

So why don't we recycle more?

Many do make an effort. But there is little clarity on what can be recycled. And until 2006, no public housing block in Singapore had a recycling chute, but all had a rubbish chute, making it easier to toss everything down the chute than haul recyclables downstairs.

Things are changing, however. In 2011, the National Environment Agency started putting one bin at the foot of each block, up from one bin for every five, and new waste collection contracts from that year required public waste collectors to collect the recyclables every day. (But blocks are becoming taller, with correspondingly more recyclables and waste.)

And this year, the HDB announced it would put separate recycling chutes in all new HDB blocks, based on evidence from tests of such chutes at the Treelodge@Punggol estate. The tests found that Treelodge residents threw out far less than their neighbours - 40.4kg to 49.9kg per household a month, compared with 50.7kg to 77.2kg for other blocks in Punggol - and recycled about three times more recyclable waste than comparable housing estates without such chutes.

But in the end, some items simply do not make economic sense to recycle. For instance, the combination of plastic, foil, coffee grounds and paper in a single-serving coffee capsule is difficult to take apart.

Labour has to be very cheap in order to make some of these things economical to recycle.

For instance, it takes very cheap manual labour to painstakingly pick the tin foil apart from the plastic of a blister pack so that each can be recycled, as Adam Minter, author of Junkyard Planet, saw in India.

Moreover, it still takes energy to process old glass, melt down metal cans and shred phone books.

Most importantly, even as recycling cuts waste and saves resources, there are still two other Rs in the "reduce, re-use, recycle" triad - and these should come first even before recycling.

So to really save the planet, consumers should first use less of the stuff they do not need, and repair or re-purpose old items. When they do buy new items, they can choose from firms that have take-back programmes. For instance, telcos SingTel and StarHub have drop-off points for old phones, accessories and chargers. And they can avoid non-recyclable materials like styrofoam food boxes.

Ditching the convenience of a buy-and-throw culture for the slight inconvenience of the three Rs today is a small price for a more sustainable tomorrow.

Besides legislation, efforts being made to change habits
By Grace Chua, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

IN SINGAPORE, both the public and private sector have been involved in keeping the nation's waste down.

Currently, Singapore discards more than three million tonnes of garbage a year, which works out to around 8,000 tonnes a day.

This year, the Government has introduced mandatory waste-reporting for big hotels and malls.

Hotels with more than 200 rooms and malls with net rental areas of more than 50,000 sq ft (4,645 sq m) have to collect data about how much waste they generate and what their targets are for reducing and recycling it.

Typically, such moves precede a gradual broadening of legislation.

For instance, the National Environment Agency first set out mandatory energy-efficiency performance labels for some appliances, then in subsequent years, made it compulsory for those appliances.

In the past few years, the Government has also introduced physical infrastructure such as recycling chutes and more recycling bins to make it easier for residents to recycle.

On the waste minimisation front, it started the Singapore Packaging Agreement in 2007, a voluntary agreement to get packaging companies to reduce the amount of plastic and other materials they use as such waste makes up a third of domestic rubbish.

Plastic continues to make up close to a quarter of all waste disposed of in Singapore, so the agreement's effectiveness is not clear.

Meanwhile, companies and non-government organisations are working on other ways to cut waste.

In a report last year, the Singapore Environment Council pointed out that Singapore uses a staggering three billion plastic bags a year. It recommended a nationwide "bring your own bag" weekend campaign to cut the number of bags given out at supermarkets.

There are also firms engaged in the sharing economy, which involves people giving away, lending or renting items and services to maximise the efficient use of resources and reduce waste.

Renttycoons.com, for one, allows users to rent everything from bicycles to wedding decor from one another.

Ultimately, for the three Rs - reduce, reuse and recycle - to become a way of life, people's behaviour must change too. As the SEC wrote in its plastic bag report: "The common thread is that human behaviour is at the heart of each possible solution."

This is the sixth of 12 primers on various current affairs issues, published in the run-up to The Straits Times-Ministry of Education National Current Affairs Quiz.

Report food waste data, malls and hotels told
From next year, they must also submit recycling information to NEA

By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 28 Apr 2014

ABOUT 250 shopping malls and hotels will need to report waste and recycling data to the National Environment Agency (NEA) from next year.

They must state the weight of waste discarded and that channelled for reuse and recycling, broken down by type, such as paper, metals and food. Their reports must reach the agency by the first quarter of next year.

Companies must also submit waste reduction plans.

The amount of waste generated in Singapore has been rising over the years. Last year, some 7.85 million tonnes were generated, up from 7.27 million tonnes in 2012. The 2011 figure was 6.9 million tonnes.

This compulsory exercise is aimed at hotels with more than 200 rooms, and malls with net lettable areas of over 50,000 sq ft.

An NEA spokesman, responding to queries from The Straits Times, said: "Large commercial premises are generally less responsive to potential savings from reducing waste as waste disposal costs account for only about 3 per cent of their total utilities bill.

"We hope to draw and sustain greater management attention on the waste produced by the premises."

The agency said it will use the data to work with companies to improve waste management plans, through the "sharing of best practices".

There are no incentives for the companies that fare better.

Affected businesses say they are supportive of the programme, and are working with external vendors to monitor their respective waste situation.

A spokesman for Suntec City Mall said it adopts a "collaborative approach" with its tenants, and closely monitors waste and recycling.

Marina Bay Sands (MBS) president and chief executive officer George Tanasijevich said waste management forms an "integral" part of its sustainability efforts.

"We are targeting to achieve a 30 per cent waste diversion rate by end of this year and have plans to continuously improve our recycling rate," he said.

MBS generates reports on waste and recycling on a twice- monthly basis with the help of its external waste vendor, and conducts quarterly audits, he said.

It also has an on-site food waste liquefier that can divert up to 2 tonnes of food waste per day.

Likewise, Royal Plaza on Scotts' general manager Patrick Fiat said it already receives a monthly report from its waste vendor.

The hotel is also looking to increase its recycling efforts beyond the 2,000 kg of materials it recycles yearly.

As food waste continues to hit new highs, the Government is also pledging to do more to combat the issue.

The Straits Times reported last month that a record high of 796,000 tonnes of food was dumped in 2013.

Only about 13 per cent was recycled.

The amount of food waste - including cooked food and expired packaged products - last year was a 42.4 per cent leap from the 2007 figure, far outpacing the 17.7 per cent growth in population.

Minister of State for National Development Maliki Osman told The Straits Times that the Government is looking at "continual education to drive home the importance of moderation... and not to take our food for granted".

"We have done a good job conserving our water and energy over the past few years," he said, adding Singaporeans should be as conscientious in conserving food.

Singapore Environment Council chief executive Jose Raymond said he hopes the mandatory reporting exercise could be expanded to include caterers, all hotels, food industries and food and beverage retail outlets, including food courts, so as to curtail food waste.

He urged the Government to consider further legislation to impose fines on industries and companies who contribute to "excessive and unregulated amounts of food waste".

Eligible companies that fail to submit the report, as required under the Environmental Public Health Act, will be liable to a fine of up to $5,000.

Subsequent offences will carry a fine of up to $10,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.

RISING 'MOUNTAINS'

Amount of waste generated in...

- 2011: 6.9 million tonnes

- 2012: 7.27 million tonnes

- 2013: About 7.85 million tonnes

Related
More food going to waste

Household Recycling Study - Jan 2013

Fast-food jobs drive employment growth in US

April 30, 2014, 12:23 am

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Report shows more gains in low-wage jobs than better paid ones
The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

WASHINGTON - The deep recession wiped out primarily high-wage and middle-wage jobs. Yet the strongest employment growth during the sluggish recovery has been in low-wage work, at places such as strip malls and fast-food restaurants.

In essence, the poor economy has replaced good jobs with bad ones. That is the conclusion of a new report from the National Employment Law Project, a research and advocacy group, analysing employment trends in the US four years into the recovery.

"Fast food is driving the bulk of the job growth at the low end - the job gains there are absolutely phenomenal," said Mr Michael Evangelist, the report's author. "If this is the reality - if these jobs are here to stay and are going to be making up a considerable part of the economy - the question is, how do we make them better?"

The report shows that total employment has finally surpassed its pre-recession level. "The good news is we're back to zero," Mr Evangelist said.

But job losses and gains have been skewed. Higher-wage industries - like accounting and legal work - shed 3.6 million positions during the recession and have added only 2.6 million positions during the recovery.

But lower-wage industries lost 2 million jobs, then added 3.8 million.

With 10.5 million Americans still looking for work - the unemployment rate is 6.7 per cent - employers feel no pressure to raise wages for those who are working. As a result, the average household's take-home pay has declined through the recession and the recovery to US$51,017 in 2012 from US$55,627 in 2007, after adjusting for inflation.

With joblessness high and job gains concentrated in low-wage industries, hundreds of thousands of Americans have accepted positions that pay less than they used to make, in some cases, sliding out of the middle class and into the ranks of the working poor.

That includes Ms Connie Ogletree, a former administrative and executive assistant who now earns US$7.25 (S$9) an hour at a McDonald's in Atlanta.

Ms Ogletree is in school working towards a bachelor's degree, in the hope of returning to a white-collar position. Meanwhile, she and her older sister have scrimped and saved to make ends meet on her meagre earnings. She said she appreciated her job - many do not have one - but that she found the work tough.

"When you go into a fast-food restaurant, you want to be sure the people in the back are doing the best job they can," she said. "You want them not to be worried about missing a day if they're sick, to be able to go to a child's play at school or a PTA meeting. I'd like a vacation once a year, but my employer doesn't offer that, or sick days."

Economists worry that even a stronger recovery might not bring back jobs in traditionally middle-class occupations eroded by mechanisation and offshoring. The US work force might become yet more "polarised", with positions easier to find at the high and low ends than in the middle.

The swelling of the low-wage work force has led to a push for policies to raise the living standards of the poor, including through job training, expansion of health-care coverage and a higher minimum wage.

President Barack Obama has supported a Democratic proposal to lift the federal minimum wage to US$10.10 an hour from its current level of US$7.25. Doing so would "lift wages for nearly 28 million Americans across the country", he said.

NEW YORK TIMES

Bosses favouring foreigners still top employment grouse

April 30, 2014, 12:37 am

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Call for progressive work practices as complaints against bosses rise by 57%

By Joanna Seow, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

COMPLAINTS about preferential treatment of foreigners remain the No. 1 gripe Singaporeans have over unfair employment practices, for the third year running.

They made up more than half of the 475 grievances - involving 295 employers - lodged last year with the national anti-discrimination watchdog.

The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) did not reveal an exact breakdown in its annual review released yesterday.

It said that one in five of the complaints handled was about age, while one in six was to do with issues of language or race.

Overall, it saw 57 per cent more complaints than the 303 dealt with in 2012. In that year, about half were about nationality discrimination.

The volume of inquiries and feedback also rose, with many employers seeking advice on the acceptable requirements for their job advertisements.

Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin called on employers of all sizes to implement good employment practices, in his speech yesterday at the TAFEP Exemplary Employer Award ceremony.

"Putting in place progressive employment practices should not be treated as an after-thought," he said.

"It is not an extra-curricular activity, it is not to be run by the HR department, it is something that everyone needs to embrace and do fully, not just in their spare time," he added, speaking to about 300 business managers and staff at the Pan Pacific Singapore hotel.

More companies were lauded for their fair employment practices this year, and eight won overall awards. The number of submissions for the biennial award has risen 30 per cent since 2012.

More smaller firms participated as well - there were 36 entries from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) this year, compared with 15 two years ago.

One such business that picked up a special mention award was five-year-old events company Adrenalin Group.

A fifth of the social enterprise's 30 full-time staff have some form of sensory, mental or physical disability. They are given an additional allowance of around $300 a year to help with the cost of items such as wheelchair repairs and hearing aids.

In the past year, the company has introduced health insurance for staff, as well as a $500 travel incentive "for them to see the world and recharge", said managing director Richardo Chua.

"SMEs are small and flexible enough to look at the needs and resources of the company to implement (such practices) over time... as your business gets stronger."

Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium hotel also won one of seven special mention awards, as well as an overall award.

Some 10 per cent of its 280 staff are on a Persons With Differences programme, which teams them up with a buddy during their integration programme.

Before someone with disabilities starts work at the hotel, their families are also invited to recce the workplace.

Mr Thng Kai Bin, 22, who has a mild intellectual disability, was initially employed by the hotel last July to do cleaning. But he was given a new role as a doorman this year, with a pay rise of nearly 30 per cent.

"My colleague Ayub taught me how to help the guests get a taxi, how to load luggage," he said of his buddy.

Mr Thng said he enjoys the new job scope more. "I can talk to guests more often. I hope to stay here as long as I can."

---

Foreign graduates on S'pore govt bonds finding job hunt tough

April 30, 2014, 1:02 am

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By Amelia Tan, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

SOME foreign graduates on Singapore government grants and scholarships are finding it hard to find jobs here because of tighter labour rules.

Despite signing agreements to work here for three or six years upon graduation, they are finding it tough to fulfil their bond obligations.

"I came here with the understanding that Singapore is paying for my education and I must repay the generosity by working here. But I found it so hard to find a job," said Mr Fery, 23, a National University of Singapore (NUS) science graduate from Indonesia.

He was a Ministry of Education (MOE) tuition grant recipient and signed a three-year bond. He took 10 months to find employment in a consumer data research firm.

Like the dozen from China, Vietnam and Indonesia who spoke to The Straits Times, he asked not to be named in full for fear of jeopardising his work pass.

Their challenging search is a contrast to most local graduates, who usually get offers before leaving school, said human resource analysts.

In recent years, Singapore has urged companies to consider locals first for jobs through measures such as raising salary requirements for foreigners. Headhunters said these policies have led to fresh foreign graduates being "caught in the middle".

They noted that, on average, foreign graduates are waiting up to six months to get a job now.

A ministry spokesman told The Straits Times that eight in 10 foreign students on MOE grants who graduated from a polytechnic or university in the past three years started work immediately or applied to the ministry to start serving their bonds at a later date to further their studies.

The rest, she added, may not be bond defaulters as some could still be job-hunting.

The spokesman said students who face difficulty in finding jobs can approach their schools' career centres.

For those on a long job hunt, they are allowed to stay here on a year-long social visit pass after graduation. Most get by on their savings.

Mr Charles Zhuang, a business development manager of recruitment firm Encora, said the minimum salary requirement for the highest-tier Employment Pass (EP) has been raised to $3,300, but many companies are not willing to pay that much for a fresh graduate.

The alternative is to hire them on a lower-skilled S Pass, which has a lower salary requirement of $2,200 and offers lower chances of securing permanent residency. But many companies cannot do so as they have reached the quota for S Pass workers.

"The message from the Ministry of Manpower to companies is clear. Hire Singaporeans first since it is so difficult to hire a foreigner," said Mr Zhuang.

Getting a job was not the end of their troubles for some foreign graduates. They still had to get their EP approved.

The scholarship holders said they hope the Government can help them though job-matching, for instance.

"Some Singaporeans may think we are asking for preferential treatment. But we are not. What we are asking for is a chance to serve our bonds and contribute to Singapore," said scholarship holder David, 27, from China.

He has a six-year bond and graduated from NUS with a maths degree. He took six months to get a job as a finance executive.

The foreign graduates pointed out that one downside of the tightened hiring policies is that some of their peers may cite difficulty in getting jobs as an excuse to leave Singapore without serving their bonds.

They asked that MOE allow them to defer their bonds if they cannot get employed.

This has been done previously. In 2001, for example, non-Singaporean graduates on tuition grants could have their bonds suspended for a year if they could not get jobs upon graduation or lost their jobs.

Ms Irene, 24, an MOE tuition grant recipient and engineering polytechnic diploma holder from China, has been looking for a job for almost five months, but to no avail.

"I am not sure how long more my money will last," she said.

One graduate decided to do something about the difficulties many of his compatriots faced - by creating videos that shared tips on how to find a job.

Engineer Qin Jiabin, 25, has recorded and uploaded four videos on YouTube featuring interviews with Chinese scholarship holders who graduated here, as well as headhunters talking about the criteria foreign graduates have to meet to get employed.

MOE Parliamentary Q & A

International Students Receiving Tuition Grant -20 Jan 2014

International Student Tuition Grant Deferments -18 Feb 2014

International Students - Tuition Grant Defaulters -20 Feb 2014

Ex-prisoners to get more help in rejoining society

April 30, 2014, 1:41 am

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More volunteers and professionals to be trained in specialised areas

By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

OFFENDERS released from prison are to be given more help with the essential skills needed to adjust to life on the outside - and avoid the trap of re-offending.

More training is being offered to both volunteers and professionals involved in helping ex-offenders make the transition, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli yesterday.

He was speaking at the second Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-offenders (CARE) Network's workplan seminar.

He said more could be done to reduce the level of re-offending.

He said up to 1,000 training slots will be offered this year in more specialised areas such as "motivational interviewing in the prison context and working with families and children of offenders".

The Singapore Prison Service offers a structured training framework for personnel involved in offender-related work, known as the Development Framework for Offender Rehabilitation Personnel (DORP).

It aims to equip volunteers and aftercare professionals with the relevant skills and qualifications for their work.

Singapore Prison Service is one of eight core members of the CARE Network, which works with more than 100 partners to rehabilitate ex-prisoners. Since CARE Network was formed in 2000, the number of volunteers has grown from about 200 to more than 1,600 in 2013, said Mr Masagos.

To date, all 1,600 volunteers have gone through basic training.

DORP, launched in January this year, has had 339 volunteers and professionals trained in a total of 13 courses. It aims to train up to 1,000 personnel by the end of the year.

Mr Alvin Tan, 39, programme manager at Green Haven halfway house, lauded the plan for more specialised training. He said: "We are working with humans, not machines. We need to have a bag full of tools and skills to work with different individuals."

Last year, 13,944 inmates were released from prison. About one in four falls back to crime after their release.

Repeat offenders remain a concern, even though recidivism rates have been generally stable over the years, said Mr Masagos.

"They comprise more than 80 per cent of the prison population. Many are drug offenders or have drug antecedents. Repeat offenders are also more likely to re-offend and spend a longer time behind bars," he added.

The Conditional Remission System and Mandatory Aftercare Scheme, to be launched later this year, will subject ex-inmates to certain conditions upon their release after serving two-thirds of their sentence, something that is not done currently, said Mr Masagos.

More ex-offenders with accommodation problems
By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

MORE ex-offenders are facing accommodation problems upon their release, said Mr Teo Tze Fang of Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprise (SCORE).

"We have seen an increasing number of cases of ex-offenders, usually repeat offenders, being rejected by their families at the last hour prior to their release," said Mr Teo, Score's chief executive officer. "This places a strain on our current shelter programmes, hence we are working with interested partners to increase shelter bed spaces to cater to those in need of interim accommodation."

The programme manager of Green Haven halfway house, Mr Alvin Tan, said it is not unusual to find that ex-offenders' families are not ready to take them back. Former drug addict Derrick Ee, who has been in and out of prison seven times, told The Straits Times that he had voluntarily checked into a halfway house after his recent release from prison in August 2009.

Mr Ee, 40, said: "My wife, who was seeking a divorce from me, was in the process of selling our matrimonial flat. My parents wouldn't let me home. I was worried till someone told me about Breakthrough Missions halfway house."

Fortunately for him, Breakthrough Missions gave him shelter. He has since rebuilt his relationship with his wife and family. He was discharged from the halfway house two years ago, but works there full-time. Two months ago, he moved into a new flat with his wife.

Some products cost more in S’pore than other cities: MAS & MTI study

April 30, 2014, 5:51 am

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By Dylan Loh, Channel NewsAsia, 29 Apr 2014

Buying a product from Apple, Zara and IKEA could cost more in Singapore compared to 10 other cities, according to a study by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI).

According to the study -- which analyses price differences for 647 items from the three global brands across the 11 cities --"Singapore's prices are found to be relatively high in most instances".

Releasing the findings on Tuesday as part of the its Macroeconomic Review, MAS said Singapore's prices are above the median for two-thirds of the items, and prices for about a quarter of them are below the median.

This means that for the same brand, prices in Singapore can be higher than in other cities for some items but lower for others.

Among the cities included in the study are London, Paris, New York, Shanghai and Hong Kong.

MAS added that for most of the items which are more expensive in Singapore, the price premiums do not exceed 20 per cent.

The report said pricing decisions of the firms are influenced by unit cost and demand for their products in the market.

Costs involved in importing products from further afield as well as Singapore's small market size appear to have contributed to higher prices.

"Singapore has a strong Sing dollar. That causes our imports of these duty goods (to be) slightly higher than the rest of the (countries),” said Steven Goh, executive director of the Orchard Road Business Asscociation.

He added that in Singapore, the “cost of operation is very high, especially rental and labour costs.”

A concern for businesses is the perception that things are generally expensive in Singapore. If this perception is reinforced over time, consumer spending in the country could slow, hurting the bottom-line of many firms.

Authorities have stressed that their study should not be taken as representative of differences in the overall cost of living across cities, since only three global brands were analysed.

MAS said the three global brands in the study -- Apple, Zara and IKEA -- were chosen given the large number of identical consumer electronics, furniture, and apparel products that could be compared across cities.

The study also pointed out that Singapore is not the most expensive location, and it is most expensive for only six per cent of the products surveyed.

Pricier goods due to small S'pore market size: Survey
By Chia Yan Min, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

MOST savvy shoppers know that some consumer products from global brands can be pricier here than abroad.

The higher prices, a survey released yesterday found, are mainly due to Singapore's small market size and the higher transport costs of bringing products here.

The study, commissioned by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), sampled 647 products from Apple, Ikea and Zara.

It compared their prices across 11 cities: Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Taipei, Tokyo, Bangkok, Paris, London, Sydney and New York.

Prices here were above the median for two-thirds of the items and below the median mark for a quarter of them. The median is the midpoint of a range.

Only 21 items were found to be the cheapest here.

Still, the study pointed out that Singapore was not the priciest city overall. The Republic was the most expensive for only 6 per cent of the products sampled.

The brands were chosen for the large number of identical consumer electronics, furniture and apparel products available for comparison across cities.

The price comparisons did not include sales taxes such as Singapore's goods and services tax. When sales taxes were taken into account, the price differences narrowed between Singapore and cities such as Paris, London and Shanghai, where sales taxes are significantly higher.

The Republic's small market size is likely the main reason behind the higher prices of some goods compared with other high- cost cities such as Hong Kong and New York, the study found.

Pricing decisions are influenced by unit cost. Bigger markets allow retailers to spread overheads over a larger sales volume.

Prices also tend to be lower in cities near the source country, as the three global brands build transport costs into prices.

In setting prices, retailers take into account differing demand conditions, including the intensity of competition and consumer preferences, said MAS and MTI.

Given that the study focused on only three brands, the findings should not be taken to represent differences in the overall cost of living across cities, they added.

Singapore Polytechnic senior retail lecturer Sarah Lim said retailers in larger cities can take advantage of economies of scale to spread out high labour and rental costs - major bugbears in the smaller retail scene here.

The Republic's modestly sized market is also unable to support many large retail players.

"Competition is stiffer in markets like New York and London, where there are a lot of players... Retailers will therefore have to price (items) more competitively," Ms Lim said.

If the sampled items are more popular here than in other cities, that may also affect price differences, said Singapore Retailers Association executive director Lau Chuen Wei.

A more important point is that price differentials between Singapore and the 10 cities are "fairly moderate" when including sales taxes. "We use this figure because that is the real figure to the consumer," said Ms Lau. "So, for a shopper, shopping in Singapore is likely to give the best deal, all purchases considered."

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S'pore world's most expensive city for expats

Record $420 million in CPF arrears recovered

April 30, 2014, 7:18 am

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By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

THE Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board recovered a record $420 million in arrears from errant companies last year, and also secured more convictions.

It was a big jump from the $293 million it recovered in 2012, after the board stepped up its checks on companies last year.

Of the total sum, $16.6 million was recovered on behalf of more than 19,000 workers from 3,900 companies which did not pay - or underpaid - their workers' CPF.

The lion's share, $406.6 million, was collected from some 43,000 companies which paid CPF to their 230,000 workers late, after a 14-day grace period.

The board's director of enforcement Ng Hock Keong said that workers are now more aware of their rights.

"This has enabled us to take swifter action against errant employers as more workers are now coming forward to check their CPF entitlements," he said.

In September 2012, the CPF Board and Manpower Ministry started a year-long campaign to help low-wage workers know their CPF and employment rights.

At the same time, they formed a dedicated team of 20 inspectors, including several retired policemen, who uncovered dubious practices after they interviewed more than 12,000 workers at more than 3,000 offices and worksites.

Apart from recovering more money, the board also hauled more employers to court last year.

There were 243 convictions against errant companies last year, up from 219 in 2012.

Member of Parliament Zainudin Nordin, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower, urged the CPF Board not to let up on its efforts.

"Employers should not take their responsibility lightly and must treat workers with due respect, in terms of what is due to them," he said.

A repeat offender who was convicted by the CPF Board twice in a row was Mr Lim A Tiang, the sole proprietor of two motor workshops, Kangtan and KT Lim Motor Services, in Ang Mo Kio.

He was fined $12,000 in 2012 and $12,900 last year for paying workers' CPF late.

Another employer, QHS Express Services, said it was a misunderstanding that led to the transport company being fined $2,400 for not paying three workers' CPF last September.

"It has been settled," said Mr Terrance Quek, son of the company's owner.

Mr Ivan Ho, owner of moving company Lele Moving Services, told The Straits Times he was unable to pay his staff CPF on time because his client was late in paying him, resulting in a $5,400 fine in August last year.

"I give my clients 90 days' credit, but the CPF Board does not give me any credit," he said with a sigh.

Restructuring must continue for "better workers, better jobs": Tan Chuan-Jin

April 30, 2014, 7:20 am

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By Saifulbahri Ismail, Channel NewsAsia, 28 Apr 2014

Singapore must continue with its restructuring efforts to achieve its vision of making "better workers, better jobs", Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin said in his May Day message.

He added that only then can Singapore achieve its vision of making "better workers, better jobs".

Mr Tan also stressed that the tripartite members -- government, employers and unions -- must work closely together as Singapore transforms its economy to create higher-value industries and quality jobs for Singaporeans.

The Singapore economy is expected to grow between two and four per cent this year. The labour market remains tight with close to full employment.

The acting manpower minister said the government is committed to help workers adapt to the new economic environment.

One key area is continuous learning and skills upgrading.

Mr Tan said the Continuing Education and Training system is undergoing a major review to support workers in these areas so they can seize the new job opportunities that restructuring brings.

Companies are also embarking on training which is more relevant now.

Kurt Wee, president of Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), said: "We are exploring modules that have subject matters like… Do Not Call registry, your personal data protection act, so that the workforce that comes through the training workshops are also more relevant, more industry relevant, towards their employers."

Companies will also get help to transform existing business models, so they can create better opportunities for workers.

Businesses are encouraged to innovate and strive for productivity improvements and in turn, raise the wages of workers.

Mr Tan acknowledged the process is not easy for employers.

He is heartened the unions have been engaging companies to tap different funding schemes, such as the Inclusive Growth Programme and Productivity and Innovation Credit.

Echoing the call, Singapore National Employers Federation President Stephen Lee said employers must invest in the training of workers to enable them to take on larger and higher job roles.

He urged employers to engage and empower workers to motivate them to give their best, and to cultivate a workplace culture that encourages innovation and continuous improvements in work processes.

The Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) has also been active in its mass adoption programme since last year.

Ang Li May, deputy CEO at e2i, said: "Companies in the same sector, they are able to share best practices with each other, they are also more likely to require similar type of equipment, and they will be better able to share with each other what the equipment that potentially work well for them are."

The Institute has been operating at the new Devan Nair Institute for Employment and Employability since August last year.

It has one-stop centres to help groups of low wage workers and professionals, managers and executives.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will deliver his May Day Rally speech at the Institute on Thursday.

Tap women and seniors to beat labour crunch: SNEF
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2014

AN UNTAPPED pool of 375,000 women and older people could help ease the labour crunch here, Singapore's largest employer group said yesterday.

They could be coaxed back to work if companies adopt flexible work arrangements, the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) said in its May Day message.

SNEF president Stephen Lee cited government schemes to help companies wanting to implement job flexibility. "I urge employers to tap the WorkPro programme to embark on job redesign and flexible work arrangements.

"Since WorkPro was launched, over 800 companies have received assistance through this programme to implement work-life measures and redesign jobs."

The scheme was set up in March last year by the Manpower Ministry and Singapore Workforce Development Agency with a kitty of $170 million to be given to companies over three years.

It offers subsidies for training and office improvements when companies hire older people or women who rejoin the labour force.

Mr Lee acknowledged that different sectors have their own difficulties as the Singapore economy restructures.

"SNEF will reach out to employers in specific sectors and work with their industry unions to proactively tackle their challenges," he pledged.

He pointed out that companies can make better use of their workers and boost productivity on three fronts: By investing in training, motivating staff and creating a culture of innovation at workplaces.

Mr Lee praised the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) progressive wage model, which involves wage ladders to boost workers' pay through training.

He hopes to see more employers work with unions to implement these wage ladders.

In a separate May Day message yesterday, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin also lauded the labour movement for "spearheading the progressive wage model which puts in place clear wage-skill and career progression pathways for workers".

He renewed a pledge to help workers and companies cope with economic restructuring, saying: "The Government is committed to help workers at all levels adapt to the new economic environment. The Government is also fully committed to helping companies transform their existing business models."

Mr Tan noted that the strong three-way partnership of unions, employers and the Government is a "strong competitive advantage" for Singapore.

"It is important that the Government, employers and unions continue to work closely together towards our common objective of making better workers and better jobs, so as to create a better life for Singaporeans."

The NTUC kicks off its May Day celebrations with a dinner at Orchid Country Club today and the annual May Day Rally at the new Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability on Thursday.

Stay-at-home mums to ease labour crunch?
By Adrian Lim, My Paper, 29 Apr 2014

AS SINGAPORE grapples with its manpower crunch, some neglected womanpower could provide the solution.

But to attract these thousands of women, as well as some older residents, back to the workforce, employers should redesign jobs and offer flexible work arrangements.

These economically inactive individuals amount to a group of about 375,000 whom companies can recruit, said Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) president Stephen Lee yesterday.

Among them, 208,000 are women between the ages of 25 and 54, while 167,000 are men and women aged between 55 and 64.

Mr Lee urged employers to make use of the Government's WorkPro programme to make their workplaces more age- and family-friendly.

Experts told My Paper that getting the economically inactive back to the workforce is a good idea, but execution is key.

So how does one woo back a woman who may have opted out of the workforce?

Sher-Li Torrey, founder of social enterprise Mums@Work, said companies must have a cultural change, with the acceptance of flexi-work arrangements by both line managers and co-workers.

For example, a back-at-work mum offered flexi-work may stir the envy of colleagues.

While blue-collar jobs tend to have "clear deliverables" and fixed hours, these are less well-defined for white-collar workers, Mrs Torrey added.

"When women opt out of the workforce...They must have been financially prepared...If you want them to come back, the jobs must be meaningful and have the flexibility they need," she said.

The Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy's Hui Weng Tat said that in sectors such as food-and-beverage and retail, which face labour shortages, "remuneration may not be attractive enough".

Associate Professor Hui also said that a balance must be struck between encouraging families to have children and boosting the workforce.

Mark Hall, vice-president and country manager of Kelly Services, said the economically inactive group can be recruited for "hard-to-fill positions traditionally associated with the foreign workforce".

But flexibility is important. Older workers, for example, may prefer convenient work locations and shorter hours, while women with children would require childcare arrangements and flexible working hours, Mr Hall said.

Mr Lee said more than 800 firms have benefited from WorkPro, which has a $170 million government kitty to help companies fund job redesigns and implement work-life measures.

Leadership Renewal Continues with Latest Cabinet Reshuffle

April 30, 2014, 8:09 am

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Cabinet shuffle 'to see S'pore through next phase'

New appointments will strengthen social and health teams: PM Lee

By Tham Yuen-C, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong has promoted Mr Tan Chuan-Jin and Mr Lawrence Wong to full ministers and named two new ministers of state to bolster the social and health teams, in a move he said was aimed at strengthening the Cabinet and helping Singapore through an important period of transition.

He said the Government was creating opportunities for Singaporeans through skills upgrading and raising productivity, improving lives through sports, culture and youth engagement, and giving people peace of mind through stronger social safety nets in health and for the elderly.

"These major policy shifts require good political leadership, close coordination across ministries, effective ground implementation and strong support from Singaporeans," he added. He was strengthening the Cabinet line-up "to address our priorities and challenges, and see Singapore through our next phase of development".

In this latest round of changes, the fourth since the May 2011 General Election, Mr Tan will be promoted to Manpower Minister and Mr Wong to Minister for Culture, Community and Youth tomorrow. They have been acting ministers since August 2012 and November 2012, respectively.

The two fourth-generation leaders, along with their peers Education Minister Heng Swee Keat and Social and Family Development Minister Chan Chun Sing, were appointed to office shortly after the May 2011 polls.

Yesterday, Mr Lee said Mr Tan and Mr Wong had performed well since taking office, and had mastered their portfolios, adding: "They have also worked hard on the ground, winning the respect and trust of Singaporeans."

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, in a Facebook update, said both men had also done well in "policy formulation and in explaining policies both in and outside Parliament".

Both ministers yesterday welcomed the opportunity to serve the country, and said they would continue to put in their best.

Along with them, the PM also appointed two new ministers of state. Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Sam Tan will be made Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, where he will focus on social policies.

Moulmein-Kallang GRC Member of Parliament Denise Phua will take over from him as Mayor of Central District from May 27.

Meanwhile, two-term backbencher MP Lam Pin Min, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee for Health, will be Minister of State for Health from Aug 1, to reinforce the team led by minister Gan Kim Yong.

The Health Ministry is at the "forefront" of health-care changes to cater to an ageing population and growing needs, and has its work cut out, Mr Lee said.

Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Amy Khor, who is co-chair of a task force to implement the $8 billion Pioneer Generation Package, will also take on more responsibilities in the Health Ministry, and will relinquish her role as Mayor of South West District.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Social and Family Development Low Yen Ling will take over as Mayor from May 27. She also adds Culture, Community and Youth to her portfolio.

Former Nominated Member of Parliament and political watcher Zulkifli Baharudin said yesterday the changes made clear who would be in the group that would make up the next generation of Singapore's leaders. "At that time, there was some doubt, but now it is clear that Tan Chuan-Jin and Lawrence Wong will be taking up some of the heavy responsibility in the next phase of our development," he said.

PM Lee said yesterday that the changes were part of the Government's continuing leadership renewal efforts. "I expect to do further reshuffles from time to time to ensure that we always have the best team for Singapore," he said.

Promotions and changes

THE following Cabinet promotions and changes take effect tomorrow, unless indicated otherwise.

PROMOTIONS

- Acting Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, Ministry of Manpower: Promoted to full minister.

- Acting Minister Lawrence Wong, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY): Promoted to full minister and Second Minister for Communications and Information.

- Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan: Promoted to Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office and MCCY. Relinquishes current appointment as Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and will step down as mayor of Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) on May 27, when his term ends.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

- Ms Denise Phua, MP (Moulmein-Kallang GRC): Takes over from Mr Tan as mayor of Central CDC.

- Dr Lam Pin Min, MP (Sengkang West): Moves to frontbench as Minister of State in the Health Ministry, starting on Aug 1.

- Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower: Steps down as South West CDC mayor on May 27.

- Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Social and Family Development: Takes over from Dr Khor as South West CDC mayor. Will also take on a new post as Parliamentary Secretary in MCCY.

Latest Cabinet reshuffle to benefit health, social portfolios
Tan Chuan-Jin, Lawrence Wong also made full ministers as leadership renewal continues
By Neo Chai Chin, TODAY, 30 Apr 2014

To address the Government’s priorities and challenges as well as see the nation though its next phase of development, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong put it, a slew of Cabinet changes were announced yesterday.

The third round of changes — since a new Cabinet line-up was announced after the 2011 General Election — will notably beef up the ranks of the teams overseeing the social and health portfolios as leadership renewal efforts continue.

From May 1, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin and Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong will be promoted to full Ministers. Mr Wong will also become Second Minister for Communications and Information.

Mr Sam Tan, who is the Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Foreign Affairs and Culture, Community and Youth), will be promoted to Minister of State (Culture, Community and Youth) and will be appointed to the Prime Minister’s Office to help coordinate the delivery of social policies across ministries, as well as their implementation on the ground.

Two backbenchers, Sengkang West Member of Parliament (MP) Lam Pin Min and Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua, will assume political office. Dr Lam will be Minister of State (Health) from Aug 1, while Ms Phua will take over from Mr Sam Tan as Mayor of Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) towards the end of next month.

Ms Phua and Dr Lam, who chairs the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health, are joining the ranks of several backbenchers who have been appointed to political office over the past two years.

Parliamentary Secretary (Social and Family Development) Low Yen Ling will take on the Culture, Community and Youth portfolio as well. She will also replace Senior Minister of State (Health and Manpower) Amy Khor as Mayor of South West CDC.

Describing the Cabinet changes as part of continuing efforts to inject new blood, Mr Lee said he expects to conduct further reshuffles from time to time “to ensure that we always have the best team for Singapore”. Mr Lee noted that the two Acting Ministers have performed well and have mastered their portfolios. “They have also worked hard on the ground, winning the respect and trust of Singaporeans,” he said.

Reiterating that Singapore is going through an “important transition”, Mr Lee said he was strengthening the teams in charge of the social sector and at the Ministry of Health. Citing the Pioneer Generation Package and the proposed MediShield Life scheme as examples, he said the ministry was “at the forefront of the changes” that the Government is making. “We are also investing heavily to expand and upgrade our healthcare system to cater for an ageing population and growing healthcare needs,” he said.

Adding that Dr Khor will focus on implementing the Pioneer Generation Package, Mr Lee said Dr Lam — an eye specialist who will give up private practice — will play an important role in helping to review healthcare policies and develop new models of care, especially in the areas of aged care and primary care.

Political watchers said the changes signalled a commitment to successfully implement important policies such as the Pioneer Generation Package and MediShield Life, as well as the progression of younger leaders into key government portfolios. Singapore Management University law don and Nominated MP Eugene Tan said: “Much political gunpowder has been invested ... and obviously, the Government is pulling out all the stops to make sure that the policies work well.”

On his promotion, Mr Wong said he was “grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve in a larger capacity” and that he looked forward to working with partners and stakeholders, as there was “still much more to be done” for his 18-month-old ministry. Mr Tan thanked his colleagues and grassroots volunteers who have supported his work at the Manpower Ministry and, previously, at the Ministry of National Development.

Institute of Policy Studies Senior Research Fellow Gillian Koh noted that the promotions of both Acting Ministers were a vote of confidence in their abilities. The pair, along with Education Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing, had been earmarked as the core of the party’s fourth-generation leadership. Dr Koh said it was also important to pay attention to backbenchers who have become office holders when thinking about the ruling party’s fourth generation leaders.

On Dr Lam’s appointment, she said: “It will be interesting to see if the promotion of a GPC chairperson becomes another track by which PAP backbenchers progress in their political careers.”

A special Labour Day for new ministers
Tan Chuan-Jin and Lawrence Wong mastered their portfolios: PM Lee
By Maryam Mokhtar, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

THIS Labour Day will be a little more special for Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.

When the holiday to honour workers comes round tomorrow, Mr Tan will be getting promoted to full minister.

Yesterday's announcement of his promotion came eight months after he was asked to relinquish his second portfolio as Senior Minister of State for National Development - a move that raised questions about his performance and prospects.

Another member of the Government's fourth-generation leadership being promoted to full minister is Mr Lawrence Wong, who heads the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY).

Their promotion and other appointments of office-holders were announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

Both Mr Tan and Mr Wong, he said, had performed well since taking office and had "mastered their portfolios". "They have also worked hard on the ground, winning the respect and trust of Singaporeans," he added.

Explaining the changes, Mr Lee said that as Singapore undergoes an important transition, major policy shifts require good political leadership, close coordination across ministries, effective ground implementation and strong support from Singaporeans.

Mr Tan, 45, and Mr Wong, 41, entered politics in 2011.

Both were made ministers of state before moving up a year later to be acting ministers.

The duo are members of the "Fabulous Five", a group that is expected to form part of the core of the People's Action Party's (PAP's) fourth-generation leadership.

The other three are Education Minister Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing, and Ms Sim Ann, who is Minister of State for Education as well as Communications and Information.

Mr Tan, a former brigadier-general, was previously commander of the Singapore Armed Forces' Army Training and Doctrine Command.

Under his charge, MOM revised the Workfare Income Supplement for low-wage workers and tightened the eligibility criteria for foreign workers seeking S-Passes, among others.

Speaking to reporters at a May Day celebration for unions last night, he said a lot of the work cannot be done without the support of his colleagues, activists, volunteers and grassroots members.

"The priorities don't change just because your appointments change," he added.

Labour MP Zainal Sapari told The Straits Times that Mr Tan's promotion was "fully deserved".

"He has been very supportive in terms of bettering the lives of workers, and gave strong support to the NTUC in introducing a progressive wage model for the cleaning and security sectors," he said.

Mr Wong, meanwhile, made his mark in a ministry that promotes sports and culture and engages the country's youth - a portfolio PM Lee said aims to provide ways for Singaporeans to lead more fulfilling lives.

The former career civil servant said yesterday he was grateful for the opportunity to serve in a larger capacity, especially in Singapore's period of transition.

His new ministry, he added, had rolled out new initiatives such as free museum entry for all Singaporeans and the setting up of volunteer brigade Youth Corps to meet its goals.

"There is still much more to be done, and I look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders to make Singapore a distinctive and endearing home for all of us," he added.

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong congratulated both men in a Facebook post, saying they had performed well in policy formulation and in explaining policies both in and outside Parliament.

New ministers of state bring different areas of expertise: PM
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

ONE is an office-holder known for being able to relate well to elderly and needy residents, while the other is a backbencher with extensive experience in health care in the private sector.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sam Tan and Dr Lam Pin Min's different areas of expertise will come into play in their new roles as ministers of state, as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong seeks to strengthen his team in charge of the social sector.

Mr Tan, who will hold the post in the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) from tomorrow, will coordinate the delivery of social policies across ministries, especially implementation on the ground.

The 55-year-old was described by PM Lee as someone who "engages residents deeply, and takes special care of the elderly and needy".

He will relinquish his appointments as Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Foreign Ministry and Mayor of Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC). The mayor's post will be filled by Moulmein-Kallang GRC MP Denise Phua.

Dr Lam, 44, will leave his private sector post as an eye surgeon at Mount Alvernia Hospital to join the Ministry of Health on Aug 1. He will help in the review of health-care financing policies and develop new models of care, especially in the aged and primary care sectors.

"Dr Lam's professional expertise as a doctor will be very useful in designing policies and engaging our community of health-care professionals," PM Lee said in a press statement.

Both Mr Tan and Dr Lam highlighted the Pioneer Generation Package - the centrepiece of this year's Budget which aims to help older Singaporeans with medical bills - as a key area they will tackle.

Communicating the policy's benefits and getting feedback from Singaporeans will be important, Mr Tan said. "The implementation and last-mile delivery of a policy is very crucial. It can make or break it," he added.

Dr Lam, MP for Sengkang West, also said that "there is much work to be done". The pioneer package helps address health-care affordability for seniors, but many Singaporeans are still concerned about their future health-care needs, he said.

PM Lee noted that the Health Ministry is "at the forefront of the changes" the Government is making.

"Working out the details of MediShield Life and implementing the scheme is a major and complex undertaking," he said. "We are also investing heavily to expand and upgrade our health-care system to cater for an ageing population and growing health- care needs."

Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor will focus on implementing the pioneer package and helping Singaporeans understand how they can benefit, he added.

Ms Low Yen Ling, Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development, will take over Dr Khor's role as South West CDC Mayor on May 27. She will also be appointed Parliamentary Secretary in MCCY, where her duties will include implementing the Youth Corps Singapore programme.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim will continue to drive the Health Ministry's healthy living initiatives.

Fourth generation political leadership taking shape
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

YESTERDAY'S round of Cabinet promotions has essentially confirmed the outline of Singapore's fourth generation of political leaders.

Acting ministers Tan Chuan- Jin (Manpower) and Lawrence Wong (Culture, Community and Youth) will be full ministers from tomorrow, just shy of three years since they were first elected to Parliament.

They join Education Minister Heng Swee Keat and Minister for Social and Family Development Chan Chun Sing, who made the grade earlier.

That makes four full ministers from the batch of 24 new faces Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong inducted in 2011.

That is not a bad haul, compared to previous batches.

Take the 2001 cohort, for example. It was touted to include a constellation of stars known as the "Super Seven", all of whom were appointed to political office after being elected that year.

Today, four of the Super Seven remain on the frontbench. They are: Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan.

Their peers include former transport minister Raymond Lim, who stepped down from the frontbench after the 2011 polls, Mr Cedric Foo, who left political office for the private sector in 2005, and former senior minister of state Balaji Sadasivan, who died in 2010.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong was also from the 2001 batch, but joined the Cabinet later than the other seven.

As for the 2006 cohort, it yielded three Cabinet ministers - Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew and Ministers in the Prime Minister's Office Grace Fu and S. Iswaran.

Rounding out the 2011 batch of high fliers is Minister of State for Education and Communications and Information Sim Ann, the youngest at age 39.

The firming up of the fourth-generation line-up confirms what Mr Lee told regional media editors at a dialogue last month.

He said attention was being paid to succession planning and making sure there was a new team ready, with new leaders capable of taking charge.

With the Prime Minister's vote of confidence, it seems clear that the 2011 quartet is set to go far, and that leadership renewal continues in typical Singapore fashion, that is, slowly but steadily.

In any case, mid-term Cabinet changes tend to be incremental, and yesterday's was no exception.

It lacked any major portfolio swops, which is perhaps unsurprising given the "epochal" Cabinet shake-up of May 2011 when new ministers were put at the helm of 11 of the 14 ministries.

That radical reshuffle after a watershed general election also saw Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan and Mr Lim retire from office. Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong also stepped down to give the new team a fresh start.

This time, instead of seismic shifts, Mr Lee has opted for gradual change and targeted appointments to make sure major policy innovations in health and the social sectors, especially for the elderly, are delivered well.

For this, he has redistributed the work among Cabinet members and brought two more ministers of state on board.

Dr Lam Pin Min has been roped in to help with the Health Ministry, which has the Pioneer Generation Package and the upcoming MediShield Life to carry through.

He has also given newly appointed Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Sam Tan the task of helping to coordinate social policies across ministries and implement them.

The appointments make clear the priority being accorded to social policies as Singapore embarks on what Mr Lee has called a new way forward, promising more government and community support for individuals, especially those who are vulnerable.

As with the infusion of young blood into Singapore's highest echelons, that, too, offers a glimpse of the shape of things to come.

May Day 2014

May 1, 2014, 8:47 am

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May Day Rally 2014

MAY DAY MESSAGE
Call to honour pioneer generation of unionists
Singaporeans can do so by building on their achievements, says PM
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 1 May 2014

PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged Singaporeans to honour the pioneer generation of unionists by building upon their achievements.

In his May Day message yesterday, he paid tribute to the unionists who fought the communists and worked with the Government to improve labour relations through the turbulent early years of Singapore.

Their courage allowed a young nation to build its economy and deliver better lives for the people, he added, stressing the generation overcame "long odds".

"Let us honour them by upholding their spirit, building on their achievements and creating an even better Singapore for our children," he said.

To do so, everyone, from the Government to employers and workers, must play their part.

In his message, he spelt out how the Government is growing the economy and creating jobs.

The economy grew 4.1 per cent last year and is expected to grow between 2 per cent and 4 per cent this year, "which is typical of a maturing economy", he said.

To create jobs for Singaporeans, the Government is giving generous incentives to help firms raise productivity and create opportunities for growth overseas. The projects abroad include those in Malaysia, government-to-government projects in China and industrial parks in Vietnam.

The free trade agreements that Singapore inked with the European Union and partners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership will also expand the export markets.

Training has also been given a boost, said Mr Lee, with two new Continuing Education and Training Centres in Jurong East and Paya Lebar.

But he reminded workers and bosses to chip in too. "Workers must make the effort to train and upgrade themselves," he said, adding: "Employers must invest in workers, develop their skills and make full use of their talents.

"Only then will the Government's programmes bear fruit," he noted.

Besides economic programmes, the social safety net is also being strengthened to give Singaporeans more peace of mind, the Prime Minister pointed out. Examples include expanding the scope of the Community Health Assist Scheme, permanent GST vouchers to help with the cost of living, and education and pre-school subsidies for the lower-income.

"The Pioneer Generation Package will honour and help the seniors who started us on this nation-building journey," he added.

The goal of these programmes, he said, is "to improve Singaporeans' lives".

The Prime Minister will officially open the new Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability and deliver his annual May Day speech to workers today.

Keeping the peace on the labour front
Editorial, The Straits Times, 1 May 2014

TRIPARTISM is an institution that has underpinned the Singapore economy and survived downturns through decades of change. Avoiding two extreme models - exploitation of workers in the name of growth, and adversarial trade unionism in the name of labour rights - tripartism brings in the state to hold the ring between capital and labour in a symbiotic system based on fairness and trust.

In invoking tripartism in his May Day message yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong drew attention to its abiding importance in building a vibrant economy characterised by equity. An economy in transition, which is upgrading qualitatively and expanding less quickly than before, demands that employers and employees work together even more closely to maximise opportunities. For workers, upgrading their skills holds the key not just to better jobs but also to job security. For employers, investing in workers and utilising their talent to raise productivity will determine the profitability and survivability of companies. Singapore enjoys a competitive advantage over countries where adversarial labour relations, spilling over into strikes and unrest, define the culture of work. By contrast, the tripartite ethos has become second nature here. It needs to be preserved so that Singapore can build on the economic success that has come to define it.

Within this tripartite framework, it is welcome that greater attention is being paid to the protection of labour rights. The labour tribunal for all local employees regardless of how much they earn, proposed by the Ministry of Manpower, is one initiative. Another is a mediation panel, handling disputes between professionals who are members of unions and their employers, which is under review. These mechanisms will extend the benefits of dispute resolution to employees as the employment landscape changes. Employers who treat workers fairly have nothing to fear from them. Employees who have reason to believe that they have been treated unfairly will have recourse to mechanisms that help make the tripartite framework meaningful. Labour relations as a whole will gain from the continued balancing of the interests of workers and employers.

A change of mindset, too, will help. Workers who demand respect, and rightly so, at their places of work sometimes forget, as customers, to extend the same courtesy to those who serve them. They, too, are workers. Hence the focus of the National Trades Union Congress on customers, who should not see those providing a service as servants. May Day is an occasion to celebrate the dignity of labour at home and abroad. That dignity, from the work of professionals to that of table-cleaners at hawker centres, applies to all.

May Day awards for two ministers
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

WHEN the global financial crisis struck Singapore in 2009, many electronics companies in the region chose to lay off workers.

In Singapore, however, companies worked with unions to send their workers for training.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who has been chief adviser to the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries since 2004, recalled the episode yesterday.

"Subsequently, when the rebound came, the companies were well positioned to take up new business opportunities and orders, which contributed to the sharp rebound in Singapore's economy," said Mr Teo, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister.

He gave the example to show how the three-way partnership between unions, companies and the Government benefits workers.

Mr Teo has also been adviser to the largest union here, the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers Union, since 2000.

Yesterday, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) presented him with its highest honour, the Medal of Honour.

It credits him with "bringing to the unions a wealth of experience" and supporting their drive to upgrade the skills of workers.

NTUC also singled out his role in leading the productivity drive as chairman of the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council. And as Minister in Charge of the Civil Service, he changed policies to the benefit of older civil servants, it added.

Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who also received the Medal of Honour, was hailed as "a man with a heart for workers".

He is "committed to championing their rights", NTUC added in its citation.

Mr Gan is chairman of statutory board Singapore Labour Foundation and chief adviser to the Singapore Industrial and Services Employees Union, Singapore's largest service sector union.

He also heads a national committee to improve the employability of older workers and is an adviser to anti-discrimination watchdog Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices.

NTUC described how as manpower minister from 2008 to 2011, he played a vital role in building up the national Continuing Education and Training system.

Mr Gan said he was "deeply honoured" by the award.

"To me, it is a recognition of the close relationship among the tripartite partners and an affirmation of the good trust and understanding we have," he added.

More PMEs may get help in disputes with employers
Mediation panel under review, higher salary ceiling being considered
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

MORE professionals who join unions may soon get help when they have problems with their employers, whether or not their companies are unionised or recognise their unions.

Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin pointed at this possibility yesterday, when he revealed that a mediation panel handling such disputes is under review.

Under consideration, he said, is the raising of the monthly salary ceiling of people who can seek mediation beyond the current $4,500. Such a move would benefit more professionals, executives and managers (PMEs).

Mr Tan was speaking at a dinner to mark May Day tomorrow.

Rank-and-file workers may also take their disputes to the panel - something that they are not able to do now.

Another area under study is expanding the scope of the panel to cover more issues.

"The expanded scope... will strengthen the employment dispute resolution landscape in Singapore," said Mr Tan.

The details will be announced when the review is completed, he added.

Currently, the panel, called the Tripartite Mediation Framework, handles only disputes on salary arrears, payment of retrenchment benefits and breach of contract by an employer.

It was formed in 2011 by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Although it is a voluntary conciliation process, employers can be ordered by the MOM to turn up or risk a fine of up to $5,000.

Mr Tan said the panel has resolved many of the disputes it handled in the past three years. It has heard 12 cases since it was set up, the MOM told The Straits Times.

News of the review came barely a week after the MOM proposed setting up a labour tribunal.

The tribunal will open its doors to all local employees who have salary disputes with their employers, regardless of how much they earn and whether or not they are union members.

It is unclear if the labour tribunal and mediation panel will overlap in their roles, as both are still being discussed by NTUC, SNEF and MOM.

The strong role unions play in improving workers' well-being was underlined by Mr Tan.

The three-way partnership of unions, companies and the Government, he said, "has played a very important role and a very significant part" in Singapore's economic and social progress.

"As long as we keep working together as one, despite the differences, despite the inherent tensions that will arise, I am confident that we will continue to make Singapore a land of opportunities," he added.

The May Day dinner at Orchid Country Club was attended by about 1,600 guests, including union leaders, company bosses and civil servants.

At the dinner, NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say presented NTUC's highest award, the Medal of Honour, to Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean and Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Rarely given, the award was last presented in 2004 to then Trade and Industry Minister George Yeo.

It was given in recognition of Mr Yeo's key role in crafting free trade agreements for Singapore that had created thousands of jobs here.

There were five other Medal of Honour recipients in the past 20 years: Mr Lee Yock Suan (2002), Mr Lee Hsien Loong (1999), Mr Wong Kan Seng (1998), Mr Lee Boon Yang (1996) and Mr Mah Bow Tan (1993).

A record 105 May Day awards were also given by the NTUC to unionists, employers and government officials this year.

NTUC president Diana Chia said of the award recipients: "We could not have achieved such positive outcomes for workers and union members without their strong support."

NTUC will hold its May Day Rally tomorrow at the new Devan Nair Institute of Employment and Employability in Jurong East, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong giving his annual address to workers.

Related
Restructuring must continue for "better workers, better jobs": Tan Chuan-Jin
Tap women and seniors to beat labour crunch: SNEF
Labour chief calls for nation of better customers / Labour market to remain tight until 2030

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Well known abroad, little known here

May 2, 2014, 10:06 pm

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NHB exhibition to showcase local brands that have made their mark
By Melody Zaccheus, The Straits Times, 30 Apr 2014

A SIX-DECADE-OLD crocodile tannery which is a supplier to European fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton; a 77-year-old company which last year saw worldwide sales of 250 million bottles and cans of its cooling water from a 1937 recipe meant for coolies.

These home-grown brands - Heng Long tannery and Wen Ken Group's Three Legs Cooling Water - may have made their mark overseas but not many Singaporeans know of them.

"Few Singaporeans realise that if they own a crocodile-skin bag it was most likely dyed in their very own backyard," said Heng Long's executive director Koh Choon Heong.

An exhibition called 50 Made-in-Singapore products by the National Heritage Board (NHB) hopes to change this.

Slated to open at the National Museum of Singapore in September next year as part of the nation's golden jubilee celebrations, the exhibition will feature these brands alongside Axe Brand Universal Oil, Boncafe Coffee and Tiger Brand soya sauce and chilli sauce.

Mr Alvin Tan, group director of policy at NHB, hopes the exhibition will raise public awareness and appreciation of Singapore's home-grown products.

"Many of these products are excellent examples of Singapore's early pioneering spirit and showcase how perseverance and inventiveness can ensure product longevity," he said.

Mr Tan's team started their research project in 2012 by scouring old advertisements, newspaper articles and company annual reports for locally made products that could tell the story of the growth of the Republic's manufacturing industry.

Just seven were confirmed last October but over the past few months, more companies approached the board expressing interest in joining the exhibition. From a list of 75 companies, 50 eventually made the final cut.

They include third-generation family business Chop Wah On, Singapore's oldest medicated oil and balms company. Its founder, merchant Tong Chee Leong from Guangzhou, China, first set up shop in Chinatown in 1916 where he concocted medicated oils such as red flower or citronella oil for the Chinese immigrant community.

Today, the company has expanded its range to 17 products, including a nutmeg cream and eucalypthol balm, which helps with cold symptoms for instance. These are popular with tourists. To cater to this demand, Chop Wah On started selling its products at a pharmacy at Changi Airport's departure lounge in Terminals 1 and 2 last month.

Its director Tong Kok Kai said it is ironic that its goods are better known in countries such as China, Germany and Canada.

To raise awareness about his grandfather's legacy, Mr Tong approached NHB to take part in the exhibition. "We want to share with Singaporeans the story behind our heritage brand... and be part of the exhibition to help Singaporeans appreciate local gems and the Singaporean spirit."

Urban historian Lai Chee Kien is pleased that the list includes many small and medium-sized home-grown companies, many of which produce quality products. Medicated oils sold in Hong Kong, for instance, are often packaged to look like they are made in Singapore.

"Featuring these enterprises will help Singaporeans appreciate the parallel importance of the island as an entrepot, and their history and regional impact."

PROUDLY SINGAPOREAN

HENG LONG TANNERY

One of the three largest exotic skin tanneries in the world, supplying fashion houses in Europe for decades.

In 2011, French luxury conglomerate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton bought a majority stake in the company, which traces its roots to 1947 when Koh Long Cheok and his fisherman father sold watch straps, belts and souvenirs to British forces from its tannery in Tampines Road.

THREE LEGS COOLING WATER

Concocted in the late 1930s by the Wen Ken Group, the drink was targeted at coolies suffering from "heatiness". It was cheaper than visiting a Chinese physician. Last year, 250 million bottles and cans were sold worldwide.

CHOP WAH ON

Singapore's oldest medicated oil and balm company was set up in 1916 in Pagoda Street.

Its products include crocodile oil for skin-related ailments.

UIC CONSUMER PRODUCTS

Established in 1964, it is known for its powdered laundry detergent and infectious jingle, as well as UIC Big Value, Spin and Sofsil, a fabric softener.

Related
Quiz: How much do you know about Made-In-Singapore products?

Used-car dealers sour over lemon law

May 2, 2014, 10:34 pm

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Some customers demand that worn and old parts be changed
By Joyce Lim, The Straits Times, 2 May 2014

MORE used-car dealers are crying foul over a law meant to protect consumers, claiming that some are abusing it to demand the replacement of vehicle parts worn down by age.

Just six months after the lemon law was implemented in September 2012, complaints on defective goods in the motorcar industry jumped fivefold to 98 cases, compared to just 19 cases six months earlier, said the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case).

It has since handled 302 complaints linked to the motorcar industry under the lemon law, which compels businesses to repair or replace a product found to be defective within six months.

But some used-car sellers claim that some consumers are abusing the law.

Mr Bret Chia, owner of RPM Automobile, lost one of three claims under the lemon law last year.

A customer who bought a five-year-old Volkswagen Passat from him for $94,000 in August filed a complaint with the Small Claims Tribunal that the car battery was defective and caused her car to stall.

Mr Chia, 32, was ordered to pay his customer $2,438 for the replacement of the car battery and towing services.

The car was sent for checks at STA Inspection Centre and an evaluation report was given to the buyer before the sale, Mr Chia said.

"The buyer claimed that her car stalled two weeks later due to the weak battery. She also tried to claim for repair costs to the driver's electric seat and faulty window," he told The Straits Times.

Even though Mr Chia was upset with the judgment, he felt that it would be too costly to take his appeal to the High Court, as he had already suffered a loss from the sale.

Last year, the Small Claims Tribunal received more than 100 vehicle purchase-related claims.

In the latest reported case, Speedo Motoring was ordered to pay businessman Ong Gek Sing $4,500 for a battery. The battery had failed two months after the company sold a second-hand Lexus GS 450 Hybrid Super Lux to Mr Ong for $138,000 in 2012. The sale came with a $1,800 discount as Mr Ong had said no to an extended warranty.

The tribunal ruled, however, that although Mr Ong could claim for the defective battery, he could not do so for the tyres and brakes, which had suffered "wear and tear".

Speedo Motoring appealed to the High Court, but lost its case.

Lawyers told The Straits Times that they have noticed an increase in cases where buyers of second-hand cars complained about car parts that were worn out as the car aged, rather than defects.

Lawyer Chia Boon Teck said: "Many people seem to think that the lemon law covers anything that doesn't work. This is incorrect. The lemon law covers defective parts, not parts that are worn and torn in tandem with its age and use.

"The law has always been that you are entitled to expect a brand new car to perform flawlessly, whereas you have to accept that a second-hand car will perform in accordance with its age and the consequential wear and tear.

"The lemon law doesn't change that."

It does not entitle a buyer of a second-hand car to demand that the dealer replace all the worn- out parts with brand new parts, and the age and condition of the car and its parts are accepted by the buyer and reflected in the used-car price, he noted.

Mr Fed Wu, assistant welfare officer of the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association, has also seen his fair share of such customers.

The 35-year-old, who runs used-car dealership Singapore Automobile.com, said: "I have encountered some cases where the damage was caused by the mechanics whom these buyers have sent their cars to, but these buyers would try to claim for repair costs from car dealers, citing their rights under lemon law."

"I would explain the law to these customers, but I would still get my mechanic to fix the car for them," added Mr Wu, who is proposing that older cars be given a shorter warranty period under the lemon law.

Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said the spike could be due to heightened awareness of consumers.

He explained: "The lemon law has also made it easier for consumers to seek redress as the onus is now on the retailers to prove that the goods were not defective at the point of sale or delivery."

Case has successfully resolved 50 per cent of the cases for complainants who authorised it to handle their claims. The unresolved cases are either ongoing, went to the Small Claims Tribunal or ended up as civil suits, added Mr Seah.

Designer drugs to become illegal in S'pore

May 2, 2014, 10:35 pm

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No more 'legal highs' for designer drug users
More than 100 such drugs now carry the same penalty as Class A ones
By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 1 May 2014

MORE than 100 designer drugs which mimic the effects of substances like cocaine have been made illegal from today. This means that using and trafficking in them will be punished with the same penalties for Class A drugs.

Known as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), these synthetics are made by slightly modifying the molecular structure of Class A controlled drugs, including amphetamines and cannabis. The modified drugs were previously not banned in Singapore, allowing people to chase these "legal highs" without fear of being penalised.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said yesterday that it has seen an increase in the number of NPS trafficking and abuse cases in the past year in Singapore - reflecting the global trend.

Nearly 90 countries reported the emergence of such substances last year, compared to 70 in 2012. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime said its member countries also reported over 350 NPS by August last year, more than double the 166 in 2009. This figure eclipses the number of drugs that are banned by the United Nations.

"With the abuse and trafficking of NPS on the rise, listing these new substances as Class A controlled drugs signals our unequivocal stance that these are illegal and no different from other controlled drugs," said CNB director Ng Ser Song.

Class A drugs are considered the most harmful and addictive drugs, and attract the most severe punishments and fines. Those convicted of abusing Class A drugs can be jailed up to 10 years, fined up to $20,000, or both. Those found guilty of trafficking such substances will face a minimum of five years' jail and five strokes of the cane.

Singapore beefed up its laws last May with a new category of drugs called the Fifth Schedule. When drugs are put into this schedule, CNB officers gain the power to seize them. After a review of the harmful effects of these Fifth Schedule drugs, they may be classified as Class A and pushed into the First schedule.

This three-step process has been adopted by other countries such as the United Kingdom and Japan.

The more than 100 drugs on the Class A list today were found to have no known medical and industrial uses, after CNB's consultations with the Health Sciences Authority, research institutes and industry stakeholders.

An example of an NPS which is now a Class A drug in Singapore is Benzofury. This is the street name of a drug that was marketed as a legal form of Ecstasy. A 27-year-old trainee psychologist in the United Kingdom died last July after consuming the stimulant, which experts say can cause hallucinations, paranoia and high blood pressure.

Also listed in the Fifth Schedule today are 13 new substances, including a number of synthetic canna-binoids and phenethylamines.

Most S'poreans trust govt to deal with corrupt officials: WJP poll

May 2, 2014, 10:51 pm

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Anti-corruption capabilities put the Republic among top 5 worldwide
By K.C. Vijayan, The Straits Times, 2 May 2014

CORRUPT civil servants in Singapore will not be able to dodge the long arm of the law, people believe. And confidence in Singapore's anti-corruption capabilities has placed the country among the top five internationally, according to a new global study.

More than seven out of 10 people polled believe that any high- ranking government official here who misuses public funds will not get away with it.

The study, released by the Washington-based World Justice Project (WJP) on Tuesday, placed Botswana, New Zealand, Norway and Hong Kong ahead of Singapore. They outpaced others like Japan and the United States.

Botswana, one of Africa's most stable countries and its longest continuous multi-party democracy, is relatively corruption-free, noted a BBC report in January.

But in two-thirds of all countries and regions polled, many were pessimistic that offenders would be held accountable.

WJP spokesman Laura Cochran said the poll showed "62 per cent of individuals worldwide believe that a government official guilty of using public money for personal benefit will go unpunished".

They believe this is so even where evidence of wrongdoing is strong and the matter is in the media.

"The survey results suggest that consequence-free corruption is a widespread, corrosive force on governments around the globe," she added.

The project polled people from 99 countries and regions, asking what would happen if a government official was caught taking public money for his own benefit, and this was made public.

The worst performers included Uzbekistan, Argentina and Pakistan, where only 3 to 17 per cent of people thought the offenders would be made accountable.

"These results suggest a global distrust in accountability systems meant to maintain ethical government. Instead citizens across regions believe governments most often begin investigations into complaints, only to let the culprit off," said the study.

Founded in 2006 by distinguished US lawyer William H. Neukom, the WJP is an independent, multi-disciplinary organisation that works to advance the rule of law around the world.

Its backers include Microsoft's Bill Gates and Canada's Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, while its board of directors includes leading Singapore lawyer Lee Suet-Fern.

MPs said the ratings that place Singapore in the top 5 per cent are a credit to sound and good governance principles here.

Said Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Zaqy Mohamad: "It's not going to be easy to be 100 per cent perfect. You will find some black sheep here and there, but the key is we should not be afraid to take action against those who breach these principles."

Citing the cases of public officials who were probed last year for corruption, he said: "These are things that have to continue even if it embarrasses the Government."

The current environment makes it more difficult to get away with such offences, as there are more robust systems in place, a more educated public and social media, he added.

"But the potential danger is in the indirect forms of corruption such as intangible services, and we therefore have to be vigilant."

Mountbatten MP Lim Biow Chuan said: "In Singapore, we take the anti-corruption laws very strictly. Regardless of who you are, if you are corrupt, the state will go after you.

"I think we should have got higher marks."

A million dollars? That's small change

May 2, 2014, 11:08 pm

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By Gail Collins, Published The Straits Times, 2 May 2014

IT'S sad what a million dollars has fallen to.

I have been thinking about this recently, ever since The Times had an article about Mr Jeb Bush's scramble to make up for the fact that he left the governorship of Florida with a net worth of only US$1.3 million (S$1.6 million).

I have to admit, I was surprised he did not have more money than that. He must have felt terrible at family gatherings. When they started planning for Christmas, do you think the other Bushes assured Jeb that they'd be happy with a pot holder or a knitted scarf, just as long as it was handmade?

The article, reported by Mr Michael Barbaro, had a happy ending. Mr Bush is now making more than US$1 million a year just for giving advice to Barclays bank. Which is hardly his only job. He has lots of gigs like that. People are lining up to pay vast sums for the man's opinion.

A million dollars used to be a magic number, a sign of permanent affluence. You'd made it! But now it won't buy you lunch with Mr Warren Buffett (the winning bidder in a charity auction paid US$1,000,100) or even, it appears, a public defender. The lawyers for the allegedly indigent ex-mayor of Detroit Kwame Kilpatrick and his father billed the government more than US$1 million during their public corruption trial. Senior citizen thug Whitey Bulger's defence cost American taxpayers more than US$3 million.

Most Americans' reverence for the million-dollar figure is based on the fact that they do not have a million dollars themselves and are not seeing any signs that Barclays will want to give it to them for a year's worth of consultation. But there are also a lot of old cultural memories.

Back in the 1950s, people were watching Marilyn Monroe in How To Marry A Millionaire. There was also the TV series The Millionaire, about a super-rich guy named John Beresford Tipton who liked to send US$1 million to total strangers. Secret gifts that changed their lives, although often not for the better. John Beresford Tipton was a little like the Koch brothers today, except his cheques were smaller and the recipients were not required to plot against solar energy.

How To Marry A Millionaire was the story of three women who were looking for rich consorts who would support them in the style to which they wished to become accustomed.

Since it was the 1950s, the plot held they were looking for "husbands" - and nobody ever suggested that a million dollars would not be enough to keep a kept girl fed and sheltered.

But now we have learnt from the ongoing Los Angeles Clippers crisis that owner Donald Sterling spent US$1.8 million just to buy his lady friend a duplex. This information is contained in a lawsuit brought against the woman in question, Ms V. Stiviano, by Mr Sterling's estranged wife. Ms Stiviano's lawyer has not denied the part about the gifts, although he says there is not a "peppercorn of a fact" that any fraud was involved.

While we cannot wait for Mr Sterling to vanish from our collective consciousness, I wouldn't mind keeping a "peppercorn of a fact".

But to get back to politics: A million dollars will get you Mr Jeb Bush's advice. Also, it will buy a visit from Mrs Hillary Clinton. Four, in fact - she gets about US$250,000 per appearance. When someone in the audience threw a shoe at her recently, she was speaking at the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries.

Mrs Clinton dodged the stiletto with quite a bit of dexterity and grace. But you had to ask: Why is she giving a paid talk to the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries? The Clintons came out of the White House with very little cash, but there's got to be a point when you stop making up for lost time.

It's not that money doesn't buy happiness. It's that these days it requires a whole lot more than a million dollars. More than half of all the members of Congress are now millionaires, but many of them don't seem to be all that thrilled about their financial condition.

"They feel, 'We're so underpaid,'" said Mr Fred Wertheimer, the campaign finance reform activist.

Once politicians get to Congress, they become acquainted with people who are truly rich. That's pretty much a necessity because re-election is something else you cannot generally buy for a million dollars. Suddenly, they're hanging out with folks who have private jets and four houses.

Eventually, many lawmakers begin to feel as though they are making an enormous sacrifice by holding public office for US$174,000 a year.

And then they're off to a D.C. law firm or lobbying job, which will pay them huge salaries for knowing the people they know. It will never occur to them that if voters had not given them that stint of public service, they would be processing divorce cases back home in East Cupcake.

NEW YORK TIMES