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By Ian Tan Hanhonn
Beyond legislation, education remains key towards achieving fairer workplaces and employment practices, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad.
Mr Zaqy was speaking at the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on Workplace Fairness Legislation on 23 March 2023 at the Marriot Tang Plaza Hotel. The dialogue was attended by over 240 participants consisting of unionists, human resource professionals and employers.
Mr Zaqy said: “Legislating workplace fairness protections sends a clear signal that Singapore does not tolerate workplace discrimination. But we cannot legislate mindset change, which ultimately matters in creating a fairer workplace and society.
“Education remains a priority to correct stereotypes, shape mindsets, and promote fair employment practices.”
Mr Zaqy was also one of the panelist who participated in a dialogue. He was joined by Singapore National Employers Federation Honorary Secretary Edwin Ng and NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong.
Institute of Human Resource Professionals CEO Aslam Sardar moderated the dialogue.
The dialogue saw many issues being raised by both employers and union leaders.
They included frivolous claims, discrimination being ‘forced upon’ employers by service buyers, discrimination in pre-employment situations and desired outcomes of legislation – just to name a few.
Speaking to press members following the dialogue, Mr Ng shared that while the purpose of legislation is to deter errant employers, the focus should be to uplift HR standards.
“[This is to] enable every employee to enable every employee to have a fair chance at work to help them feel confident and motivated within the workplace,” he said.
Ms Cham shared that there is a need to build a culture of trust and transparency at workplace, and this can only be done with proper education and knowledge of good practices .
Even with legislation in place, she hopes that, within unionised companies at least, discriminatory matters can still be resolved at the lowest level.
“We want to ensure a level playing field. Legislation should not be used as a harsh tool, but as a deterrent to provide some clarity to our workers, our businesses and for our HR communities.”
The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness released its interim recommendations on 13 February 2023.
The recommendations focus on how the new Workplace Fairness Legislation should complement the existing Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP).
This includes how tripartite partners can further entrench fair employment standards, provide workers with a better assurance of fair treatment and protection against discrimination at work, and foster strong employer ownership to deliver good workplace outcomes for employees.
Mr Zaqy said that the legislation is a significant step for Singapore and that the Government needs to be careful about how it develops, scope and enforce this new legislation.
“Implementing fair employment practices benefits employees, employers and society and maximises our only natural resource – our people.
“Ensuring workplace fairness is a multi-stakeholder effort, and all need to play their part,” he said.