Manpower Minister: No laws to curb discriminatory hiring by foreigner bosses!

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Laws alone can't fix unfair hiring here
By Jacqueline Woo
My Paper
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Some Singaporeans have expressed anxiety over perceived discriminatory practices at their workplaces, such as foreign managers hiring from their own home country.

This has, in turn, led to calls for the Government to implement anti-discrimination laws, said Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin yesterday.

He said: "I would suggest that this is not just perception, but it is something that does happen."

While the Government can put in place a system for employers to give qualified Singaporeans a fair chance at being considered for a job, it has to be "measured" in its approach to effectively achieve the desired outcomes, said Mr Tan.

He was speaking at a one-day fair-employment conference organised by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep) and the Singapore Tripartism Forum, and held at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel.

An online report by The Straits Times said that Tafep received a record number of 303 complaints last year, half of which were related to gripes by Singaporeans that their employers prefer foreigners.

While "legislation is not something to rule out altogether", Mr Tan noted that the experiences of some countries have shown that laws alone do not change employers' mindsets.

For instance, some companies might find ways to get around the system even if anti-discriminatory laws are implemented.

He said: "We should also note that having legislation is not a silver bullet that will solve all problems.

"What we want is for people to really change the way they look at things, for employers to have a more progressive mindset.

We cannot legislate changes in mindsets." Mr Tan explained that, for now, Tafep's use of a "moral-suasion approach" in tackling the issue of workplace discrimination is preferred. This is one effective way to shape employers' mindsets and encourage companies to "effect real systemic changes towards progressive and enlightened employment practices", he added.

He said: "We should aim for a balanced approach which can serve Singaporeans well in the long run.

"With or without legislation, discriminatory hiring practices have no place in Singapore."

He also said that, in the past three months, the Manpower Ministry has investigated several employment-discrimination cases.

"Where there are grounds to believe that employers have violated the tripartite guidelines, they could, and some have indeed had, their work-pass privileges curtailed," Mr Tan said.

Tafep presented its annual report yesterday, which showed that it had reached out to more employers last year and got more of them to pledge to practise fair employment.

The event brought together an international audience of over 500 participants, comprising unionists, business leaders and human- resource practitioners.

To foster ownership in preventing workplace discrimination, Mr Heng Chee How, co-chairman of Tafep, urged employers to make the Fair@Work Promise via Facebook. This demonstrates one's commitment to be fair and inclusive at the workplace.

Mr Heng, who is also deputy secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress, added that with consistent effort, employers and employees can work together to create fair and inclusive workplaces "in the face of challenging competition, as well as changing demography".




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