I have been talking about the Government sector’s move into the world of outsourcing of their essential services. In my recent interview with Mothership.sg, I have mentioned this again. Well, as expected, there were some disagreeing views. But I stand firm with my thoughts.
The strategy of outsourcing jobs in the public service has affected many professions such as cleaning, security and landscaping. When outsourcing came about, it brought many advantages to the business market. Companies could better manage their operations as they were now focused on core businesses. But it also brought with it many setbacks – for the workers.
At some circumstances, when contracts change hands, workers are the ones who are affected most. Their terms of employment may be reset, especially their salaries. In my view, one major employer that can prevent this from happening is the Government.
My strong affirmation on this comes from my childhood experiences. My Father back then was employed as daily-rated worker with the Public Works Department. As a Civil Servant, he enjoyed all the welfare benefits that were pegged to his scope. And so did our family. I wish this can be the case for all low-wage workers in the public sector – that they are direct employees so that they are shielded, to some extent, from the harshness of the economic system.
This I why when I heard about the Housing Development Board Staff Union (HDBSU) and HDB’s successful emplacement of its security staff into the Operations Support and Management Support Schemes of Service, I was gratified.
The union had discussed at length with the management partners on taking care of the interest of these workers in the best way they could. The Security Scheme of Service was to be discontinued and there were 18 employees who were to be impacted. After much discussion, both sides decided to retain these workers within the organisation. In a gist, 17 security officers were placed onto the Operations Support Scheme (OSS) and one Assistant Security Officer was placed into the Management Support Scheme. With this change, the security employees are set to have better career paths and prospects.
My staff had a chat with one of the security officers at HDB, Mr Suhaimi Bin Aman, aged 56 years old. Mr Suhaimi shared that life in the security profession with HDB has been fulfilling. Above all, the major peace of mind he has is on job security. “There are some friends we know of who are outsourced workers, and their livelihoods really depends on the company’s tender. There is no form of commitment on the workers’ part as well. When you are in-house, there is a greater level of certainty with your job.”, he told my staff.
This IS the reality. NTUC has done some work that enables our workers in the lowest rung – our cleaners – to earn at least $1,000 with the Progressive Wage Model. Yet, the solution to help these workers who find their careers on a reset mode is still yet to be uncovered. With the progressive wage, even if the wage is reset, it is reset to a minimum level of $1,000 or $1,200 if you are skilled.
My hope is for the Government sector to consider directly hiring for positions like cleaners, security officers and the landscape workers.
Source: Zainal Sapari
