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  • More Checks On Firms Hiring Foreign PMEs Among Measures To Support Singapore Workers

    More Checks On Firms Hiring Foreign PMEs Among Measures To Support Singapore Workers

    A slew of measures to enhance support for local Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) was announced by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Wednesday (Jul 8), as part of ongoing efforts to “strengthen the Singaporean core”. The measures do not apply to Singapore PRs.

    MORE SCRUTINY OF FIRMS

    Starting Oct 1, firms will be required to publish the salary range of job vacancies they post in the Jobs Bank to comply with the Fair Consideration Framework’s advertising requirement.

    From October as well, Employers who apply for Employment Passes (EP) where the job advertisement did not state a salary range will have their applications rejected, MOM said.

    The ministry said it will also step up its scrutiny of EP applications for selected firms which have a “weaker Singaporean core” of PMEs relative to others in their industry. These employers will be required to submit more information to check whether Singaporeans were considered fairly, MOM said.

    About 150 firms from industries such as IT, finance and services are currently on a watchlist Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say said, with more firms expected to be under additional scrutiny. The watchlist includes firms which have received complaints of discriminatory hiring practices.

    “With this closer scrutiny, it will take longer, they will have to answer more questions, and the outcome is, they are more likely to face greater difficulties to get their EPs approved,” said Mr Lim.

    However, the minister admitted that for some sectors, there are just not enough skilled Singaporean professionals. For this, the ministry is working on a plan to bring skilled foreigners in, and then for the knowledge to be transferred to the local workforce.

    “We work with the economic agencies and say: ‘Okay what can we do, under SkillsFuture, to strengthen the supply’,” he said. “In some sectors, where things are moving very fast, we have to look at the skills development, in the short term, we are prepared to live with a weaker (Singaporean) core but there must still be efforts to transfer the knowhow to strengthen the Singaporean core.”

    WAGE SUPPORT FOR MATURE PMES

    Under a two-year pilot scheme, employers who employ mature PMEs who have been out of work for at least six months, in mid-level jobs that pay at least S$4,000, will receive wage support. The tiered subsidies will cover up to 40 per cent of the employee’s gross monthly salary, with a subsidy cap of S$2,800 a month.

    Named the Career Support Programme, the scheme aims to encourage employers to tap on the wealth of experience that mature Singaporean PMEs can bring to the workplace, MOM said.

    PMEs who register with the Workforce Development Agency’s Career Centres and e2i will be eligible for the programme, which will also be launched on Oct 1.

    REFINING WORK PASS CONTROLS

    With immediate effect, the authorities will reject work pass applications that contain “doubtful” qualifications such as those from degree mills. This is to ensure that foreign PMEs are of a “suitable quality and experience”, MOM said.

    “‘Doubtful’ means I don’t really know: Did you study for your degree?” Mr Lim said. “Maybe the institute just asked you to pay for your degree, and pretended to conduct the lesson. You pretend to study, and at the end of the day, you all pretend that you graduated. That to us is doubtful.”

    DISPUTE RESOLUTION EXPANDED

    From the first quarter of next year, dispute resolution for local PMEs will be stepped up with the establishment of the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT). PMEs who earn more than S$4,500 a month and are not covered by the Employment Act will then have an avenue to resolve statutory and contractual salary-related disputes, the ministry said.

    In addition, the tripartite partners have agreed to enhance coverage under the Tripartite Mediation Framework to cover re-employment and employment statutory issues, remove the salary cap of S$4,500 to cover all PME union members and to include rank-and-file union members in non-unionised companies.

    NTUC ‘HEARTENED’ BY ANNOUNCEMENT

    The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) said it welcomes MOM’s enhanced support for Singaporean PMEs, and added it was “heartened” to see its recommendations and feedback reflected in the announcement.

    For instance, it had suggested that a salary range be published on the National Jobs Bank, the removal of a salary ceiling for tripartite mediation, as well as more support for mature PMEs – all of which were implemented by MOM.

    “We look forward to working closely with the tripartite partners to reach out to more workers who require the necessary assistance, and for the changes to have a positive impact on Singaporean PMEs,” said Mr Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general of the Labour Movement.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • A Look At Some Of The PAS Professionals Who Fell

    A Look At Some Of The PAS Professionals Who Fell

    After weeks of smear campaigns and bitter infighting, the PAS muktamar which ended on Saturday saw leaders from the so-called “professionals” faction almost wiped out by the ulama class, whose characteristic long robes made a clean sweep of one of the Islamist party’s most controversial elections.

    Among the losers were the faces PAS usually trots out at forums attended by all races – “progressive” leaders deemed more non-Muslim-friendly, and who often find themselves conducting damage control for the party to audiences hostile to PAS and its plans for hudud, the Islamic penal code.

    One of them is Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa, who, since his early days, has made an attempt to push the party beyond its Malay-Muslim vote bank by pioneering the PAS Supporters Club – a group of non-Muslim PAS fans – which later evolved into the PAS Supporters’ Congress in 2010.

    The chairman of PAS’s national unity bureau, Mujahid coined the party’s 2013 general election slogan “PAS for All”, which softened the Islamist party’s hard-line image and ultimately gained the support of non-Muslim voters, despite MCA’s concerted anti-hudud campaign.

    Mujahid, son of former PAS president Yusof Rawa, is also known for his efforts to foster interfaith ties with Christians, and wrote a book about his experiences, titled “Engaging Christianity: A travelogue of peace”.

    Outspoken leader Mohamed Hanipa Maidin was booed and jeered at the PAS muktamar last weekend when he defended his criticism of Hadi, and was even struck twice last year during a PAS central committee for calling the president weak and biased.

    But the lawyer has been instrumental in engaging with the public over hudud on PAS’s behalf, and has written two books related to it: “Undang-Undang Hudud Perspektif Perbandingan” and “Prima Facie”.

    He is also one of the few, if not only, PAS leader who has publicly stated that he believed the Islamic criminal law should be put on hold until people were ready to accept it.

    In his career, Hanipa was the lawyer for former air force major Zaidi Ahmad who faced a court martial for issuing a statement to the media on how the indelible ink used in the general election in 2013 washed off easily.

    Academic Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who heads PAS’s Research Centre, has always been seen as the voice of reason and moderation in the party and, like Mujahid, has strived to turn the party into one that is more “middle ground”.

    During the controversial tussle over the word “Allah” among Muslims and Christians, the former Kuala Selangor MP was one of the few who were vocal in defending the Christians’ use of the Arabic word, on the grounds that it was not the exclusive right of Muslims.

    In open letters and in forums, Dzulkefly has also defended the party’s decision to enforce hudud in Kelantan, citing democracy and the state government’s responsibility to fulfil the people’s wishes.

    Meanwhile, Salahuddin Ayub’s loss in the contest for the PAS vice-presidency came as a surprise to many, as he was an uncontroversial figure and had held important posts in PAS for more than three decades, including the PAS Youth chief.

    Dubbed “Mr Clean”, Salahuddin was seen as the bridge between the professionals and the ulama, but never took sides with any faction.

    Like the ulama, he has maintained that any PAS member pushing for “liberal Islam” should be expelled, but was also quick to defend so-called “liberals” Mujahid, Dzulkefly and Khalid Samad by stating that they should be allowed to argue their views.

    However, in the run-up to the PAS elections, Salahuddin, too, was implicated in an alleged plot to topple PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang.

    Although investigations into the plot petered out because the accusers failed to attend a party inquiry, rumours of the conspiracy persisted and cost Salahuddin his votes, along with the other Pakatan Rakyat-friendly PAS leaders.

    But not all of the professionals lost in the elections. The sole non-ulama to have survived is Felda activist Mazlan Aliman – but even he is mulling quitting his central committee post after being “disturbed” by the party’s turmoil.

    Mazlan, who heads non-governmental organisation National Felda Settlers’ Children’s Association (Anak), rallies for the rights of the settlers and has made a name fighting against Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGVH).

    During Thursday’s polls, delegates appeared to have voted according to a list of candidates endorsed by the ulama wing of the party which is largely pro-Hadi and influential over party affairs.

    The list was circulated at the assembly of the Dewan Ulama.

    The use of such lists is said to be rare in previous PAS elections, which have typically seen a mix of clerics, professionals and activists elected to the central committee.

    But the PAS elections this year were held amid internal strife over differences towards Hadi’s leadership and the direction of PAS in balancing its Islamist agenda with political pragmatism.

     

    Source: www.themalaysianinsider.com