Foreign worker job flexibility: Bosses urged to share gains

THE Manpower Ministry (MOM) has urged service sector employers to share with their foreign workers the productivity gains which a new scheme may bring.

From Monday next week, restaurants and retailers can get their foreign work permit holders to do more than one job.

The concession, first announced in February, is to help companies cope with higher levies and smaller foreign worker quotas in the service sector.

Currently, foreign workers can do only the job for which they were hired.

But employers should be reasonable with this new flexibility, MOM said yesterday.

It released three pages of guidelines detailing how the scheme, which could affect some 209,500 workers, will be implemented.

A waiter can man the cash register, but not repair kitchen equipment without training, it cited as an example.

Given that the scheme will allow companies to improve productivity, employers should share the gains with their workers, especially those asked to do more work, said Mr Adrian Chua, MOM's divisional director for manpower planning and policy.

The non-binding guidelines, which contain mostly dos and don'ts, were drawn up after consultation with the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) and National Trades Union Congress.

They also urged employers to ask workers in writing whether they would do more work for higher pay.

Companies should not penalise those who say no.

MOM, which preferred the use of guidelines instead of formal rules, wants workers to talk to their employers or unions if the guidelines are not followed.

But it also warned that it would act if there were serious breaches.

The guidelines state: "MOM reserves the right to curb work pass privileges against companies in egregious cases of non-compliance."

The guidelines were generally welcomed by employers.

SNEF executive director Koh Juan Kiat agreed that employers should train their workers before expanding their job scopes.

"Employers should also brief their workers properly on expectations and benefits," he said.

Mr Hoon Thing Leong, chairman of the Kim San Leng chain of coffee shops, felt that the scheme, which does not allow foreign workers to switch companies or sectors, could be expanded.

"MOM could consider allowing us to deploy workers across different companies or subsidiaries, as long as they are part of the same chain," he suggested.

Guidelines for employers

• Include job flexibility in broader plan to raise productivity.
• Share productivity gains with employees through higher pay or better perks.
• Give all workers the chance to multi-task, but do not penalise those who decline.
• Ensure workers are trained before asking them to do new areas of work.
• Be sensible and reasonable in implementing job flexibility.

tohyc@sph.com.sg

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