Complaints of Job Discrimination Faced by People with Disabilities

I thank the Minister of State for the explanation. I would just like to refer the Minister of State to the recent study conducted by the Disabled People's Association, together with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the insights that they had discovered with regard to the unfair practices against people with disabilities. I am wondering what the Ministry's position is on it. I note that the numbers are not big, but it does tell or show towards some discrimination which are not spoken of or where it is not clear whether there is discrimination, especially when no reasons are given when they are not given promotion or where they are not given the jobs. So, I am also wondering what the Ministry's position is on that. And I appreciate the difficulties and the counter-effect of having legislation. But without legislation, it is very difficult to enforce or implement certain policies. I am wondering if there is a middle ground on this. We could impose certain requirements or policies where you would require some sort of transparency when we speak about promotion or in employing people with disabilities.

I thank the Member for her supplementary questions. Firstly, MOM takes a very strict view. We take every discriminatory practice, whether for persons with disabilities or otherwise, very seriously. But, in fact, recently, the tripartite partners have also launched two tripartite standards that will help encourage companies not to have discriminatory practices, including against persons with disabilities. One was launched last November when we launched the Tripartite Standards of Recruitment Practices. The other one was in October when we launched the Tripartite Standards on Grievance Handling. These efforts are complemented by more specific measures by MOM, SGEnable and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) to help persons with disabilities gain employment and support employers to hire persons with disabilities through programmes, such as the Open-door Programme.

But, more importantly, the law today covers those who are disabled and those who are not under the Employment Act. Under the Employment Act, individuals who feel that they are wrongfully dismissed, including due to the disability, may appeal to MOM. If substantiated, MOM will take action against the employer, including requiring the errant employer to compensate the individual. Wrongful dismissal claims will be heard by the Employment Claims Tribunal in April 2019, after the Employment Act is amended later this year. We urge all individuals who feel that they have been wrongfully dismissed to approach MOM for advice and assistance as soon as possible.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. On occasions, we have also heard of employers who have made special arrangements for their disabled employees. Would MOM consider working with the Labour Movement and non-government organisations (NGOs), such as the Disabled People's Association, to raise awareness on the best practices by these enlightened employers with disabled employees? Secondly, would MOM consider working with the tripartite partners to have such best practices put together as Tripartite Guidelines or even a Tripartite Standard?

I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. To help address discrimination against persons with disabilities, the Government takes a holistic and comprehensive approach through the Third Enabling Master Plan (EMP3) and this is done in collaboration by MOM with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and SGEnable to maximise the potential and opportunities for persons with disabilities.

The EMP3 serves as a road map for Singapore to build a more inclusive society where persons with disabilities are empowered to contribute and realise their potential. Initiatives under EMP3 include the Workplace Disability Inclusive Index which is an online assessment tool that helps employers assess their readiness to hire persons with disabilities and to identify areas for improvement. The second one is the Job Placement and Job Support Programme which provides vocational assessment and job-matching in open employment and post-placement support for up to 12 months, and the Bi-annual Enabling Employers Award and Inclusive Business Forum which recognises and propagates progressive employment practices among employers.

I am also glad that the Member asked about the involvement of the tripartite partners because, as I alluded to Member Rahayu Mahzam's questions earlier, in addition to supporting EMP3, MOM launched two Tripartite Standards to Promote Inclusive Hiring Practices and Manage Workplace Grievances. As part of the Tripartite Standard of Recruitment Practices, the Standard encourages fair, merit-based and inclusive hiring practices for persons with disabilities, among other groups. As at the end of August 2018, about 700 employers with about 375,000 employees have adopted this Standard.

Last October, when we launched the Tripartite Standard for Grievance Handling, the standard applied specifies a set of variable and actionable employment practices for companies to manage workplace grievances, including allegations of discrimination more effectively. Employers adopting this standard commit to put in place clear processes for handling employees' grievances to ensure that these are adequately dealt with. As at end August, about 750 employers with close to 430,000 employees have signed up for the Standard. MOM's focus is now to encourage more employers to adopt this standard and we will certainly support our Tripartite Partners in this endeavour.