Forced Labour Links in Their Regional Operations

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry (Trade) (a) whether the Ministry has conducted formal inquiries with Singapore-registered or headquartered companies that have been specifically named in foreign legislative hearings or international investigative reports for alleged forced labour links in their regional operations; and (b) if not, whether it will consider doing so.

Mr Speaker, Singapore does not condone the use of forced labour. We criminalise forced labour in Singapore under various laws.

Should we receive specific information regarding Singapore-registered or headquartered companies having forced labour links in their operations here or overseas, we will investigate companies suspected of breaching our domestic laws relating to such practices and take enforcement actions if warranted.

Singapore-registered or headquartered companies are also expected to comply with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions that they operate in.

Forced labour in supply chains is a transnational issue. Effective enforcement against such practices would require international cooperation. Singapore has consistently played a constructive role in advancing international labour standards to address the issue of forced labour at source, including working with the international community and through organisations such as the International Labour Organization.

We will continue to do so. We will also review our domestic regulatory approach to ensure that it remains relevant in helping to address this issue.

Mr Tan.

Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I have three supplementary questions.

First, when a Singapore-linked company is named in the foreign legislative hearing or a major international investigation, is there a standing process for the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to seek clarification from that company and to follow up with that company subsequently to ensure adequate corrective measures are taken?

Two, what steps are taken generally to ensure our companies do not fall foul of foreign regulations in this area, given the reputational risk to Singapore and Singapore companies? And does the Government issue former guidance to Singapore companies on supply chain due diligence when operating in a higher-risk jurisdiction?

My third supplementary question, where Singapore-linked companies operate extensive overseas supply chains, does the Government consider there to be a heightened responsibility to ensure that labour standards are being independently monitored and verified?

Thank you, Mr Speaker. The three supplementary questions by the Member are linked, so I will take them together.

First, as I mentioned in my main reply, we do not condone the use of forced labour in Singapore, and our legislation prohibit this and these are our national legislation here. We do not have extraterritoriality in relation to these regulations. However, we inform Singapore-based companies that operate overseas that they need to comply with the laws of the jurisdictions that they operate in.

At the same time, we cooperate with other jurisdictions, including at the International Labour Organization level, to make sure that our companies comply with those regulations.

Second, should we receive information that our companies are involved in such illegal activities overseas, when necessary, we engage them to understand what it is to ensure that firstly it does not take place in Singapore, and secondly, that they are cooperating with the jurisdictions that they are in to support the investigations there.