Availability of Progressive Wage Models for Cleaners Hired by F&B Establishments, Not Employed by Licensed Cleaning Companies or Employed on Part-time Basis

12 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the recent announcement on the progressive wage model for cleaners applies to cleaners who are (i) hired directly by an F&B establishment (ii) not employed by a licensed cleaning company and (iii) who are employed on a part-time basis respectively; and (b) if not, why not.

Dr Tan See Leng: The Cleaning Progressive Wage Model (PWM) currently only applies to both full-time and part-time resident cleaners directly employed by cleaning businesses licensed by NEA. In March 2021, the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers announced its intent to extend existing PWMs to staff employed in-house to perform cleaning, security and landscaping roles, which would benefit up to 50,000 of such workers. This includes extending the Cleaning PWM to cleaners not employed by a licensed cleaning business but are employed in-house. Such cleaners would include those directly hired by F&B establishments. The Workgroup is finalising its recommendations and will share more details on this move in due course.