Proposed Watchlist for Companies that Discriminate Base on Attributes Like Gender and Ethnicity

The following question stood in the name of Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap –

8 To ask the Minister for Manpower whether the Ministry maintains or plans to set up a watchlist for companies that engage in discriminatory employment practices not related to nationality but to other attributes such as gender and ethnicity.

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong (Non-Constituency Member): Question No 8, please.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Manpower (Ms Low Yen Ling) (for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, MOM takes a serious view of all forms of workplace discrimination. Some forms of discrimination, including those related to gender and ethnicity, are more readily substantiated by specific actions, such as verbal utterances or written job advertisements. In cases involving such discrimination and substantiated through investigations, MOM can and has debarred the errant employers from making Work Pass applications, without first putting them on a watchlist. For cases where discrimination involves nationality bias, which is less readily apparent, MOM puts the employers on a watchlist and scrutinises their Work Pass applications for irregularities. We may subsequently debar them if they fail to cooperate to improve their human resource practices.

We expect all employers to abide by the principles of fair and merit-based employment practices outlined in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) will engage companies on whom we have received complaints or feedback and guide them to improve their employment practices.

Mr Speaker: Mr Leon Perera.

Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Thank you, Sir. I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for her answer. Just two supplementary questions. How many companies are currently on the watchlist on discriminatory practices? And what proportion of those companies on the watchlist are there for nationality-based discriminatory practices, as opposed to suspected discriminatory practices on other dimensions?

Ms Low Yen Ling: Mr Speaker, I want to thank the Member for his supplementary questions. I would like to recap that the Parliamentary Question that was raised by Mr Faisal Manap was to ask whether a watchlist could be set up for companies that engage in discriminatory employment practices, not related to nationality, but to other attributes, such as gender and ethnicity.

I would like to assure the Member that all employers are required to abide by the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices to uphold fair employment practices that are open, merit-based and also non-discriminatory.

Where guidelines are breached, such as where there is discrimination on the basis on gender or ethnicity, TAFEP will then report such cases to MOM, and MOM will then impose sanctions which can be issuing stern warnings, or even curtailing the Work Pass privileges of the employer. And that has direct impact on the employers. So, where it comes to any feedback on workplace discrimination and it is mentioned about gender or ethnicity, I have explained earlier that perhaps because it is a bit more readily apparent, in fact, we do not even need to wait for a watchlist. TAFEP will report to MOM, and we can curtail the Work Pass privileges of the employers. That is even more direct impact than putting out a watchlist.

But having said that, I would want to reassure the Member that MOM works very closely with TAFEP, employers, and also HR practitioners to build inclusive workplaces and to eradicate any form of work discrimination. And we urge workers who face any such occurrences, whether gender, ethnicity or even nationality bias, to please promptly report the matter to TAFEP or MOM. We will certainly take every feedback that is surfaced to us, any complaint, we will take it very seriously, and investigate very thoroughly.