Written Answer by Minister for Manpower, Dr Tan See Leng, to PQ on Outcome of Complaints of Discrimination Received by MOM or TAFEP

NOTICE PAPER NO. 682 OF 2021 FOR A SITTING ON OR AFTER 14 SEPTEMBER 2021

QUESTION NO. 1109 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan

To ask the Minister for Manpower from 2014 to 2021, what has been the annual number of complaints of discrimination which the Ministry or the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (i) received (ii) investigated (iii) mediated (iv) resolved and (v) prosecuted.

Answer:

1. Between 2014 and the first half of 2021, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) received an average of 379 workplace discrimination complaints each year. All complaints were investigated by TAFEP. About two-thirds of reported cases were not substantiated. The majority were misunderstandings which were clarified and where both parties did not pursue the matter further.
2. Around one-third of the employers found to have discriminatory practices were referred to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for further investigation. Out of these complaints, an average of 41 employers were found to be in breach of the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) and had their work pass privileges suspended each year. The annual average number of workplace discrimination complaints handled by TAFEP and MOM is provided in Table 1.

Table 1: Annual Average Number of Workplace Discrimination Complaints Handled by TAFEP and MOM