Written Answer to PQ on Workplace discrimination complaints involving firms fewer than 25 employees

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2109 OF 2023 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 11 AUGUST 2023
QUESTION NO. 4899 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Pritam Singh

To ask the Minister for Manpower out of the about 315 complaints about workplace discrimination made to the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices and the Ministry each year for the last five years, for each year respectively, how many of these complaints were made by individuals working for companies that had a headcount of less than 25.

Answer:

1. The Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL) will work in concert with the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) to provide strong protection against all forms of workplace discrimination. Although employees in small firms with fewer than 25 employees will not be covered by the WFL for a start, they will continue to be covered by the TGFEP.

2. Between 2018 and 2022, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) and the Ministry of Manpower received an average of around 35% of workplace discrimination complaints each year from employees working in firms with fewer than 25 employees. Employees of such small firms can continue to file their complaints with TAFEP for advice and help. Where there are breaches of the TGFEP, TAFEP will require the errant firms to address the complaints and correct their employment practices. In egregious cases, employers could also have their work pass privileges suspended. In addition to enforcement action, TAFEP will continue to educate and build the capability of these small firms to comply with the TGFEP.