Regrettable that Todds won't testify to clear air: Minister

By Feng Zengkun, The Straits Times, 23 May 2013

FOREIGN Minister K. Shanmugam yesterday said that key questions in the case involving American researcher Shane Todd that his family had raised could have been addressed better if they had chosen to testify in court, instead of walking out on the coroner's inquiry into his death.

These include the conflicting accounts of how a major piece of evidence had been recovered.

They had also claimed they did not know a witness, though he testified that they had met in Singapore just days after their son was found dead last June.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, made these points at a press conference held just hours after the Todd family discharged their lawyers and announced they had decided not to participate further in the inquiry.

The minister said: "They asserted that this hard drive had been processed by a third party after Dr Todd's death and that the hard drive contained information which had been overlooked by the Singapore police.

"(But) the hard drive was something the police had looked at... and in fact was something that the police had handed over (to the family) in the presence of US embassy officials."

Employee abuse video: Ministry probing company

Labour relations officers meet worker allegedly hit by supervisor
By Amelia Tan And Cheng Jingjie, The Straits Times, 23 May 2013

THE Manpower Ministry (MOM) is investigating the software company at the centre of an alleged employee abuse scandal.

The ministry said in a statement last night that its labour relations officers yesterday met the worker filmed in a video circulated on YouTube which apparently showed him being hit by his supervisor at Encore eServices.

An MOM spokesman said the meeting was to "find out more about his employment terms as well as possible infringements of the Employment Act".

Investigations by the ministry are ongoing.

The 29-year-old university graduate claimed he was paid only $500 a month during a three-year stint at Encore, despite putting in around 12 hours a day.

He also claimed he did not receive leave or bonuses.

The Employment Act covers employees earning a basic monthly salary of no more than $2,000 and ensures that they are entitled to overtime pay if they work more than 44 hours a week. They should also be given annual and sick leave.

The alleged abuse came to light in a 17-second video uploaded on YouTube last Friday. It shows a man, identified only as Alan, hitting the head of his subordinate continually and using vulgar language towards him.

The video was filmed by a Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) student who was working as an intern at the company. He asked to terminate his internship after the incident.

Aerospace course open to N-level holders

WDA, training college offer new diploma that admits those without O levels
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 23 May 2013

AS PART of a broader plan to create jobs and opportunities for Singaporeans, those who did not complete their O levels will still be able to land technical jobs in the fledgling aerospace sector starting July.

The Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) and Air Transport Training College (ATTC) have started a new aircraft maintenance diploma course that admits N-level holders as well.

Previously, the minimum entry point for WDA-subsidised technical courses in the aerospace sector was an O-level certificate or a certificate from the Institute of Technical Education.

After seven months of training, these new entrants to the workforce can be hired as apprentice technicians, earning $1,200 to $1,300 each month.

Announcing the new scheme yesterday, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said this will help ensure that Singaporeans "are not only ready for the opportunities created but to thrive when the opportunities are presented".

WDA director Ang Chai Soon told The Straits Times that the aerospace sector is growing and it is expected to see 10,000 new jobs created by 2018. The sector currently provides 20,000 jobs.

"These are good jobs with growth prospects," said Mr Ang, adding that the new diploma holders can progressively upgrade their skills, and move up to become aircraft maintenance engineers earning over $3,000 each month.

During the seven months of training, Singaporeans and permanent residents will receive up to 90 per cent subsidy for the course fees. Up to 150 diploma holders are expected to be trained in the next three years.

Besides the new programme, the minister also announced that the WDA has given the ATTC the highest certification as a national continuing education and training centre.

It is the fifth training school in Singapore to receive the "apex status", said Mr Tan.

New e-exam for A-level Mother Tongue B

By Pearl Lee, The Straits Times, 23 May 2013

FOR the first time, students taking a national examination will have to complete a part of it on a computer, the Ministry of Education (MOE) announced yesterday.

Around 300 students in 20 junior colleges taking the A-level Mother Tongue Language "B" exam in November will be the first to take the e-examination.

The "B" programme was introduced to A-level students in 2003 to help those who faced difficulties in the subject.

The "B" exam consists of three parts - oral and a listening component makes up half, 30 per cent is on comprehension and language use, while the rest is functional writing. Students will complete their functional writing exam using a laptop. They will have to type an e-mail or a blog entry.

The use of print or electronic dictionaries will still be allowed.

At St Andrew's Junior College yesterday, MOE deputy director- general of education Wong Siew Hoong said the introduction of the e-exam is in line with a recommendation by the Mother Tongue Languages Review Committee in 2010 that information and communications technology be used to enhance learning.

He added that students in the "B" programme were selected to have the e-exam as they "are the ones who will require a lot more authenticity in their learning".

For students taking the Chinese "B" exam, they will type their responses using romanised hanyu pinyin. The system will then prompt the student with the appropriate Chinese characters.

Integration of medical and social services in long-term care needed

Consider elderly patients' social needs too, docs urged

Study says a holistic view of care should be adopted

By Priscilla Goy, The Straits Times, 22 May 2013

DOCTORS treating the elderly need to be more aware of their patients' social and psychological needs, a new report has found.

They should take a holistic view - instead of drawing a distinction between medical and social care - said the study commissioned by the Lien Foundation and developed by consultancy firm KPMG.

Released yesterday, the research aims to draw ideas from other countries on how they have addressed their challenges. It is based on interviews with 46 eldercare experts in 14 nations. Four were from Singapore while others came from countries including Japan and the United States.

Dr Gerald Koh, a National University of Singapore associate professor and one of those interviewed for the report, said: "We're very good at building hardware and infrastructure, and that's not a bad thing, but we could do more in the 'heartware' area.

"Traditionally, doctors focus more on cures and treatment. I think we're training them to be more patient-centred, to be aware of the patient's social and psychological needs. But we could move beyond awareness and get them to take these needs into consideration when planning the management of the patient."

Doctors should work more closely with social workers and therapists in an "interdisciplinary team", added Dr Koh, from the university's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.

And there should not be "a sharp demarcation between the different roles". For example, in the United States, multidisciplinary teams provide services ranging from medical care to occupational therapy and diet monitoring - all at an adult day health centre.

The report - An Uncertain Age: Reimagining Long-term Care In The 21st Century - recommended providing more training and support to informal caregivers, and introducing more sustainable funding models. For instance, one pool of money could be used to fund institutional care and home-based or community-based services. This would avoid having two separate budgets.

Govt to ramp up workplace safety efforts

Bid to set bar higher, cut fatality rate to match that of developed countries

By Goh Chin Lian, The Straits Times, 21 May 2013

THE Government will take the lead as Singapore redoubles its effort to reduce workplace fatalities to 1.8 in 100,000 employees sooner than its 2018 deadline.

The fatality rate has already halved from four in 100,000 employees in 2005 to 2.1 last year, but Singapore needs to set a more ambitious goal to match that of developed countries like Britain (0.6), Germany (0.7) and Australia (1.9), urged Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday.

He was speaking at the launch of this year's National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign held at Asia Square, where 37 government agencies committed to workplace safety and health in public projects.

Contractors for their projects must be recognised by a government-initiated workplace safety programme, bizSafe, to have at least implemented a risk management plan assessed by an independent auditor. The agencies must also appoint a management representative to oversee safety and health issues.

Mr Lee, who launched the campaign five years ago, noted the progress made, but expressed disappointment that reductions in fatality rates have levelled off in the past three years.

Govt is open to anti-discrimination labour laws

By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 21 May 2013

SINGAPORE yesterday signalled that it is open to the idea of having anti-discrimination laws as a possible way to protect Singaporean workers, a move that marks a shift from its position a year ago.

Instead of rejecting legislation as the answer to unfair treatment at the workplace, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said yesterday: "Anti-discrimination legislation is one possible way to address these issues and we do not reject the idea entirely."

But he was quick to add that for now, the Government prefers to stick to its approach of persuading companies to change. It "is working for us", he said, as the root cause of discrimination in Singapore is employers' mindsets.

Mr Tan made these comments at an annual seminar of the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (Tafep) yesterday, in a speech that was more accommodating to the idea of legislation.

Last year, at the same conference, he rejected these "rigid laws", warning that they could "end up inadvertently harming the very people we are trying to help". He had also cited a 2001 study that found a law in the United States to help the disabled resulted in fewer of such workers being hired.

In March, while disclosing his ministry was studying hiring practices in other countries, Mr Tan pointed out that it was difficult to prove discrimination.

17 major operators get on board tray-return drive

Foodcourts and fast-food joints such as Kopitiam and KFC join campaign
By Melissa Pang, The Straits Times, 20 May 2013

DINERS can soon expect to see more tray-return stations at most of Singapore's foodcourts, after more than 500 food outlets joined islandwide efforts to encourage people to return their trays.

The National Environment Agency yesterday announced that it has partnered 17 major foodcourt and fast-food operators for the first time in its campaign to inculcate social graciousness among diners.

The 17, which committed to implementing tray-return systems in all their outlets, include foodcourt operators Kopitiam, Food Junction and Koufu, as well as fast-food chains McDonald's, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Subway.

Altogether, they represent some 70 per cent of foodcourts and 90 per cent of fast-food outlets in Singapore.

A "tray-return partner" decal pasted at the storefront of these outlets will identify them as being part of the campaign, and encourage patrons to return their trays.

A working group has also been formed to come up with more ideas, with more details expected in a few months' time.

Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu, who was the guest of honour at yesterday's event at HDB Hub Mall in Toa Payoh, said these popular eateries present an opportunity to influence Singaporeans' behaviour.

The tray-return initiative, which was piloted at nine hawker centres last year, has had encouraging results so far.

Up to seven in 10 diners have been returning their trays since last November. Ms Fu said the agency is also looking into why the rest do not.

Max Talent programme for PMEs & SMEs

Scheme aims to match more local talent with SMEs

By Rachel Scully, The Straits Times, 20 May 2013

FOR many young Singaporean job seekers, working at a multinational corporation (MNC) typically ranks at the top of their career choices.

But a programme launched by the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency is aiming to change that, by matching local talent with industries here.

The Max Talent programme, which is heavily subsidised, has placed more than 400 Singaporean professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) with SMEs since its launch in April last year, and hopes to help 600 more by the middle of next year.

It is targeting PMEs working in MNCs as well as PMEs who have been retrenched, said ASME president Chan Chong Beng.

"There is a need to change the mindset of locals about joining the SME sector as a career option, and that of SMEs to upgrade themselves so that they can attract and retain local talent," he said.

Part of the programme includes a three-day workshop, which equips PMEs with skills and knowledge about the working culture of SMEs.

It aims to ease the transition for people working in MNCs when they move to smaller organisations.

Retailers forced to make tough decisions amid labour crunch

Some shutting less profitable outlets, freezing expansion plans

By Jessica Lim, The Straits Times, 20 May 2013

WITH no respite expected for the tight labour market, some retailers in Singapore are shutting their least profitable outlets, freezing expansion plans and even cutting opening hours.

With rents going up at the same time, it seems that they have no choice.

Rent and labour make up over 70 per cent of a typical retailer's operating costs, according to recent estimates by the Singapore Retailers Association (SRA). A small shift could easily push an outlet into the red.

Take Masterfix, which specialises in key-cutting, dry-cleaning and shoe-mending. It had nine outlets, but the three least profitable ones closed in the past year.

This also allowed owner Webster Tan to bolster staff numbers at his remaining six outlets, now staffed with one employee each at any one time.

The 40-year-old, who personally helps out at three outlets daily, lost two foreign workers and three local workers last year and has been trying in vain to replace them.

"We are a cobbler shop and Singaporeans think it's dirty. They want to know if there is a glue smell," he said. "The worse thing is there is demand. With more manpower, I would open three new stores. But that's not going to happen.

"The labour shortage is not going to go away. We could not hold on waiting for things to change. They won't."