NTUC launches enhanced Workplace Advisory Service for PMEs

By Alice Chia/Karen Ng, Channel NewsAsia, 31 Aug 2012 

Professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) will now have access to an enhanced Workplace Advisory Service, formerly known as the Industrial Relations Information System.

It will be supported by full-time lawyers from the NTUC Legal Services Department, as part of the labour movement's drive to expand its outreach and advocacy to PMEs.

The National Trades Union Congress said there is a growing number of PMEs joining the workforce.

And as companies restructure, more of such professionals find themselves out of work.

With this workplace advisory, union members will have free access to legal advice, compared to current commercial rates of S$300 to S$600 per hour.

In addition, the enhanced Workplace Advisory Service can be downloaded free and accessed using a mobile app, available on iPhone and Android phones.

The service was developed in response to the growing number of online enquiries. 

In 2011, the number of online enquiries increased to 463, compared to 395 enquiries in 2010.

Patrick Tay, director of legal services in NTUC, said: "There are three general kinds of enquiries that come in. Firstly, they are usually trying to get an understanding of their employment rights, under our current labour legislation. 

"The other one is when they are terminated or dismissed. Another third instance which happens is when they are retrenched...from their jobs, what is their entitlement to employment benefits..." 

He added: "Why we've developed this service is that increasingly with the growing number of PMEs, and the kind of queries that are coming in, it's not just your traditional employement rights queries. We are getting queries from PMEs which are more complicated and more complex in nature.

"For example, with regards to retrenchment benefits, with regards to severance payments, with regards to termination and unfair dismissal. I think the complexity is added because now, most of these PME jobs are not just local in nature. They are regional, transnational in nature.

"Some of the queries that come in are for example, a local employee may be seconded or posted to somewhere in Batam, Indonesia or even China as their place of work."

The labour movement is anticipating a rise in membership from PMEs. The number of PME members grew from 130,000 in August 2010 to 142,500 in August 2011, a jump of 10 per cent. And in August this year, there were 162,000 PME members, a leap of 13 per cent.