Maritime firms opting for foreigners

S'poreans perceived as avoiding tough work at sea; no ready pool of skilled locals
By Amelia Tan, The Sunday Times, 4 Jan 2015

EMPLOYERS in the maritime sector say that foreign applicants often pip Singaporeans to the job because of a sense that they are more willing to work under the tough conditions in the industry.

As few young Singaporeans are drawn to the job, the industry also suffers from a lack of a ready pool of skilled and experienced locals to tap in recent years.

This was the general view of about a dozen employers in the sector who spoke to The Sunday Times, most of whom did not wish to be identified.

They were reacting to the news last week that maritime company Prime Gold International was barred by the authorities from hiring foreign workers for two years after it was found to have discriminated against Singaporeans.

Prime Gold had laid off 13 Singaporeans, who were working as ship captains, officers, engineers and seamen, and hired foreigners in their place.

The company defended itself, saying it was running at a loss and the Singaporean workers had become redundant.

Singapore has more than 5,000 maritime companies that employ 170,000 people. However, the bulk of the seafaring jobs are filled by foreigners from countries such as Indonesia and the Philippines. The sector contributes 7 per cent to Singapore's GDP.

Companies prefer to rely on experienced foreigners who can do the job with minimal training rather than hire fresh Singaporean graduates and train them from scratch.

"Training a worker to be a ship captain takes seven or eight years. A company can save on time and cost if it hires an 'off the shelf' foreigner who also has the skills and experience," said the boss of a maritime company.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it is aware that some companies prefer to hire foreigners.

"MPA recognises that while many Singaporeans take up shore-based jobs, not many are attracted to seafaring jobs given their perceived onerous nature. Given this, there is a tendency for companies to tap the ready pool of seafarers from the region," said a spokesman.

The MPA said it has been working with industry players to organise training programmes and career talks and fairs to encourage more Singaporeans to take up seafaring jobs.

These jobs may entail being out at sea for months, and 10 or more hours of work daily. Local blue-collar seamen earn around $1,200 a month. But the pay is attractive for higher-level jobs - for instance, ship officers earn above $3,000, while captains can get more than $8,000.

Several recruitment experts said concerns about Singaporean workers' lack of commitment are not unfounded.

"Many Singaporeans take up maritime courses in the polytechnics, but few stay on in the jobs. Foreigners have also shown that they are more adaptable to the work conditions," said Mr David Leong, managing director of recruitment firm PeopleWorldWide.

But labour MP Zainal Sapari believes employers should look at offering better employment terms to Singaporeans to retain them.

"It is not unfair to ask for better salaries and to be able to spend more time with your families. It is up to the employer to redesign the work process to meet the needs of workers," he said.

Industry players and human resource experts agreed that maritime companies must think harder about making jobs attractive to locals.

An industry report last year highlighted that the global supply of 624,000 officers falls 13,000 short of demand. But it will be an even tougher challenge for Singapore maritime companies to attract locals because of the general lack of understanding of the work.

Mr Richard Yeo, director of rewards, talent and communication at human resource consultancy Towers Watson Singapore, said companies should let workers know that seafaring jobs can lead to rewarding shore-based careers, such as fleet managers and superintendents, later on.

Post by Singapore Ministry of Manpower.

MOM bars marine firm from hiring foreigners
2-year ban after it laid off locals and hired foreigners to take their place
By Toh Yong Chuan, Manpower Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Dec 2014

A SINGAPORE marine company has been barred from hiring foreign workers for two years because it discriminated against Singaporeans.

The ban on Prime Gold International was imposed after it was found "to have retrenched Singaporeans unfairly", said Ministry of Manpower (MOM) director Roslyn Ten-Kong yesterday.

The company had laid off 13 Singaporeans and hired foreigners in their place. The Singaporeans were working as ship captains, officers, engineers and seamen.

The ban is a first by MOM since it set up a department in August to probe complaints that bosses prefer foreigners over Singaporeans.

Ms Ten-Kong led the investigation of the company after MOM received complaints in June from some of the retrenched employees, the ministry said.

The company told MOM that the workers were asked to go because it was running at a loss and they had become redundant.

It also cited other reasons, such as poor work performance and inadequate qualifications. These reasons, however, were not substantiated, said MOM in its statement.

It also noted that Prime Gold's unfair actions "denied Singaporeans fair opportunities for employment and career development".

The company's move also "affects the livelihood of Singaporeans already in employment", it added.

The ban reflects the seriousness of the infringement, the ministry said, adding that it had investigated more than 100 companies so far for posting discriminatory job advertisements.

The MOM, however, declined to disclose when the two-year ban started. But the company can renew the work passes of its existing foreign workers, the MOM told The Straits Times.

A check on company records shows Prime Gold, set up in August 2008, is wholly owned by permanent resident Zheng Yulin.

Neither the company nor its owner could be reached for comment yesterday.

When The Straits Times visited the company's registered address at an industrial building off Upper Paya Lebar Road yesterday, there was no sign of the company in operation and the door was locked.

The Singapore Maritime Officers' Union "strongly supports MOM clamping down on errant employers that are out to exploit Singaporeans", said its general secretary Mary Liew.

She is a former Nominated MP who is a member of the NTUC's central committee, the labour movement's top decision-making body. Her union represents one of the retrenched workers.

Member of Parliament Zainudin Nordin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower, said the ban is a warning to companies.

"There is always a grey area between justifiable retrenchment and unfair sacking. But this case sends a very clear signal to firms that the MOM will not tolerate those who exploit the loopholes," he said.

Labour MP Zainal Sapari said the move will assure Singaporean workers that "as long as they have the right skills and experience, they will be considered fairly for jobs, and their complaints will be investigated". He added: "MOM did the right thing."

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