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Elite Junior
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http://www.tremeritus.com/2015/05/12/minister-lim-refuses-to-answer-ncmp-giams-question/
At the parliament sitting yesterday (11 May), NCMP Gerald Giam from the Workers’ Party posed a few questions to the Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say.
Mr Giam wanted to know more about the retrenchment situation in Singapore last year.
He asked:
(a) of the 12,930 workers laid off in 2014, how many were:
(i) citizens and
(ii) permanent residents
(b) of the residents (citizens and permanent residents), how many received retrenchment benefits (over and above notice period pay) that are equivalent to their last drawn salary of:
(i) more than 6 months;
(ii) between 4 and 6 months inclusive;
(iii) between 1 and 3 months inclusive;
(iv) less than 1 month; and
(v) none at all
Mr Giam’s questioning followed the release of MOM data on 23 April showing that job redundancies rose last year due to economic restructuring. More workers were laid off in 2014 compared to 2013 (‘More locals retrenched compared to non-resident FTs‘).
MOM data showed that some 12,930 workers were retrenched last year. This compared to 11,560 in 2013. Hence, the number retrenched last year was 12% more than that of previous year.
As usual, MOM lumped Singaporeans and PRs together and only gave one figure for “local residents” (i.e, Singaporeans and PRs combined). MOM stated that the composition of the 12,930 workers retrenched last year was:
Local Residents – 7,240 (56%)
Non-Residents – 5,690 (44%)
There was no further breakdown of the figures for Singaporeans and PRs separately.
With the incomplete data shown, Mr Giam set out to ask Minister Lim for a further breakdown of last year’s retrenchment figures for Singaporeans and PRs separately.
Despite being confronted by Mr Giam’s questions in Parliament, Minister Lim chose to continue to evade giving any direct replies.
Mr Lim replied, “Fewer residents were laid off in 2014 compared to 2013. Of the 12,930 workers laid off in 2014, 7,240 or 56% were (local) residents. This is lower than their two-thirds representation in the workforce. Data on the retrenchment benefits paid to this group is not available.”
In other words, Mr Lim has “skillfully” avoided giving ANY answers to Mr Giam’s two questions (a) and (b) above.
In the case of question (a), Mr Lim kept talking about 7,240 local residents (Singaporeans and PRs combined) being retrenched last year, refusing to give a further breakdown.
For (b), he simply said, “Data on the retrenchment benefits paid to this group is not available.”
Mr Lim then went on to give his usual motherhood statements, “As the economy restructures, some consolidation and exit of businesses will take place. MOM, WDA and the tripartite partners stand ready to help locals who have been laid off to re-skill and upgrade, to put them in a good position to take on new jobs.”
“The resident long-term unemployment rate, reflecting those who have been unemployed for 25 weeks or more, has been low at 0.6%, and is among the lowest globally,” he added.
Is this what one pays a million dollar every year to a minister for? To avoid answering opposition questions?
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