Govt will take tough stand against firms that sidestep labour laws: Tan Chuan-Jin

SINGAPORE - The Singapore Government will take a firm stand against companies which try to circumvent the country's labour laws, said Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin, in response to concerns over how some companies may find loopholes in the recently introduced Fair Consideration Framework, where employers are required to consider Singaporeans fairly before hiring skilled professional foreigners. Speaking at a dialogue session at the end of his community visit to Woodgrove today (Oct 27), Mr Tan faced questions from residents, with some raising concerns over the new Fair Consideration Framework. One resident, Ms Oun Hui Peng, raised the issue of inter-corporate transfers, saying that it allowed companies to bring in foreigners without restrictions. In reply, Mr Tan said there were "very strict rules" around it. "There are very strict rules about inter-corporate transfers. How long they have to be in the company before, the positions they are in and how long they can be here. So there are rules that govern that," said Mr Tan. "There are loopholes we know, we try to make sure the rules are fair," added Mr Tan. "It can be done, but when you get caught, we will whack them. So for example, I see companies where they are blacklisted because they violated some rules. They may say: 'this is our first time, can you be lenient?' I say: 'But this is the first time you get caught, right? Not the first time you are doing it.'" He also said policies must benefit Singaporeans. The key, he said, is to strike the right balance. "All our policies must benefit Singaporeans and must benefit Singapore as a society. We don't create policies that benefit foreigners. It doesn't make sense, but foreigners being here play a part because when they are here, it also helps companies to be here because it's diverse and competitive. So being open is important and being fair is also important." he said. CHANNEL NEWSASIA