SINGAPORE – A recent survey of more than 100 unionised companies has shown that about four in five companies give workers they re-employ the same pay as before, if they are doing the same work.

Another survey, this time of companies in general, and carried by Manpower Ministry, yielded similar results.

Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC Heng Chee How said this shows that employers in general value their re-employed workers and their contributions.

The public sector uses a formula to implement tiered cuts in pay at the point of re-employment.

Mr Heng stressed that the labour movement has called for a review to bring the practice in line with the broad reality in the private sector as soon as possible.

Mr Heng said NTUC will work closely with HPB to get more companies to tap on the WorkPro programme, which aims to customise workplace health efforts to meet the needs of older workers.

Mr Heng added that companies will benefit directly from grants as well as save on health expenditure as their older workers maintain or improve their health.

He said: “Some companies will say that ‘I have to take care of myself, where I keep my workforce internally young, so that I don’t have too many older workers, and I don’t need to worry about their healthcare costs.’ That’s not what we want to see, and if that happens pervasively, then actually, we will have a big problem. So rather than going down that road or talking generally, then we feel that we got to have an incentive.” CHANNEL NEWSASIA