Half of work discrimination complaints nationality-related

Over the past three years, half of the complaints received by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) were nationality-related, followed by those relating to age, and language or race (both accounted for a fifth of complaints).

Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said in 2013, the number of complaints rose to 475 from 303 in 2012, primarily due to nationality-related gripes.

“We believe this was driven by greater public awareness arising from TAFEP’s promotional efforts and the announcement of the Fair Consideration Framework last year,” Tan said in Parliament yesterday.

Tan said TAFEP works with companies which have received complaints, and advises them on how they can improve their employment practices.

“So far, the employers approached by TAFEP have heeded TAFEP’s advice and made adjustments to their employment practices,” he said. “I understand that some complaints may arise due to differences in expectations or misunderstandings, rather than genuine discrimination.”

In the first half of this year, the Ministry of Manpower has revoked the work pass privileges of 41 errant employers and issued warnings to 34 other employers.

Tan added employers who practice fair employment will have access to a larger talent pool, and will experience “a boost in the morale and productivity of their employees”.