SINGAPORE — A new tripartite body will be set up to assess the need for a wage system in the landscape sector that would be similar to the ones the cleaning and security sectors will adopt, said Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin in Parliament today (March 7).

Announcing the move at the Committee of Supply debate, Mr Tan said the Government is paying particular attention to lower-income workers in industries prone to stagnating real wages, where productivity gains do not lead into wage increases.

“Especially in sectors where cheap sourcing takes place, we plan to introduce sector-specific and targeted measures,” said Mr Tan. “We have done this by incorporating the Progressive Wage Model (PWM), which is developed by NTUC (National Trades Union Congress), into government regulation for the cleaning and security sectors.”

The model provides a “wage ladder”, where workers can get higher salaries as they gain better skills. The wage system for the cleaning industry will start in September, and firms will have to abide by wage guidelines under a new licensing scheme. Under the guidelines, cleaners will be paid at least S$1,000 a month, while higher skilled cleaners are guaranteed at least S$1,400 and supervisors can expect S$1,600.

Elaborating on the need to consider the wage system for the landscape sector, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower Hawazi Daipi said that cheap sourcing is prevalent in the landscape sector, too. “Basic wages for resident (landscape) workers are not as low as they are in the cleaning and security sectors, but they have stagnated at around S$1,000 for several years,” said Mr Hawazi, adding that there is also little movement in the number of locals in the sector despite a rise in the number of jobs available.

Overall, more than 80,000 local low-wage workers are expected to benefit from the third tier of target interventions in wages of cleaning, security and landscape sectors. Mr Hawazi, however, stressed that there is no plan to legislate the PWM beyond the cleaning, security and landscaping sectors.

Mr Tan said there will always be Singaporeans who will continue to work in low-skilled jobs despite efforts to uplift their educational levels. “That’s why having progressive wage models in these sectors are particularly important because these are viable respectable jobs that Singaporeans can take up,” he added.