By Ian Tan Hanhonn

As more companies move towards low-carbon technologies, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Heng Chee How has urged tripartite partners to proactively identify and work with impacted industries to ensure that older workers continue to have a place in the workforce.

Mr Heng made this call during a visit to the Singapore Bus Academy at the Ulu Pandan Bus Depot on 15 February 2022.

He was there to engage technicians attending training and meet those who have successfully upgraded to service the new electric bus fleet.

The public transport sector is one such sector where the switch to low-carbon technologies, such as from internal combustion powered vehicles to electric, will impact its existing workers.

According to Mr Heng, the public bus operators, National Transport Workers Union (NTWU) and Land Transport Authority (LTA) were quick to identify this issue. They have since leveraged on their strong relationship to proactively reskill their bus technicians.

He said: “We want to encourage as many industries as possible, especially those with a high number of older workers that face this sort of technical disruption, to be proactive and to make use of the time we still have to make this kind of planning and adjustments.

“Where the company has company training committees, please work with your union to make this an even more effective mechanism.”

Older Workers at Disadvantage

Studies and ground experience have shown that older workers, should they lose their jobs, tend to take a longer time to find new work, said NTUC in a release.

Older workers also have a higher chance of starting with a lower salary even when they do find new jobs.

Mr Heng believes to allow older workers to take on more job roles and opportunities in the future, the key to success is to effectively execute the “last mile” mechanism on a sustained and deliberate basis.

“For the vast majority of people, working longer is the surest way to be able to earn more and to save more. Which is why NTUC and our tripartite partners have been pushing for more working years, such as the extension of re-employment age and the extension of retirement age,” he said.

Ensuring Adequate Retirement Adequacy

Meanwhile, Mr Heng also applauded the strengthening of CPF contribution rates for older workers aged 55 and above, on 1 January 2022.

He said that the benefit of such increases will be realised when older workers are still employed.

NTUC added that it would continue to work with tripartite partners to ensure timely enhancement of CPF savings, statutory retirement, and reemployment cases are as agreed in the tripartite workgroup’s roadmap to 2030.