Debate on President’s Address: He Ting Ru on taking care of vulnerable workers, tackling discrimination in the workplace and building mutual trust

The disproportionate effect that climate change and urban warming has on blue-collar manual workers and more vulnerable households needs to be better understood and addressed. This is part of ensuring that Singapore’s workplaces, particularly those outdoors, are safe, said MP He Ting Ru in Parliament on Thursday (Apr 20). She also repeated calls previously made by MPs for safer ferrying of migrant workers in lorries. Ms He said the business costs involved should be properly quantified as a first step to finding effective solutions. She also spoke on behalf of those she called “invisible workers who undertake the unpaid labour that forms the backbone of our families and society”. She said time-use surveys would make such work more visible and better valued, and enable the Government to concretely measure the magnitude of their work and the success, or otherwise, of policies to support them. On a proposed workplace anti-discrimination law, Ms He said an interim report recently released falls short in several areas. For example, it does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, and it is not clear if indirect discrimination falls within its ambit. She also urged the consideration of a comprehensive anti-discrimination law to tackle discrimination in other areas such as housing, the rental market and schools. Finally, on the issue of trust in public institutions, Ms He said trust works both ways. She questioned if - after generations of nation-building - the Government trusts its people and if not, why? She called for the creation of systems built on strong mutual trust, where Singapore can reap maximum benefits for the greater good. One way, she said, is to make more information available in the public domain, which will lead to a more informed society and “build a democracy where citizens are exposed to all shades of opinion”.