Media Release HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE

Transcription

1 23 September 2009 Media Release HARNESSING THE POTENTIAL OF WOMEN IN THE WORKFORCE NTUC Women s Development Secretariat and tripartite partners advocate fair employment practices for female workers and rally employers to hire on merit. 1. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Women s Development Secretariat (WDS) and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) jointly organised the Seminar on Harnessing the Potential of Women in the Workforce today to encourage all employers to hire on merit and adopt fair employment practices and flexi-work arrangements at their workplace to attract more women back to the workforce. 2. Attended by 300 unionists and HR practitioners, the one-day Seminar saw employers who have signed the Employers' Pledge of Fair Employment Practices 1 like the Singapore Turf Club and American Express share their respective organisations experiences on how they have successfully tapped on the Flexi-Works! Funding programme to recruit women, the benefits of having women in the company, and the importance of adopting fair employment practices. 3. "I am proud to say that American Express is committed to fostering and reinforcing an organisational culture in which individuals are enabled to contribute to their fullest potential by leveraging their unique experiences, perspectives, and 1 Signing the Employer s Pledge of Fair Employment Practices signifies the organisation s support for fair employment and its intention to be fair, based on the five key principles of fair employment practices as outlined in the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. Page 1 of 5 National Trades Union Congress Tel NTUC Centre Fax Marina Boulevard One Marina Boulevard Singapore

2 viewpoints for the collective benefit of all stakeholders. At American Express, we firmly believe in developing female talent in the workplace," said Julia Wolage, Vice President/Head of Human Resources, International Market Centre - East Asia. 4. Underscoring the importance of fair employment practices for business success amidst an increasingly diverse workforce, Ms Wolage added, "For American Express, diversity represents a range of opportunities and challenges that are central to our ongoing success as a global organisation in the 21st century. We are a global company, serving diverse people around the world, and our success is based on how well we embrace diversity in our work force. Diversity is essential to maintain market share, a competitive edge and ensure long-term survival. It builds bridges to new markets, new products and new customers. Beyond being a good corporate citizen, practising Diversity and Inclusion is critical to business survival." 5. During the Seminar, Guest-of-Honour and Co-Chairperson for the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) and Deputy Secretary General of NTUC, Madam Halimah Yacob took the opportunity to share the findings of a recent survey conducted by WDS on some 230 married female employees with at least one child aged 12 years and below and who have utilised the maternity and childcare benefits under the enhanced Marriage and Parenthood Package introduced by the Government on 17 August Generally, 83 per cent of the women polled said they did not face any difficulties at work when applying for maternity and childcare leave; in fact, most enjoyed an ease of application and there was proper re-allocation of work when they did so. A significant 95 per cent also indicated that their employers were supportive of female employees applying for such leaves, and did not think the enhanced package had placed them at a disadvantage at their workplace. The survey also showed that 77 per cent of them felt that they were appraised purely Page 2 of 5

3 on their work performance. More details of the survey findings may be found in the Annex. 7. To walk the talk in getting more women back to work, particularly those who have left the workforce to spend time with their children or retrenched due to their family commitments or pregnancy, WDS has rallied 10 employers who shared the same values of fair employment practices to come together to organise a Job Fair that will be held on the same day. As part of the Job Fair, female job seekers were pre-screened based on employers requirements by WDS staff to ensure a better job fit or match and shortlisted for today s Job Fair where these employers from both public and private sectors will interview them. Amongst the participating employers from various sectors include NTUC s social enterprises, NTUC FairPrice and NTUC First Campus, as well as players from the public and private sectors: McDonald s, Wing Tai Group, Singapore General Hospital, National Council of Social Services, Premier Security, Ritz Carlton, PCF and JobStreet.com. 8. Making it easier for employers to learn about and adopt fair employment practices, TAFEP provides a variety of services, tools and resources, including training workshops, advisory services, and educational materials. These include the e-learning programme for the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices and the Leading Fair Employment Practices handbook launched earlier this year. The e-learning programme provides an interactive learning mode via animation as well as quizzes on the Guidelines, while the handbook contains case studies of 25 leading organisations in Singapore detailing their fair employment initiatives and best practices. Mdm Halimah Yacob Deputy Secretary-General, NTUC Director, NTUC Women s Development Secretariat ***** Page 3 of 5

4 About National Trades Union Congress The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) is a national confederation of trade unions in the industrial, service and public sectors representing more than 500,000 workers in Singapore. NTUC comprises 61 affiliated unions, six affiliated taxi associations, 12 social enterprises and four related organisations. NTUC s objectives are to help Singapore stay competitive and workers remain employable for life; to enhance the social status and well-being of workers; and to build a strong, responsible and caring labour movement. NTUC's vision is to be an inclusive labour movement for all collars, all ages and all nationalities. For more details on NTUC, please visit our website at About NTUC Women s Development Secretariat The NTUC Women's Development Secretariat (WDS) develops and implements programmes and initiatives to: assist women with job opportunities to enter or re-enter the workforce; enhance employability of women by offering training opportunities; help women to remain in the workforce by promoting worklife integration; develop and strengthen the leadership capabilities of women leaders; ensure a more effective integration of women at all levels of decision making in the trade union movement and provide a voice for the aspirations and concerns of working women, and to monitor trends and make recommendations to help women earn a better living so that they can live a better life. WDS works closely with its various tripartite partners (employers, unions and government agencies) on its programmes and initiatives. WDS is also part of the Tripartite Workgroup on Enhancing Employment Choices for Women. In addition, WDS also provides secretariat support to the NTUC Women's Committee and is one of the key programme drivers under Labour Movement 2011 (LM 2011). About the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices The Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices (TAFEP) promotes fair, responsible and merit-based employment practices so that employees can realise their full potential and employers can achieve organisational excellence. Leveraging its unique tripartite identity, TAFEP works in partnership with employer organisations, unions and the government to create awareness and facilitate the adoption of fair and responsible employment practices. TAFEP provides a range of services, tools and resources, including training workshops, advisory services, and educational materials, to help organisations implement fair and responsible employment practices. Hire on Merit. Be a Fair Employer. ***** Page 4 of 5

5 For media queries, please contact: Ms Amanda Goh Principal Consultant Corporate Communications Department National Trades Union Congress DID HP Ms Evelyn Yeo Manager Burson-Marsteller for TAFEP DID HP Page 5 of 5