DRAFT TRIPARTITE GUIDELINES FOR
RE-EMPLOYMENT OF OLDER EMPLOYEES

Aim

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), on behalf of the tripartite partners, is inviting members of the public to provide feedback on the draft Tripartite Guidelines for Reemployment of Older Employees ('Guidelines') (see Annex A).

Background

PM announced in 2007 that the re-employment legislation would be enacted by 1 Jan 2012, to require employers to offer re-employment to eligible workers, up to the age of 65. Re-employment provides the flexibility to allow both the employer and the worker to make changes to the existing job arrangements. This flexibility will allow the worker to stay employed while keeping the company competitive.

Formed under the aegis of the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers ('TriCom'), the Tripartite Implementation Workgroup on Older Workers (TIWG) issued a 'Tripartite Advisory on the Re-employment of Older Workers' ('Advisory') in April 2008 to guide employers to put in place re-employment policies. Since then, the tripartite partners have been working with employers and unions to promote the adoption of good re-employment practices. Response and feedback from employers and unions to the Advisory have been positive. They find the Advisory useful and practical and an increasing number of companies have adopted the Advisory partially or in full.

Taking into account the feedback obtained on the Advisory, the TIWG has updated and converted the Advisory to the draft Tripartite Guidelines on the Re-Employment of Older Employees ('Guidelines'). The draft Guidelines offers practical solutions to help employers put in place the necessary systems and processes for re-employment, including pre-retirement planning, re-employment consultation, adjustments to wages and benefits, and the offer of employment assistance payment (EAP).

Period of Consultation

The period of public consultation is from 16 November 2009 to 18 December 2009. The tripartite partners will consolidate the feedback received and finalise the tripartite guidelines by early 2010. The Guidelines will then be released for implementation by companies.

Feedback Format and Channel

The public are invited to give their feedback and express their views on the draft Guidelines using the prescribed feedback template (in Annex B). For effective consultation, please follow the following format in providing feedback:

a. Identify yourself as well as the organization you represent (if any) so that we may follow-up to clarify any issues, if necessary;

b. To help us understand your feedback better, use the prescribed feedback template to provide clear and concise comments and suggestions;

c. Explain your points with illustrations and examples or provide suggestions where possible.

The public may send their feedback via any of the following methods.

a. Email: mom_ow@mom.gov.sg [Subject Heading: Public Consultation on Draft Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees]

b. Fax: 65340559

c. Post: Ministry of ManpowerWorkplace Policy and Strategy Division

  18 Havelock Road
  Singapore 059764

We strongly encourage you to provide your views via email for speed and ease of consideration

Summary of Response

We will publish on this website a summary of the key feedback received together with our responses. The summary will not disclose the identity of respondents, and may not separately address or acknowledge every comment received.

Documents to Download

For your convenience, the relevant documents relating to this public consultation exercise can be downloaded below:

Annex A - Draft Tripartite Guidelines on Re-employment of Older Employees (download here).

Annex B - Feedback template (download here).