Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices
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Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices
Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) advocates for responsible, fair, and progressive employment practices among employers, employees, and the public at large. It works hand in hand with the government, unions, and employers to ensure the advocacy of employment practices that are fair and responsible (Chia & Lim, 2010). Singapore is a meritocratic nation and establishes employment practices on merit basis as the right thing to do, for the country. Besides, Singapore has a workforce that is diverse in terms of age, religion, ethnic group, and gender (Chwee-Huat, 1996). Therefore, the implementation of employment practices that are merit-based widens the pool for employers to enlist from and augments the chances of finding the best candidate for the work at hand (Chia & Lim, 2010).
Tripartite Alliance on Fair and Progressive Employment Practices formulated the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices to ensure the promotion of employment practices that are fair. Furthermore, the guidelines prevent discrimination in the working environment and allow employers to embrace Human Resource practices that are progressive and of benefit to them and employers (Chia & Lim, 2010). These guidelines were built and borrowed from other guidelines that include “Tripartite Guidelines on Non-Discriminatory Job Advertisements” that was revised in 2006 and the “Code of Responsible Employment Practices” that was issued in 2002. These guidelines were first adopted in 2007 and further enhanced in 2011 to include hiring and developing Singaporean Core (Chia & Lim, 2010).
In the United States of America, employment discrimination laws seek to avert discrimination based on race, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, and physical disability by employers (Lewis & Norman, 2001). In the US, practices of discrimination include partiality in job assignment, hiring, promotions, compensation, and termination, among others. In the US, the main body of employment discrimination laws consists of federal and state laws (Lewis & Norman, 2001). The United States of America Constitution provides extra protection for the employee if the employer is a governmental body, or extra steps are taken by the government to curb the employer’s discrimination practices. The Fifth and the 14th Amendments of the United States Constitution limit the power of the state and federal governments to discriminate (Lewis & Norman, 2001). For instance, the Fifth Amendment requires the federal government not to deprive individuals of life, liberty, or property without the due process of the Law (Lewis & Norman, 2001).
In 1963 the United States Congress passed the Equal Pay Act, which amended the Fair Labor Standards act. The act prohibited unions and employers from paying different wages based on sex. However, it did not protect against other practices that are discriminatory (Lewis & Norman, 2001). The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII prohibits discrimination in broader aspects of the employment relationship (Lewis & Norman, 2001). The act prohibits discrimination based on race, religion, colour, sex, or national origin. It makes it illegal for employers to discriminate concerning hiring, compensating, discharge of duties, and privileges of employment. The 19th Century Civil Rights Act, which was amended in 1993, ensures that all people have equal rights under the Law. It also outlines the damages available to complainants in action under the Law (Lewis & Norman, 2001). These are but a few laws enacted by the federal and state governments of the United States of America to ensure that all employees are equal and treated in the same way by the employers.
Although Singapore’s labor and employment landscape is relatively straightforward and considered among the best in Asia, it is quite dynamic at present. It is this dynamic nature of the Singaporean labor and employment landscape that prompted the government to adopt the tripartite alliance on fair and progressive employment practices to cater for both the citizens and foreigners in the country without discrimination (The Straits Times, 2018). The main labor legislation in Singapore, the Employment Act, which was amended in 2018 and took effect in April this year, allows the publication of non-statutory guidelines, advisories, and standards that embrace employment practices that are fair, progressive, and provide guidance. However, some critics in the country say that TAFEP seems toothless if not given legal powers by the government to act. Statistics show that over 350 employees in Singapore annually seek the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to counteract wrongful termination (The Straits Times, 2018). In these cases, some parties agreed on the final settlement after mediation, some were withdrawn and others resulted in compensation by the employers. MOM and TAFEP make reference to these set of guidelines that promote a conducive working environment for both the employees and employers.
The principles of fair employment practices as outlined in the TAFEP guidelines include: recruiting and selecting employees on the basis of merit, treating employees with uttermost respect and implement progressive HR management systems, provide employees with equal opportunities to be considered for training and development, reward employees fairly and lastly abide by the labor laws as outlined in TAFEP (Chia & Lim, 2010). Abiding by these principles ensures the achievement of meritocracy and equity at the workplace. It is important to note that, implementation of these guidelines curbs discrimination in the workplace and encourages fairness (Chwee-Huat, 1996).
In conclusion, the successful implementation of TAFEP guidelines and practices requires the commitment and cooperation of the government, employee unions, employers, and the public at large to curb discrimination at the workplace and promote equity. It is now crystal clear that enforcing these policies and guidelines will not only avert discrimination but also improve meritocracy and better working environment at the workplace.
References
Chia, A., & Lim, A. (2010). Singapore: Equality, harmony and fair employment. International handbook on diversity management at work: Country perspectives on diversity and equal treatment. London: Edward Elgar.
Chwee-Huat, T. (1996). Employee relations in Singapore-current issues and problems. Employee Relations, 18(3).
Lewis, H. S., & Norman, E. J. (2001). Employment discrimination law and practice. West Publishing Company.
Term Contract Employment. (2019, October 09). Retrieved from https://www.tal.sg/tafep/employment-practices/term-contract-employment.
The Straits Times (2018, March 29). Firms adopting unfair employment practices will be placed on watch list. Retrieved from https://www.straitstimes.com/forum/letters-in-print/firms-adopting-unfair-employment-practices-will-be-placed-on-watchlist
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