Review Retirement and Re-Employment Act for Caregivers
Parliamentary Question, 2 Sep 2019
Ms Anthea Ong asked the Minister for Manpower whether there are plans to amend the Retirement and Re-employment Act to include those who have been out of the labour force for caregiving reasons but who may wish to rejoin the labour force after their care recipient passes on.
Mrs Josephine Teo: Under the Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA), it is an offence for employers to dismiss workers on grounds of age before the minimum statutory Retirement Age of 62. Additionally, employers are required to offer re-employment contracts to eligible employees from 62 up to the Re-employment Age of 67.
The RRA covers persons who rejoin the workforce if they meet the same criteria as those who remained in the workforce. The priority should therefore be to help them return to employment. They are likely to need some training or reskilling. Through Adapt and Grow, they can access a suite of services and programmes to facilitate employment matching and overcome mismatches in skills or wages.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anthea Ong is a Nominated Member of Parliament. (A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed by the President. They are not affiliated to any political party and do not represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament.)
The multi-sector perspective that comes from her ground immersion of 12 years in different capacities helps her translate single-sector issues and ideas across boundaries without alienating any particular community/group. As an entrepreneur and with many years in business leadership, it is innate in her to discuss social issues with the intent of finding solutions, or at least of exploring possibilities. She champions mental health, diversity and inclusion — and volunteerism in Parliament.
She is also an impact entrepreneur/investor and a passionate mental health advocate, especially in workplace wellbeing. She started WorkWell Leaders Workgroup in May 2018 to bring together top leaders (CXOs, Heads of HR/CSR/D&I) of top employers in Singapore (both public and private) to share, discuss and co-create inclusive practices to promote workplace wellbeing. Anthea is also the founder of Hush TeaBar, Singapore’s 1st silent teabar and a social movement that aims to bring silence, self care and social inclusion into every workplace, every community — with a cup of tea. The Hush Experience is completely led by lovingly-trained Deaf facilitators, supported by a team of Persons with Mental Health Issues (PMHIs).
Follow Anthea Ong on her public page at www.facebook.com/antheaonglaytheng