WONG YK: The minimum statutory annual leave entitlement for workers is 7 days for the first year of work, with one additional day for each subsequent year of work, capped at 14 days.
Manpower Minister Josephine Teo says that the ministry will not consider changing the basic leave entitlement to “protect the basic interests of employees while balancing business needs and ensuring employees’ employability.”
Yet, civil servants receive a minimum of 14/18 days annual leave in their first year of service.
That can be seen as a “perk” of joining the civil service, or going by the MOM’s logic our tax money is being used to pay for inefficiency.
If the “basic interests” of civil servants are protected, in this case with double the minimum amount of annual leave entitled, shouldn’t that be the same for all other workers as well?
According to an Expedia survey, workers in Singapore are the 6th most vacation-deprived in the world.
67 percent of Singapore respondents say they are deprived of annual vacations, while 88 percent of Singapore workers say they deserve more annual leave.
Isn’t it time the MOM and our national union step up and champion more protection for all workers?
