SINGAPORE, Aug 27 — With the pandemic putting professional, managerial and executive (PME) jobs at risk, the labour movement today said it will form a new task force centred around the needs of PME workers, in a bid to organise them and ensure their interests are heard by companies and the Government.

Announcing the move in a virtual media briefing on Wednesday (Aug 26), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng said that the situation for PMEs, especially those between 40 and 60, have reached a "tipping point” — these traditionally safe jobs have now become much more vulnerable because of Covid-19 and its effects on the economy.

"(PMEs) now feel a growing sense of anxiety about whether their job is secure. And it is with this feedback that I think we have reached somewhat of a tipping point for NTUC to actually act upon this feedback and see how we can take the initiative to help this group of PMEs,” said Ng.

He also noted that many PMEs are now taking up jobs in the gig economy, such as becoming private car hire drivers.

And so the PME Task Force will be formed sometime in October to champion the protection of Singaporean PMEs, and will be led by NTUC assistant secretary-general Patrick Tay and the Singapore National Employers Federation executive director Sim Gim Guan.

Read also: Salary criteria for Employment Passes and S Passes will be raised: MOM

It will engage with PME workers — including those who are not union members — over an estimated period of six months to a year, to come up with "concrete recommendations” for companies to benefit local PMEs, said Ng in response to the media.

He added that one of the chief aims of the task force is to keep the momentum for a collective voice for PMEs going, even after the work of the PME Task Force concludes.

While NTUC has had programmes for PMEs before, Ng said this is the first such concerted effort undertaken by NTUC that focuses on local PMEs.

In the past, the labour movement mainly reached out to rank-and-file workers, as most Singaporeans worked in such jobs in the Republic’s developing years. Over the years, as more Singaporeans took on white-collar jobs, it has also tried to attract PMEs to join the unions, but with limited success.

The NTUC had around 300,000 PME members as of 2015. TODAY has reached out to NTUC for the latest data on its PME member count.

The NTUC said in a statement: "NTUC urges our local PMEs to join our unions to have their interests protected. This will also ensure that their concerns are heard and taken in by the Government to form the right policies.”

The labour movement will also work with the Government to review existing macro policies affecting PMEs to bring about a more level playing field for them, said Ng.

He said these policy options may include a review of Employment Pass (EP) salary thresholds, which the Manpower Ministry announced on Wednesday, tightening the Fair Consideration Framework and its enforcement, and whether there should be an EP quota for different salary levels.

Ng said he hopes PMEs would add to these discussions through the task force.

"We also need to balance the country’s macro needs, because we simply do not have enough Singaporeans (despite the need) to protect the Singaporean core, (regardless if it is) a PME or a rank-and-file worker. This is a very complex (problem),” said Ng.

When asked why the playing field for local and foreign PMEs are not level, Ng said this was a "market evolution” that borders on "market failure”, which is why the NTUC wants to work with the Government in its review of foreign workforce policies, and partner SNEF as well as bring PMEs into the fold.

"So, this way, hopefully, we can jig market forces from different levels, so that we can move forward to achieve economic success and also the equitable distribution of jobs for PMEs who are local,” said Ng. — TODAY