November 14, 2024
SINGAPORE – Parliament on Nov 13 passed a Bill to give effect to additional paid parental leave allowances that were first announced at the National Day Rally in August.
Twelve MPs spoke on the Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill, which will amend the law to raise total paid parental leave to 30 weeks – 7½ months – come April 2026.
The House also passed a law clarifying that “lawfare” – in the form of abusive court applications and time-wasting tactics – constitutes contempt of court.
Here are the key takeaways:
Law passed to raise government-paid parental leave
Additional government-paid parental leave, first announced at 2024’s National Day Rally, was formally written into law on Nov 13.
With the amendment, parents-to-be will get 10 weeks of shared leave on top of their current leave entitlement, bringing the total amount of government-paid parental leave to 30 weeks by April 1, 2026.
Another change is for the third and fourth weeks of a father’s government-paid paternity leave to become mandatory. Currently, it is at employers’ discretion whether to offer this additional leave.
Besides calls for more fathers to take their paternity leave, MPs also raised employers’ concerns, such as when leave requests could pose significant operational challenges for firms.
Why it matters:
The Singaporean population is declining fast, with its total fertility rate reaching a historic low of 0.97 children per woman in 2023. This is lower than Japan’s 1.2 and Sweden’s 1.45, although it is higher than South Korea’s 0.72.
Despite this, the Republic’s current parental leave provisions are still shorter than those in many other developed countries, which can stretch to a year, albeit not on a full salary.
The existing shared parental leave regime has also been poorly utilised, as a father would have to tap his wife’s maternity leave to do so.
The 10 additional weeks of shared leave will replace the current scheme when it gets phased in from April 2025.
Minister of State for Social and Family Development Sun Xueling said employers should use the wage savings from state reimbursements to hire and train temporary workers, recognise covering colleagues, and reintegrate staff returning from parental leave.
‘Contempt of court’ now explicitly includes groundless applications, time-wasting claims
Amendments to the law have made clear that filing groundless applications and time-wasting claims constitutes contempt of court – an offence that can draw a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail term of up to three years.
This includes commencing baseless civil proceedings seeking financial damages to oppress someone, filing fictitious claims to delay criminal proceedings, and persistently making groundless applications.
Minister of State for Law Murali Pillai said the changes do not lower the current threshold for contempt of court, but clarifies its scope.
The Bill also adds a new clause where those who abet or cause others to engage in such conduct can be held liable.
Why it matters:
Abuse of court processes, also known as “lawfare”, has become more rampant in Singapore, said the Ministry of Law. This includes parties filing unmeritorious claims to oppress others, or for ulterior purposes, the ministry said on Oct 14 when the Bill was introduced.
Overseas, cases have also emerged where individuals misuse court proceedings against their intimate partners to control, harass or intimidate them long after the relationship has ended.
Given the trends observed in Singapore and overseas, Mr Murali said the authorities have decided that it is time to “proactively act” to safeguard the administration of justice in Singapore, and to ensure that court processes are not weaponised or abused.
“If we do not act, over time, trust in Singapore’s justice system will be eroded,” he said.
If you have a few more minutes:
Government tracking usage of AI-powered HR tools
Singapore’s fair employment watchdog, the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices or Tafep, has not received any complaint of workers being discriminated against by AI-powered human resource tools.
Even so, the authorities are closely monitoring the trend of employers using tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure that guidelines and regulations remain adequate to protect workers, said Manpower Minister Tan See Leng.
He was responding to a question from labour MP Patrick Tay, who was concerned that AI tools that substantially assist or replace discretionary decision-making can lead to biases in hiring or promotions.
The question came a day after a Bill was introduced to better protect workers against workplace discrimination.
A quarter of a million NSmen eligible for LifeSG credits aged above 60
More than a quarter of the one million national servicemen past and present receiving $200 worth of credits in recognition of their contributions to Singapore’s defence and security are above 60 years old.
Those who are not comfortable with digital payments can request hard-copy vouchers, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad of the credits, which are accessed via the LifeSG mobile application.
He noted that when $100 in credits were disbursed in 2022 in conjunction with NS55, 88 per cent of eligible servicemen above 60 years old used their credits, with only 2 per cent of this number opting for hard-copy vouchers.