This roundup summarises the most important news stories around the world in the last month (May 2023).
Author: guanyinmiao
A man of knowledge lives by acting, not by thinking about acting. Carlos Castaneda.
“Beyond Fairness”: AWARE’s advocacy for anti-discrimination in the workplace
Centred on the Singapore government’s plan to enact new legislation to prohibit workplace discrimination, the Association of Women for Action and Research, or AWARE, published a position paper with recommendations to address gaps in coverage and implementation related to the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. Today, we speak with two representatives involved in the position paper, Apoorva Shukla and Daryl Yang, asking them about AWARE’s advocacy for anti-discrimination in the workplace, thoughts about the Tripartite Committee’s proposals, and various forms of workplace discrimination.
Representation, not just conversation and consultation: DPA’s recommendations for Singapore’s workplace anti-discrimination law for people with disabilities
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in 2021 that the government would enshrine into law the current workplace anti-discrimination guidelines. Since then, the Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness, comprising the Ministry of Manpower, National Trades Union Congress, and the Singapore National Employers Federation, has been reviewing the current guidelines. The Tripartite Committee then released a report with 20 recommendations of what the anti-discrimination law should contain. The main recommendation was that the law should prohibit workplace discrimination in respect of (i) age, (ii) nationality, (iii) sex, marital status, pregnancy status, caregiving responsibilities, (iv) race, religion, language, as well as (v) disability and mental health conditions.
After the report’s release, several organisations released their responses to the report with their own recommendations. Today, we speak to a representative from one of these organisations, Max Soh, who is the Research and Policy Manager for the Disabled People’s Association or DPA, Singapore’s only cross-disability non-profit organisation. Max joined DPA in 2021 and manages the organisation’s various research and policy related initiatives. In addition to being disabled himself (visually impaired since birth), he brings experience with disability and disability advocacy through his prior involvements with disability organisations especially internationally. In this episode, we talk about the work of DPA and what DPA feels should be included in the anti-discrimination law for people with disabilities.
April 2023 global news roundup: Political waves of change; Popular demonstrations and tragedies; Geopolitical and US developments
This roundup summarises the most important news stories around the world in the last month (April 2023).
“Tak Boleh Tahan”: Encouraging ordinary Singaporeans to speak up
GST hikes, inflation, and high HDB resale prices. Wherever you go in Singapore, you can’t miss the hottest topic nowadays: the rising cost of living. If you tak boleh tahan, that’s understandable. But what can Singaporeans do about it? Today, we’re joined by three organisers, Kokila from Workers Make Possible and the Transformative Justice Collective, Kumarr from Workers Make Possible, and Adi from Workers Make Possible and NTU Financial Aid Friends, to talk about how Singaporeans can make their voices heard on these issues.
The trio are part of Manifestival, a joint effort by various civil society organisations and independent media platforms to encourage democratic, public discussion on important issues that matter to all of us in Singapore. We ask them about how Manifestival came about, the three townhall series that Manifestival has organised in the past months, and their takeaways from having ordinary Singaporeans share their honest thoughts in such public spaces.
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