Company layoffs - how far can Singapore unions help workers? | Heart of the Matter podcast

E-commerce giant Lazada’s retrenchment exercise resulted in criticism of how it was handled, including its lack of consultation with the union. But what role can unions play when companies need to let employees go and what happens when employers don’t fulfill their tripartite obligations? Steven Chia sits down with Patrick Tay, assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress and Sim Gim Guan, executive director of the Singapore National Employers Federation. 0:00 Intro 1:20 The role of unions 3:56 Are companies obligated to inform the union? 6:34 What happened with Lazada? 14:45 Upskilling to avoid retrenchment 16:28 Are strikes legal in Singapore? 20:14 What to do if there are workplace disputes? More Heart of the Matter video podcasts: https://cna.asia/3FFmRLG Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Subscribe to our news service for must-read stories: Telegram - https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp - https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us: CNA: https://cna.asia CNA Lifestyle: http://www.cnalifestyle.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/channelnewsasia TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia