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SINGAPORE: Swab employees and swab assistants are employed on short-term contracts that do not include additional assignments, bonuses or career progression paths, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said on Friday (May 15).
The Health Promotion Board (HPB), with the assistance of the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) of the National Congress of Trade Unions (NTUC), is recruiting swabs and swab assistants to support more efforts extensive testing of COVID-19 in Singapore.
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The recruits will carry out tests, such as the sampling of foreign workers in dormitories for COVID-19.
In response to media inquiries, the Ministry of Health said that these roles do not provide any avenue of progression, unlike full-time professional healthcare roles in the public health system. It also does not include bonuses or additional bonuses.
On Thursday, Facebook user HongYu Sim, who said she was a nurse with 11 years of experience, wrote that she was “really horrified” by the amount of “people with a non-healthcare background” being paid compared with health workers.
In his Facebook post, which is no longer publicly available, he stated that the average nursing graduate receives a basic salary of S $ 1,900 in his first year and that after five to six years, the basic salary “has not even reached S $ 3,800 “.
“And yet, people with no health care experience get a 3.4k / 3.8k (pay) right away,” he wrote.
“I understand and accept that there are higher risks involved in this application and I also appreciate those who stepped forward to do so. However, I really want to highlight the issue of pay differences under the rug,” he added.
READ: Like a ‘giant N95 mask’: safer, faster COVID-19 testing of migrant workers with new mobile swab station
On Friday, the Health Ministry said: “The average monthly gross salary, after adding subsidies and bonuses, for registered entry-level nurses ranges from S $ 3,300 to S $ 5,200 depending on their qualifications.
“They are also eligible for annual salary increases, as well as training opportunities to improve their skills and develop a lifetime career as a clinical nurse, educator, or leader in the health sector.”
According to the recruiting details shared on the e2i website, interested candidates who want to become aides or janitors must have a minimum of N-Level qualification or achieve Level 5 in Literacy and numeracy in the workplace (WPLN).
They must also be medically fit with no history of chronic illness and a command of English and the native language. Fluency in dialect is considered a bonus.
The stipulated working hours involve rotating six business days per week over a six-month period, with the option to extend for another three months.
READ: New COVID-19 Test Developed in Singapore Detects Past Infections in One Hour
Parliament Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin shared a recruitment poster on his Facebook page on Thursday that featured the details of the work.
According to the poster, recruits will work as swab assistants with a salary of S $ 3,400 per month. They will then undergo on-the-job training and evaluation before becoming a swab, and then earn S $ 3,800 per month.
“The job scene will be troubling as the COVID impact on the economy begins to bite,” wrote Tan.
“It will start to get even more serious. But at the same time we are looking to create new job opportunities. Some will be a temporary relief option, while others may be more structural in the long term.
“Stay tuned and share these opportunities with those who may need it for now. This is a small portion in a larger effort to create more new jobs, temporary or long-term. “
Member of Parliament Sun Xueling, who also shared the recruitment poster on Facebook, said the job will carry risks, so training will be provided and swabs and swab assistants will wear personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks.
“This work is not suitable for those who have existing medical conditions and who are older in age because they are more vulnerable to COVID-19,” he added.
READ: COVID-19 may be with us for a long time, but may be contained: NCID Chief
MORE TESTS WILL BE PERFORMED
Human Resources Minister Josephine Teo on Thursday urged the public not to “be too alarmed” because the number of COVID-19 cases in Singapore remained high due to “extensive testing” among migrant workers.
All 323,000 foreign workers staying in these dormitories will be screened to make sure they are virus-free before resuming work, National Development Minister Lawrence Wong announced Tuesday.
The Government will also pay for a one-time COVID-19 swab test for all teaching and non-teaching staff in preschools to reduce the risk of transmission when centers resume full services.
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