Bosses say staff with NS obligations not an issue

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http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/bosses-say-staff-ns-obligations-not-issue-20131011

Fears that companies here would rather hire people without NS commitments are unfounded, say bosses and human resource analysts. Firms won't turn to foreigners just because of this, they added.

This should give comfort to a substantial number of employees, who indicated this concern in an Institute of Policy Studies survey published on Tuesday.

While almost nine in 10 employed national servicemen believe that their employers are or were supportive of their NS commitments, two out of five of them still worry that employers would rather hire workers free from NS obligations.

When waiter Saiful Nizam failed his IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test) some years back, he had to leave work early for a few weeks to attend remedial training. "My boss at that time wasn't happy. He kept asking me: 'You're leaving early again?' He let me go, but I was scared he'd fire me," said the 32-year-old.