WP's Kenneth Tiong renews calls for fairer pay for NSFs on SAF Day

Workers' Party Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC (Serangoon division) Kenneth Tiong used SAF Day on 1 July 2026 to renew calls for fairer pay and support for full-time National Servicemen (NSFs).

In a Facebook post marking the occasion, Tiong thanked servicemen and servicewomen for keeping Singapore safe. He said the country owed NSFs more than an annual thank you, and that fair pay should follow from the duty they carry.

Tiong noted that during the Budget debate, he had asked for second-year NSFs to be paid the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) of S$1,800 a month. In May, he raised fairer pay and support for servicemen.

This month, he will be asking that servicemen in low-tempo vocations be allowed to earn a civilian driving licence during NS, with the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) own driving test recognised towards it.

The renewed appeal follows a Committee of Supply debate on 27 February 2026, when Tiong proposed pegging second-year NSF allowances to the LQS, including employer Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions. He said a second-year corporal in a combat vocation earns about S$1,035 a month with no CPF contributions.

"If S$1,800 is the floor for every worker in Singapore, surely it is the floor for every soldier," Tiong said. He estimated the change would cost between S$150 million and S$200 million a year, under one per cent of the S$25 billion defence budget.

Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohammad replied that the Ministry of Defence (MinDef) had reviewed NS allowances four times over the past decade, in 2015, 2020, 2023 and July 2025. He said basic military training allowances had risen 65 per cent over ten years, and that the LQS was an administrative tool for work permit and S Pass quotas, not a wage benchmark.

Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing said no amount of monetary compensation could be equated with the contributions of NS men. He appealed to MPs not to conflate duty with transaction, and said allowances would continue to be reviewed subject to budgetary space.

In a parliamentary sitting on 6 May 2026, Tiong asked whether SAF NSFs posted to locations without a cookhouse, such as MinDef headquarters, the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) and the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), received meal allowances. He also asked whether rates would be published as they are for Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF) NSFs.

The Minister for Defence said the SAF's operational context differed from the Home Team's. No additional meal allowance was provided to NSFs at non-cookhouse locations, though they could request fresh rations while on duty. NSFs facing financial difficulty were supported through the Financial Assistance Scheme, he added.

SCDF and SPF NSFs, by contrast, receive meal allowances of S$8 per tour of duty for six continuous hours and S$16 per tour of duty for twelve continuous hours, according to 2025 service benefits and welfare rates.

On transport, Tiong asked what proportion of SAF NSFs served stay-out postings without lodging or meals, and whether the ministry considered S$81 adequate against a S$790 monthly allowance. He also asked whether Singapore would offer free public transport for NSFs, as Austria does for its conscripts.

The Minister for Defence said about 12 per cent of SAF NSFs were in stay-out postings without lodging. Transport costs were already factored into the allowance, and free public transport would not be provided.

Tiong has argued that the S$81 hybrid concession pass can represent more than ten per cent of an NSF's S$790 monthly allowance, a burden he said falls on 18-year-olds and their families alongside other expenses such as food and phone bills.

He has also noted that NSFs facing financial difficulty are told to speak with their commanders, who are often young NSFs themselves and may face similar financial pressures.

The exchanges follow ongoing debate in Singapore over whether NS allowances have kept pace with the cost of living, with online commentary, including a December 2025 TikTok post comparing NSF purchasing power against past years, adding to the discussion.