Daily Briefing: National Wages Council to update guidelines by September; Anchanto raises $16.6m in series C funding

And all SCDF frontliners to get smart watches by 2022.

From ChannelNewsAsia:

The National Wages Council (NWC) will meet again later this month to review the wages and employment guidelines it issued in March and will aim to release updated guidelines by September, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM)

Tripartite leaders said to have agreed to reconvene in order to provide timely and relevant guidance to employers given the challenging situation.

The meeting was announced earlier this month by Manpower Minister Josephine Teo, after a meeting with National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and president of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) Robert Yap.

The council previously met in March, during which it released a set of recommendations to guide employers as the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions to Singapore’s labour market.

The public may submit feedback and suggestions to the NWC Secretariat via an online link, which will be open until 28 August, MOM said.

Read more here. 

From e27:

Singapore-based B2B software provider Anchanto has secured $16.6m (US$12.1m) in its series C investment round, according to a media release.

Investors in the round includes European cross-border e-commerce shipping and mail services company Asendia AG and corporate VC arm of Telkom Indonesia as well as existing investor MDI Ventures.

Anchanto said that it will use the funds to strengthen its R&D portfolio to launch two new products, build a data platform and expand to three new markets. It will also invest in hiring.

As part of the investment, Marc Pontet, CEO of Asendia, and Donald Wihardja, CEO of MDI Ventures, will be joining Anchanto’s board.

Read more here. 

From ChannelNewsAsia:

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are looking at introducing a smartwatch that can measure a cadet’s heart rate, improving training safety and efficiency.

With the smart watch, instructors monitor cadets’ heart rate using a tablet on top of the usual visual cues, allowing them to intervene quicker when they see signs of overexertion. These cadets can then be sent for rehabilitation earlier, reducing any potential downtime.

In operational settings, the smart watch can automatically assign officers to different incidents based on their proficiencies, and provide a summary of the incident on their way there. At the scene, the watch sends officers’ locations to a digital map in real time. Those who get into a spot of trouble can use the watch to send “man-down” alerts.

The purpose-built smart watch was in July rolled out to about 50 cadets in the 22nd rota commander course. In 2021, the SCDF will distribute 700 smart watches for all trainees and pilot it for frontline operations at a new smart fire station in Punggol.

The SCDF expects all emergency responders, including firefighters, paramedics and hazardous material specialists, to be equipped with a smart watch by 2022.

Read more here.