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PRC Bus Drivers Just Back Back Home - No Regrets

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
APRIL 1, 2013, 5:30 AM 1 Comment
Back in China, Bus Driver Doesn’t Regret Singapore Strike
By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

Courtesy of Workfair
From left, Liu Xiangying, He Junling, Wang Xianjie and Gao Yueqiang. Bao Fengshan is not pictured.

BEIJING — He Junling, the last of five Chinese bus drivers jailed and deported from Singapore for striking over pay and living conditions last year, arrived back in China on Sunday saying: “I have no regrets.”

The brief walkout in late November by scores of Chinese bus drivers shocked the tightly run Asian city-state, where strikes are rare (the last significant industrial action was more than 25 years ago, Reuters reported), but where advocates for workers’ rights say that migrant workers, who number in the hundreds of thousands, are often poorly treated.

“I don’t regret what happened. We heard that after we were arrested they improved conditions,” Mr. He, 32, said by telephone from his home in Qinyang city near Jiaozuo, in Henan Province, where he returned to his wife and 5-year-old daughter after receiving a seven week jail term in Singapore. (Four other drivers were sentenced to six weeks in jail; 29 were deported immediately after the strike; and about 150 others were given warnings, according to reports like this one in The Straits Times, a Singaporean newspaper.)

In December, Singapore’s minister of state for health and manpower, Amy Khor, said the strike was “a wake-up call” for companies to be more vigilant and put in place good management practices, Reuters reported.

The case highlighted an irony, said labor rights advocates: if such strikes are rare in Singapore, in China they are by now widespread, despite the Asian giant’s repressive image.

“It’s exactly what they would do in China if they had a contract dispute, if their employers refused to listen to them, if they were being paid less than other people,” said Geoff Crothall of the Hong Kong-based China Labor Bulletin, a labor rights group.

“What’s changed now in China is workers are more willing to go out and stage protests,” said Mr. Crothall. “Now it’s a very common, almost widespread, default action for dispute resolution,” he said.

Singaporean law bars workers in essential services like public transportation from going on strike without giving 14 days’ notice, according to Reuters.

In a statement, Workfair, a Singapore-based nongovernmental labor rights organization that followed the strike closely, criticized the jail terms.

“A custodial sentence for taking part in a strike is severely disproportionate to the ‘offence’ that was committed, in light of the fact that the workers did not have union representation, had to endure poor living conditions and were discriminated against in basic wages and incentive payments,” the statement said.

“Much of the emphasis so far has been placed on punishing the ‘perpetrators’ of the ‘illegal strike,’ without sufficient analysis and reflection on the state of industrial relations in Singapore and the lack of protection for low waged workers,” the statement read.

Speaking on the telephone, Jolovan Wham of Workfair said the implications of the strike were “huge.”

“Its implications are very significant for Singapore because it’s a first time a strike has happened on this scale and was known to the public,” he said.

“The strike has brought to light some of the very big problems of the exploitation of migrant workers for a very long time,” said Mr. Wham.

In December, Human Rights Watch called for the charges against the drivers to be dropped and accused Singapore of “justifying nationality-based discrimination in pay and working conditions, and restricting foreign workers’ rights to form or lead a union to do something about it.”

Speaking of his time in jail, Mr. He said his treatment was “strict,” but “safe.”

“I don’t think Singapore is a bad place,” he said. “They do many things well. But compared to China, their human touch is very poor,” he said. “I’m very happy to be back home.”

The strike against the transportation company SMRT was motivated by low pay for Chinese drivers compared to Singaporeans and Malaysians, said Mr. He. He also said living conditions in dormitories were poor.

“We were living 10 to a room, people doing early shifts, late shifts, getting up a 3 a.m., or back at 1 a.m., everyone was waking everyone else up all the time. We didn’t sleep properly,” he said.

“Also, Singapore is hot,” he said, and when they washed it created commotion, waking roommates. There was no air conditioning in the rooms, he said, just two fans. “There was a garbage place outside and that attracted lots of rats and cockroaches,” he said.

In a Straits Times story in December, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said that the Manpower Ministry conducted regular checks on dormitories to ensure that they were up to par and there was no overcrowding.

Mr. Tan said, “But we do want to promote better employment practices, we want to make sure that good H.R. practices are in place.”

Contacted by telephone, Humphrey Sew of SMRT referred me to statements issued in late November that were available on the company Web site. One, dated Nov. 30, said that SMRT’s chief executive Desmond Kuek had visited the dormitories and noted that conditions could certainly be better. Mr. Sew said he’d get back with more.

The statement also said that “feedback had been given to the dormitory operators to step up the living conditions” for drivers. It quoted Mr. Kuek as saying there were “open channels of communications” with all drivers, adding that a new 24-hour hotline and an email help desk would be set up.

Mr. He said in our interview, “We wanted to talk to the management but they didn’t listen. No one paid any attention to us.” In some ways, things were better in China, he said.

“In China, if I have a problem, I can at least go to the government and petition them,” he said. “I can tell everyone about it and go to a government department and complain. But in Singapore, our complaints didn’t reach the government,” he said.

A request for comment by the Ministry of Manpower was pending at the time of writing, and when we hear back we’ll update this post.
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
Egg on the face of the govt, showed how badly SMRT was managed and the Prime Minister's wife who helms the biggest shareholder is no where to be seen. A new CEO that went on wonderful holiday stateside shortly upon taking the reins clearly showing he did not need to pay attention to a known broken system.

When the strike took place, did not feel the need to return from his important family holiday and his management giving making false claims that the issue had been resolved the same day and the workers would return to work. That blew up spectacularly the next day. Forced to return, his PR Dept arranges a contrived press photo-shoot while he makes a dormitory visit. Now the guy looks a positive daffodil in the next day's press as the photo speaks a thousand words and they are not pretty.

And you thought he had picked up a few lessons along the way. No, the man does the exact thing his predecessor did. She recruited her cronies from her former organisation with no background and he does the exact thing.
 

cunnosieur

Alfrescian
Loyal
[video=youtube;yoytgcPNtLY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoytgcPNtLY[/video]

This is not their turf!

This is the Lions Den! our Den!

Majullah Singapura!
 
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Hawkeye1819

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
(a) We only hear one side of the story on alternative media. Its always the foreign workers being abused, mistreated, underpaid, etc. No different from how the SCM paints only its side of the story. I've stopped reading TOC and related genre.

(b) These foreign workers from China came here knowing what they would be paid. They are not dumb. They were also briefed on repatriation companies and the consequence of falling out of line. If they didn't like the terms and conditions they could have stayed home or found another country to work in. Don't come here and then go on strike and cause havoc.

(c) You allow so many infrastructure projects to take place without providing facilities, spaces, breathing room for temporary workers. You're only inviting trouble. Ask Lim Hwee Hua.

(d) These government owned companies refuse to pay a competitive wage and then the fallout, negative impact, etc, is all borne by Singaporeans. Classic case of privatizing profits but socializing costs.
 

scroobal

Alfrescian
Loyal
No doubt that the bleeding hearts adding sugar and spice but clearly a massive boo boo. Also no doubt that the deal still payed what they were being back home. The fact that SMRT screwed big time is obvious.

What many forgot is that Ong Ki Yung who handled the initial issues with the bus drivers and made the claim in the press how pleased he was handling it.

(a) We only hear one side of the story on alternative media. Its always the foreign workers being abused, mistreated, underpaid, etc. No different from how the SCM paints only its side of the story. I've stopped reading TOC and related genre.
 

andyfisher

Alfrescian
Loyal
this is one tiong I admire.

fight for their rights and got balls.

Even though you guys are urines, well done chaps! :biggrin:
 

Ash007

Alfrescian
Loyal
This case shows we do need FTs like these that are willing to speak up. China might be authoritarian, but unlike Singapore, the government do "listen". Civic disobedient, protest, strikes are "tolerated" to a certain extent. What is happening here, like the bus driver said, is that Singapore Inc, has lost all human touch. I remember a very old story about food vendors being pressured to no sell food on the side of the road, this is in the 60s, I believe, they gathered and asked some prominent "leaders", and the leader told them to ignore the police that would come to chase them away. Things like this don't happen in Singapore anymore! Singaporean has become merely followers and don't use any thinking anymore. Let's hope that these incidents would continue and they may rise and rise and be lions.
 

Debonerman

Alfrescian
Loyal
BEIJING — He Junling, the last of five Chinese bus drivers jailed and deported from Singapore for striking over pay and living conditions last year, arrived back in China on Sunday saying: “I have no regrets.”


Thank God the PRCs have learned something positive from the Lee family Temasek Holding daughter in law Ho Ching............
 

tanwahtiu

Alfrescian
Loyal
bro, perhaps use appropriate terms than calling common people urines and so on. What do you nick name your own people ... maybe I have one for you 'lau sai'.



this is one tiong I admire.

fight for their rights and got balls.

Even though you guys are urines, well done chaps! :biggrin:
 

TracyTan866

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Egg on the face of the govt, showed how badly SMRT was managed and the Prime Minister's wife who helms the biggest shareholder is no where to be seen. A new CEO that went on wonderful holiday stateside shortly upon taking the reins clearly showing he did not need to pay attention to a known broken system.

When the strike took place, did not feel the need to return from his important family holiday and his management giving making false claims that the issue had been resolved the same day and the workers would return to work. That blew up spectacularly the next day. Forced to return, his PR Dept arranges a contrived press photo-shoot while he makes a dormitory visit. Now the guy looks a positive daffodil in the next day's press as the photo speaks a thousand words and they are not pretty.

And you thought he had picked up a few lessons along the way. No, the man does the exact thing his predecessor did. She recruited her cronies from her former organisation with no background and he does the exact thing.

Temasek Holdings Mgmt Board, Ho Ching, SMRT Mgmt Board, Saw Phaik Hwa are responsible for the failures in the management of SMRT
 

kingrant

Alfrescian
Loyal
These living and working conditions really show up the bullying and no-fuck-care attitude of our employers, from SMRT to the HDB contractor bosses.

What kind of wayang show did TCJ perform when he said he did regular checks? And he was satisfied they were up to par. Hmm. Par for the course.

MOM is another cuplrit, often ignoring the pleas and protestations of banglas, making them to and fro and sending them back to their employers for impossible requests.

Foreign workers like these are at the short end of any kind of bargaining, and with ICA strict permit regulation regime, these workers are often caught in a multiple pincer trap between MOM, employers, and ICA.

Just as well, nothing kills the inflow of foreign workers faster than a bad press. And the PAP is doing a nice job there. We need the lebensraum.

“We were living 10 to a room, people doing early shifts, late shifts, getting up a 3 a.m., or back at 1 a.m., everyone was waking everyone else up all the time. We didn’t sleep properly,” he said.

“Also, Singapore is hot,” he said, and when they washed it created commotion, waking roommates. There was no air conditioning in the rooms, he said, just two fans. “There was a garbage place outside and that attracted lots of rats and cockroaches,” he said.

In a Straits Times story in December, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said that the Manpower Ministry conducted regular checks on dormitories to ensure that they were up to par and there was no overcrowding.

Mr. Tan said, “But we do want to promote better employment practices, we want to make sure that good H.R. practices are in place.”



Mr. He said in our interview, “We wanted to talk to the management but they didn’t listen. No one paid any attention to us.” In some ways, things were better in China, he said.

“In China, if I have a problem, I can at least go to the government and petition them,” he said. “I can tell everyone about it and go to a government department and complain. But in Singapore, our complaints didn’t reach the government,” he said.
 
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kingrant

Alfrescian
Loyal
In the good old days, Old Man would have sacked the Labour Minister and the Transport Minister.

His son certainly never had the steel in his belly.
 
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cheekenpie

Alfrescian
Loyal
(a) We only hear one side of the story on alternative media. Its always the foreign workers being abused, mistreated, underpaid, etc. No different from how the SCM paints only its side of the story. I've stopped reading TOC and related genre.

(b) These foreign workers from China came here knowing what they would be paid. They are not dumb. They were also briefed on repatriation companies and the consequence of falling out of line. If they didn't like the terms and conditions they could have stayed home or found another country to work in. Don't come here and then go on strike and cause havoc.

(c) You allow so many infrastructure projects to take place without providing facilities, spaces, breathing room for temporary workers. You're only inviting trouble. Ask Lim Hwee Hua.

(d) These government owned companies refuse to pay a competitive wage and then the fallout, negative impact, etc, is all borne by Singaporeans. Classic case of privatizing profits but socializing costs.


We honestly dont give a shit abiout the PRC drivers. Just that it is a good example of a failing PAP system so it becomes target for whacking. 4 PRCs go jail and go home, tomorrow, 8 will fly in .
 

escher

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
Temasek Holdings Mgmt Board, Ho Ching, SMRT Mgmt Board, Saw Phaik Hwa are responsible for the failures in the management of SMRT

Wrong!

Sinkies are the responsible idiots.
For voting and voting and voting for those shit in white knowing that they are incompetent, greedy, totally self centered cockroaches of smear of shit on sole of shoe LKY thinking of only getting billions and billions into his Stinkapore sovereign fund to play play with

SEE THEM PLAYING IN TEMASEK AND SMRT.
SINKIES PUT THEM THERE
 

saratogas

Alfrescian
Loyal
I don't understand why people keep saying that ex-CEO Saw did a bad job?! Record earnings for SMRT, shareholders happy like fuck!

It's just matter of prespective and objective. A listed company needs to make $$$, at the same time can collect "funding$" from gahment... So good!
 

Hawkeye1819

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
This case shows we do need FTs like these that are willing to speak up. China might be authoritarian, but unlike Singapore, the government do "listen". Civic disobedient, protest, strikes are "tolerated" to a certain extent. What is happening here, like the bus driver said, is that Singapore Inc, has lost all human touch. I remember a very old story about food vendors being pressured to no sell food on the side of the road, this is in the 60s, I believe, they gathered and asked some prominent "leaders", and the leader told them to ignore the police that would come to chase them away. Things like this don't happen in Singapore anymore! Singaporean has become merely followers and don't use any thinking anymore. Let's hope that these incidents would continue and they may rise and rise and be lions.


I think you hit the nail exactly right on Singapore Inc. losing all human touch. PAP politicians sitting in their ivory towers, unable to read or understand the ground, bulldozing idiotic policies, and GLCs helmed by people cut from the essentially same cloth.

However these semi-skilled workers came in with their eyes open. I have more sympathy for the local singaporean who has wage depressed, suffer crowded MRTs, etc, as a result of all the failed policies.
 

Hawkeye1819

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
These living and working conditions really show up the bullying and no-fuck-care attitude of our employers, from SMRT to the HDB contractor bosses.


The squalid living conditions are allowed to happen because the government turns a blind eye. These workers are only digits to them, just like the rest of us. It is symptomatic of how the govt and its related GLCs treat human beings in general - as just digits.
 
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