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52 year old cleaner earns only $1,200 after attending “upgrading” course
May 14th, 2010 | Author: Your Correspondent
The PAP’s designated trade union NTUC will be taking the lead to “enhance” the productivity of low wage workers in Singapore.
According to official statistics, there are about 350,000 full-time employed “resident workers” earning less than $1,400 in 2009, of which the number of citizens remain a mystery since citizens and PRs are lumped together under the same category of “resident workers.”
Channel News Asia reported a 52-year-old cleaner Abdul Maanof, whose pay increased from S$700 to S$1,200 after attending courses to improve his machine handling skills.
It was not revealed if Mr Mannof has a family to feed and if his current salary is sufficient to support himself and his children.
Singapore’s income gap has widened considerably over the last decade. It has the highest income inequality among the thirty most developed economies in the world after Hong Kong.
The uncontrolled influx of cheap foreign workers, absence of a minimum wage system and lack of social welfare benefits are key reasons behind the widening income gap.
Though Singapore is the richest country in Asia after Japan in terms of GDP per capita income, its citizens enjoy few benefits from PAP leaders who have constantly exhorted them to compete directly with the cheap foreigners they are bringing in while remaining “cheaper, better and faster” at the same time. They are also asked to work for as long as possible till they drop dead and die.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Ong Ye Chung was quoted as saying:
”As we move, the society and our workforce must progress together. If we cannot achieve this and a large segment of the workforce is left behind, then I think what you have is a wider income gap and society cohesion will be undermined. ”
His views seem to contradict that of PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew who said during a ministerial forum at NUS last year that the widening income gap is of little concern so long the government continues to create jobs for Singaporeans.
May 14th, 2010 | Author: Your Correspondent
The PAP’s designated trade union NTUC will be taking the lead to “enhance” the productivity of low wage workers in Singapore.
According to official statistics, there are about 350,000 full-time employed “resident workers” earning less than $1,400 in 2009, of which the number of citizens remain a mystery since citizens and PRs are lumped together under the same category of “resident workers.”
Channel News Asia reported a 52-year-old cleaner Abdul Maanof, whose pay increased from S$700 to S$1,200 after attending courses to improve his machine handling skills.
It was not revealed if Mr Mannof has a family to feed and if his current salary is sufficient to support himself and his children.
Singapore’s income gap has widened considerably over the last decade. It has the highest income inequality among the thirty most developed economies in the world after Hong Kong.
The uncontrolled influx of cheap foreign workers, absence of a minimum wage system and lack of social welfare benefits are key reasons behind the widening income gap.
Though Singapore is the richest country in Asia after Japan in terms of GDP per capita income, its citizens enjoy few benefits from PAP leaders who have constantly exhorted them to compete directly with the cheap foreigners they are bringing in while remaining “cheaper, better and faster” at the same time. They are also asked to work for as long as possible till they drop dead and die.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Ong Ye Chung was quoted as saying:
”As we move, the society and our workforce must progress together. If we cannot achieve this and a large segment of the workforce is left behind, then I think what you have is a wider income gap and society cohesion will be undermined. ”
His views seem to contradict that of PAP strongman Lee Kuan Yew who said during a ministerial forum at NUS last year that the widening income gap is of little concern so long the government continues to create jobs for Singaporeans.
