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[h=2]Greedy, Educated, Emotionless and Compassionless employers[/h]
December 9th, 2012 |
Author: Contributions
I have witnessed the progressive change of workers welfare and rights for the past 14 years in China . Workers’ rights came a long way here. 14 years ago, China was still a largely poor country dependent on foreign investments where you can abuse your workers and get away with it easily. Beatings, lock up, industrial accidents and delay monthly salary payment are common during the economic reforms in 80s to 90s.
I treat my PRC Chinese subordinates with respect and so they shared with me stories of workers abused in other factories. While working as a Manager in a Hong Kong based manufacturing plant in Dongguan city, I have witnessed not once but few of my Hong Kong colleagues raising their voices and verbally abused Chinese Engineers and operators. I am not sure how the PRC Chinese looked at the Hong Kongers, or us, Chinese from overseas. I am sure there are many grievances against us, the overseas Chinese. We didn’t leave them a good impression, that’s for sure.
Many Hong Kongers, Taiwanese or even Singaporeans regarded PRC Chinese as a group of trash destined for abused and despised. I don’t know why? We despised them because they are culturally different and maybe, poorer. In the early 90s, Singaporeans are generally wealthier than the average PRC Chinese. The PRC Chinese whom i met 14 years ago don’t shower as often as us, they smell bad, they spoke loudly, they littered on street, and they didn’t line up. They are rough. Some are educated and some are not.
The PRC Chinese are just different from us. We felt an immense pride of our post colonial education advantage, conversing in English and dress better than most PRC Chinese in the 90s. We, Singaporeans felt immense pride when we stepped onto their soil.
Hong Kongers and Taiwanese are probably the worst employers that frequently subject their lowest level PRC Chinese workers to work 10-14 hours daily with one day rest each month. They treat their own kind good and treat PRC Chinese bad. Sometimes, these smart and unscrupulously rich entrepreneurs carefully designed the salary package for the unskilled workers to work 12 hours and 30 days a month merely to lure them to hit their desired pay. It’s like holding a steak high above your dog and let your dog sniff it but not let it eat it.
In the early days where there were many ambiguities in the China labor laws that you can actually subject unskilled workers to work overtime without paying them extra. It is still the same now except the China government takes workers rights and safety seriously now. You don’t even need to comply stringently with the safety laws and get them to work in the most dangerous environment without proper protection. If accidents do happen, employers will try to find fault on their workers, sometimes, avoiding the law and responsibilities to unsafe practices. All these happened not long ago.
Most unskilled workers suffered in silence against rich, greedy and abusive employers. Those were the days when internet was not prevalent in their daily life and they could only get information from state controlled media. The unskilled Chinese workers didn’t know their rights and they are constantly subjected to abuse. I have great admiration for PRC Chinese workers because they have good tolerance to abuses. They are like cows and horses and you can push them to the limit before they start to revolt.
I felt sorry for the plight of many unskilled workers in the 90s China and even now. I always tell myself if I were them, how would I feel? Yes, you may look down on them but think about it, they didn’t choose to be born poor and toil 12 hrs a day, resting one day each month. They have families, wife and children just like us. We didn’t have the power to choose where we should be born. So are they. We may feel proud of ourselves that we enjoyed a good education, if luckier, become PAP elite, and command obscenely high salary, simply saying “yes” to your boss. What if there is reincarnation and rebirth, and then you are reborn in a poor village in China, India, Philippines and Cambodia? Born a different skin color and race? Would you like to go through what these poor unskilled workers have gone through?
The most unfortunate unskilled labors suffered cancers or physical deformities caused by the chemicals they handled during the period of their work. Industrial accidents such as severed hands, toes and limbs are quickly settled for the poor and unskilled workers, silenced them by paying a little compensation and signed an agreement that usually benefit the employers. Even local county government may not dare to intervene to avoid unhappy investors. If you were to lodge a complaint against your employer for unfair practices to any related government agencies, you are likely to be terminated. Such, are the sad truths and realities for many unskilled workers in China. Many foreign owned SMEs leveraged on the imperfections of the labor laws and China thirst for investments to earn their first bucket of gold in the late 80s to late 90s. The employers now are probably wealthy, owned many properties and live a life of luxury.
The unfair treatment of unskilled workers that worked in the foreign owned SMEs in China drove them to constant strikes. Strikes should be respected and balance in a society to ensure the rich and greedy entrepreneur does not abuse its power. There is nothing evil or illegal about strikes as most Singaporeans would probably perceive under the ruling PAP party years of tyrannical indoctrination. In fact, strikes are becoming driving force for labor rights and human rights in China.
China government now is concern about the fair spread of wealth in the society. On the 18th People’s National Congress this year, Chinese leaders said that pursuing GDP is no longer the prime objectives in their national agenda. Chinese communist leaders want more importance to be put on the welfare of their nation, especially the fair spread of wealth in the Chinese society and they vowed to fight corruption. Yes, you may doubt the effectiveness of such communist policies but don’t forget China is a big country with 1.3 billion population with a massive land size and they need years to refine what they have implemented.
As China grow economically stronger, minimum wage and working hours are implemented in the labor laws to protect the poor and unskilled laborers. Minimum wages are constantly increased in every provinces and cities in China to move along with inflation in China. Strikes are not illegal in China unless it turns violent and against the ruling party.
From year 2000 onwards, many Hong Kong and Taiwan towkays that used to make big bucks in China during the 80s to 90s are forced to comply with the labor laws strictly. Many rich towkays or employers lamented that they couldn’t squeeze their workers as hard as they did in the 90s. Workers complaints to the local labor department are heard and actions are carried out for unfair practices. Factories or employers are penalized for failure to abide with such laws. Workers are compensated for unfair labor practices and industrial accidents. Factories are fined for flouting labor rules and regulations. Rich and greedy entrepreneurs think twice now in China about milking blood money from the lowest class of workers.
You can control greed but you can never eliminate greed because no matter how the labor laws are improved in China, the rich and greedy entrepreneurs will find ways to beat the system. In the 90s, factories employed workers directly without middleman or agencies. After 2000s, more companies in China are turning to middleman or agencies to indemnify themselves from the responsibilities of workers’ disputes. Yes, a new generation of greed and business flourish to leverage of the loopholes of the law while the employers or entrepreneurs can continue to enjoy their status as morally and socially responsible.
I felt sad because I had chosen to work in China to escape from the realities of high medical cost in Singapore where my Dad has to rely on renal dialysis for survival. Today, I tell myself I am just like the SMRT bus drivers in Singapore. Our common aim is just to eke a living in foreign lands. What if my employer in China treats me just like how SMRT treats the PRC Chinese bus drivers in Singapore? Would my employer or government in China arrest me and put me in jail for asking 13 cents SGD increment per hour? How would I feel?
Well at least, China government move has ensured that the lowest class in the society does not revolt for unfair treatments and the Chinese workers are clearly aware of that. In today’s China society, internet has played in important role in spreading human rights, exposed official corruptions and unfair corporate practices. Now, every unskilled laborer in China has a mobile phone, downloading news from the internet, sending txt messages, QQ or Weibo messages. The internet has brought drastic improvements in labor and human rights in the society of China within a short span of time. You can’t improve on human and labor rights unless you stop internet and control the media.
International companies like GE, GM, Ford, Bosch, Baxter, B&D, Alstom etc are leading examples of companies with equal employment opportunities in China. These big players imposed their values, vision and beliefs in the supply chain and change the rule of awarding business to suppliers that are irresponsible with labor laws, health, environment and safety. Somehow, I am thankful of these big corporations because they help reduce the abusive nature of rich and greedy SMEs to exploit the lowest class of workers in the society. On the other hand, their strict corporate values in pursue for rights, safety, environment and health has also help many supporting industries realize the importance of employee satisfaction, safety, environment and health. It’s either the rich, greedy and stingy SMEs comply with needs of these big MNCS or they will risk the business prospect with them.
So, what has Temasek Holdings carried out to ensure that it has invested rightly and responsibly in companies that aligns with its values for social, health and environment. In first place, does Temasek Holding have such corporate responsibilities? You may ask the question what has gone wrong with Temasek or SMRT.
How would you feel getting a big nice fat salary while you reject to the proposal of 13 cents increment per hour for unskilled drivers, and worst, play the cunning game of 5 to 6 working days? Where is the basic conscience at the top management? Would you be happy getting a nice annual pay check equivalent to 83 to 120 years of driving for a single bus driver? You enjoy sleeping on a comfortable slumberland bed, while your drivers slept on 10 people per dormitory bunker bed that comes without a proper mattress. Foxconn is holding 6 people per dormitory, so is SMRT lagging behind Foxconn? Where is our compassion after years of excellence in studies and religious freedom practices? You think holding some free buffet lunch or dinner will appease these workers? You think by walking the dormitory and taking some snap shots will help you feel better?
What is 50, 75,100 or 200 dollars increment for unsatisfactory workers? If we increase 50 dollars for 171 bus drivers, it works out to be 102,600 SGD per annum. How much could you get from 102 thousand SGD? This amount of money is barely enough to get you a 1.6 liters sedan car in Singapore. Our brightest mind from the best education institutions in the world perceives 50, 75, 100 dollars as an astronomical amount of money, yet they do not have the wisdom to understand that this amount of money can buy employees satisfaction. What is lacking? Wisdom or compassion to understand what is a happening around us? SMRT best performance in history is 100 million SGD.
What has gone wrong with Singapore? Where is our compassion for the lowest class unskilled class in the society? Where is our compassion? Most Chinese I met in China don’t have a religion. You can say PRC Chinese are uncultivated group of people with no beliefs or moral values because their societies don’t openly encourage religious freedom as much as us. We are supposed to be the richest nation in the world. Aren’t we? We are supposed to be the best educated group of islanders that put scholars above anything and stress the importance of meritocracy. Aren’t we?
What about us? We, Singaporeans, regardless of religion, worship one god or more. We visit prosperity churches, donate generous portion of our monthly savings to the holy trinity in hope of earning spiritual credits for this life and after. We burn incense and hell notes for luck and health, both with the same aim of earning spiritual credits for this life and after. We go to the mosque and pray for almost the same aim in life. We all have a common aim in our religion and that are all about cultivating moral rights, values preach forgiveness, compassion, health and wealth. We, Singaporeans, preach, learn, pray, sing, chant, meditate, bow and kneel down on our gods all for the same aim, and yet, we failed so badly to recognize and pity the plight of others who left their families back in China and toil in the world’s richest and developed nation. Isn’t it a myth?
Where is our compassion after years of religious freedom and worshiping? Where is our compassion after years of excellence in PSLE, O Level and A levels? The PRC Chinese drivers are asking for 13 cents increment per hour. Are we, Singaporeans, emotionless and compassionless people? We donate generously to the temples and churches where we worshipped frequently to earn spiritual credits for this life and afterlife, but we just couldn’t let go of 13 cents increment an hour for workers performing the same job. We try to appear rational and civilized by organizing TV talk shows, gathering social scientist, academic, directors, and polls to analyze the cause of these strikes. Have we ever drive the bus and are put in a situation we are never heard because of our social status?
The Malaysian drivers are equally just as pitiful as PRC Chinese drivers. So are our local drivers that we helped squeeze out by voting the rich and greedy ruling PAP party. Regardless of PRC, Malaysian or Singaporean bus drivers, it will take 83 to 130 years of working as bus driver to earn the annual salary ex-CEO Saw. I see my fate when I look at these frustrated PRC Chinese bus drivers. Do you see your fate too?
We pride ourselves with 9.6 billion defense budget, 53 million to maintain a park, 900 million to rectify problems on MRT, 2.2K brompton bikes and sat on Herman Miller chairs. We tell the world we are the richest and developed nation. Our ministers command the highest salary in the world. The review of our ministerial pay cost hundreds of thousand dollars paid to private company, and yet we couldn’t let go 13 cents increment an hour for the lowest class or unskilled labor.
We are rich, selfish, greedy, emotionless and compassionless people. Our votes to PAP reflect the general selfishness of the nation who is only concern about well being of ourselves. We are worst than any PRCs, any foreigners whom we despised and hate in Singapore. We deprived our own kind for the lowest paying job. We are well educated hypocrites. We are rich, self serving, religious, emotionless and compassionless group of islanders. Yes, we are so proud to put these bus drivers to jail that ask for 50, 75 or 200 hundred dollars more. Well, our top SMRT leaders with excellent education background argued this amount is astronomically high and unfair.
Are you proud to be Singaporeans?
.
Brad



I treat my PRC Chinese subordinates with respect and so they shared with me stories of workers abused in other factories. While working as a Manager in a Hong Kong based manufacturing plant in Dongguan city, I have witnessed not once but few of my Hong Kong colleagues raising their voices and verbally abused Chinese Engineers and operators. I am not sure how the PRC Chinese looked at the Hong Kongers, or us, Chinese from overseas. I am sure there are many grievances against us, the overseas Chinese. We didn’t leave them a good impression, that’s for sure.
Many Hong Kongers, Taiwanese or even Singaporeans regarded PRC Chinese as a group of trash destined for abused and despised. I don’t know why? We despised them because they are culturally different and maybe, poorer. In the early 90s, Singaporeans are generally wealthier than the average PRC Chinese. The PRC Chinese whom i met 14 years ago don’t shower as often as us, they smell bad, they spoke loudly, they littered on street, and they didn’t line up. They are rough. Some are educated and some are not.
The PRC Chinese are just different from us. We felt an immense pride of our post colonial education advantage, conversing in English and dress better than most PRC Chinese in the 90s. We, Singaporeans felt immense pride when we stepped onto their soil.
Hong Kongers and Taiwanese are probably the worst employers that frequently subject their lowest level PRC Chinese workers to work 10-14 hours daily with one day rest each month. They treat their own kind good and treat PRC Chinese bad. Sometimes, these smart and unscrupulously rich entrepreneurs carefully designed the salary package for the unskilled workers to work 12 hours and 30 days a month merely to lure them to hit their desired pay. It’s like holding a steak high above your dog and let your dog sniff it but not let it eat it.
In the early days where there were many ambiguities in the China labor laws that you can actually subject unskilled workers to work overtime without paying them extra. It is still the same now except the China government takes workers rights and safety seriously now. You don’t even need to comply stringently with the safety laws and get them to work in the most dangerous environment without proper protection. If accidents do happen, employers will try to find fault on their workers, sometimes, avoiding the law and responsibilities to unsafe practices. All these happened not long ago.
Most unskilled workers suffered in silence against rich, greedy and abusive employers. Those were the days when internet was not prevalent in their daily life and they could only get information from state controlled media. The unskilled Chinese workers didn’t know their rights and they are constantly subjected to abuse. I have great admiration for PRC Chinese workers because they have good tolerance to abuses. They are like cows and horses and you can push them to the limit before they start to revolt.
I felt sorry for the plight of many unskilled workers in the 90s China and even now. I always tell myself if I were them, how would I feel? Yes, you may look down on them but think about it, they didn’t choose to be born poor and toil 12 hrs a day, resting one day each month. They have families, wife and children just like us. We didn’t have the power to choose where we should be born. So are they. We may feel proud of ourselves that we enjoyed a good education, if luckier, become PAP elite, and command obscenely high salary, simply saying “yes” to your boss. What if there is reincarnation and rebirth, and then you are reborn in a poor village in China, India, Philippines and Cambodia? Born a different skin color and race? Would you like to go through what these poor unskilled workers have gone through?
The most unfortunate unskilled labors suffered cancers or physical deformities caused by the chemicals they handled during the period of their work. Industrial accidents such as severed hands, toes and limbs are quickly settled for the poor and unskilled workers, silenced them by paying a little compensation and signed an agreement that usually benefit the employers. Even local county government may not dare to intervene to avoid unhappy investors. If you were to lodge a complaint against your employer for unfair practices to any related government agencies, you are likely to be terminated. Such, are the sad truths and realities for many unskilled workers in China. Many foreign owned SMEs leveraged on the imperfections of the labor laws and China thirst for investments to earn their first bucket of gold in the late 80s to late 90s. The employers now are probably wealthy, owned many properties and live a life of luxury.
The unfair treatment of unskilled workers that worked in the foreign owned SMEs in China drove them to constant strikes. Strikes should be respected and balance in a society to ensure the rich and greedy entrepreneur does not abuse its power. There is nothing evil or illegal about strikes as most Singaporeans would probably perceive under the ruling PAP party years of tyrannical indoctrination. In fact, strikes are becoming driving force for labor rights and human rights in China.
China government now is concern about the fair spread of wealth in the society. On the 18th People’s National Congress this year, Chinese leaders said that pursuing GDP is no longer the prime objectives in their national agenda. Chinese communist leaders want more importance to be put on the welfare of their nation, especially the fair spread of wealth in the Chinese society and they vowed to fight corruption. Yes, you may doubt the effectiveness of such communist policies but don’t forget China is a big country with 1.3 billion population with a massive land size and they need years to refine what they have implemented.
As China grow economically stronger, minimum wage and working hours are implemented in the labor laws to protect the poor and unskilled laborers. Minimum wages are constantly increased in every provinces and cities in China to move along with inflation in China. Strikes are not illegal in China unless it turns violent and against the ruling party.
From year 2000 onwards, many Hong Kong and Taiwan towkays that used to make big bucks in China during the 80s to 90s are forced to comply with the labor laws strictly. Many rich towkays or employers lamented that they couldn’t squeeze their workers as hard as they did in the 90s. Workers complaints to the local labor department are heard and actions are carried out for unfair practices. Factories or employers are penalized for failure to abide with such laws. Workers are compensated for unfair labor practices and industrial accidents. Factories are fined for flouting labor rules and regulations. Rich and greedy entrepreneurs think twice now in China about milking blood money from the lowest class of workers.
You can control greed but you can never eliminate greed because no matter how the labor laws are improved in China, the rich and greedy entrepreneurs will find ways to beat the system. In the 90s, factories employed workers directly without middleman or agencies. After 2000s, more companies in China are turning to middleman or agencies to indemnify themselves from the responsibilities of workers’ disputes. Yes, a new generation of greed and business flourish to leverage of the loopholes of the law while the employers or entrepreneurs can continue to enjoy their status as morally and socially responsible.
I felt sad because I had chosen to work in China to escape from the realities of high medical cost in Singapore where my Dad has to rely on renal dialysis for survival. Today, I tell myself I am just like the SMRT bus drivers in Singapore. Our common aim is just to eke a living in foreign lands. What if my employer in China treats me just like how SMRT treats the PRC Chinese bus drivers in Singapore? Would my employer or government in China arrest me and put me in jail for asking 13 cents SGD increment per hour? How would I feel?
Well at least, China government move has ensured that the lowest class in the society does not revolt for unfair treatments and the Chinese workers are clearly aware of that. In today’s China society, internet has played in important role in spreading human rights, exposed official corruptions and unfair corporate practices. Now, every unskilled laborer in China has a mobile phone, downloading news from the internet, sending txt messages, QQ or Weibo messages. The internet has brought drastic improvements in labor and human rights in the society of China within a short span of time. You can’t improve on human and labor rights unless you stop internet and control the media.
International companies like GE, GM, Ford, Bosch, Baxter, B&D, Alstom etc are leading examples of companies with equal employment opportunities in China. These big players imposed their values, vision and beliefs in the supply chain and change the rule of awarding business to suppliers that are irresponsible with labor laws, health, environment and safety. Somehow, I am thankful of these big corporations because they help reduce the abusive nature of rich and greedy SMEs to exploit the lowest class of workers in the society. On the other hand, their strict corporate values in pursue for rights, safety, environment and health has also help many supporting industries realize the importance of employee satisfaction, safety, environment and health. It’s either the rich, greedy and stingy SMEs comply with needs of these big MNCS or they will risk the business prospect with them.
So, what has Temasek Holdings carried out to ensure that it has invested rightly and responsibly in companies that aligns with its values for social, health and environment. In first place, does Temasek Holding have such corporate responsibilities? You may ask the question what has gone wrong with Temasek or SMRT.
How would you feel getting a big nice fat salary while you reject to the proposal of 13 cents increment per hour for unskilled drivers, and worst, play the cunning game of 5 to 6 working days? Where is the basic conscience at the top management? Would you be happy getting a nice annual pay check equivalent to 83 to 120 years of driving for a single bus driver? You enjoy sleeping on a comfortable slumberland bed, while your drivers slept on 10 people per dormitory bunker bed that comes without a proper mattress. Foxconn is holding 6 people per dormitory, so is SMRT lagging behind Foxconn? Where is our compassion after years of excellence in studies and religious freedom practices? You think holding some free buffet lunch or dinner will appease these workers? You think by walking the dormitory and taking some snap shots will help you feel better?
What is 50, 75,100 or 200 dollars increment for unsatisfactory workers? If we increase 50 dollars for 171 bus drivers, it works out to be 102,600 SGD per annum. How much could you get from 102 thousand SGD? This amount of money is barely enough to get you a 1.6 liters sedan car in Singapore. Our brightest mind from the best education institutions in the world perceives 50, 75, 100 dollars as an astronomical amount of money, yet they do not have the wisdom to understand that this amount of money can buy employees satisfaction. What is lacking? Wisdom or compassion to understand what is a happening around us? SMRT best performance in history is 100 million SGD.
What has gone wrong with Singapore? Where is our compassion for the lowest class unskilled class in the society? Where is our compassion? Most Chinese I met in China don’t have a religion. You can say PRC Chinese are uncultivated group of people with no beliefs or moral values because their societies don’t openly encourage religious freedom as much as us. We are supposed to be the richest nation in the world. Aren’t we? We are supposed to be the best educated group of islanders that put scholars above anything and stress the importance of meritocracy. Aren’t we?
What about us? We, Singaporeans, regardless of religion, worship one god or more. We visit prosperity churches, donate generous portion of our monthly savings to the holy trinity in hope of earning spiritual credits for this life and after. We burn incense and hell notes for luck and health, both with the same aim of earning spiritual credits for this life and after. We go to the mosque and pray for almost the same aim in life. We all have a common aim in our religion and that are all about cultivating moral rights, values preach forgiveness, compassion, health and wealth. We, Singaporeans, preach, learn, pray, sing, chant, meditate, bow and kneel down on our gods all for the same aim, and yet, we failed so badly to recognize and pity the plight of others who left their families back in China and toil in the world’s richest and developed nation. Isn’t it a myth?
Where is our compassion after years of religious freedom and worshiping? Where is our compassion after years of excellence in PSLE, O Level and A levels? The PRC Chinese drivers are asking for 13 cents increment per hour. Are we, Singaporeans, emotionless and compassionless people? We donate generously to the temples and churches where we worshipped frequently to earn spiritual credits for this life and afterlife, but we just couldn’t let go of 13 cents increment an hour for workers performing the same job. We try to appear rational and civilized by organizing TV talk shows, gathering social scientist, academic, directors, and polls to analyze the cause of these strikes. Have we ever drive the bus and are put in a situation we are never heard because of our social status?
The Malaysian drivers are equally just as pitiful as PRC Chinese drivers. So are our local drivers that we helped squeeze out by voting the rich and greedy ruling PAP party. Regardless of PRC, Malaysian or Singaporean bus drivers, it will take 83 to 130 years of working as bus driver to earn the annual salary ex-CEO Saw. I see my fate when I look at these frustrated PRC Chinese bus drivers. Do you see your fate too?
We pride ourselves with 9.6 billion defense budget, 53 million to maintain a park, 900 million to rectify problems on MRT, 2.2K brompton bikes and sat on Herman Miller chairs. We tell the world we are the richest and developed nation. Our ministers command the highest salary in the world. The review of our ministerial pay cost hundreds of thousand dollars paid to private company, and yet we couldn’t let go 13 cents increment an hour for the lowest class or unskilled labor.
We are rich, selfish, greedy, emotionless and compassionless people. Our votes to PAP reflect the general selfishness of the nation who is only concern about well being of ourselves. We are worst than any PRCs, any foreigners whom we despised and hate in Singapore. We deprived our own kind for the lowest paying job. We are well educated hypocrites. We are rich, self serving, religious, emotionless and compassionless group of islanders. Yes, we are so proud to put these bus drivers to jail that ask for 50, 75 or 200 hundred dollars more. Well, our top SMRT leaders with excellent education background argued this amount is astronomically high and unfair.
Are you proud to be Singaporeans?
.
Brad