Or... is he talking about the wages of CEOs and managers? 
Fare hikes 'help bus workers and operators'
FORMER labour chief and minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng waded into the public transport debate yesterday, explaining why fare increases, while unpopular, are necessary.
If bus fares were never allowed to go up, transport operators might not have enough 'to invest in new buses, and quality of service must drop'.
Speaking at a delegates' conference of the Singapore Shell Employees' Union, he noted that fare increases also went towards funding pay rises for workers.
'You know raising bus fares is unpopular. But if we cannot raise bus fares, how will that impact your fellow workers? I am sure you will understand that it is not fair if they cannot get wage increases,' he said.
'But their wage increase will be funded by fare increases, which adversely impact the public.'
Mr Lim, who left the Cabinet after the May General Election, said that in the absence of productivity improvements, a 3 per cent wage increase for workers meant that fares had to go up by 1.5 per cent because labour costs make up half the total operating costs for buses.
S’pore should not set a minimum wage for low-income workers: Lim Boon Heng
By Julie Quek | Posted: 15 September 2010 2330 hrs
SINGAPORE : Singapore should not set a minimum wage for low-income workers, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Lim Boon Heng, during a speech at a ceremony recognising top managers in the country.
Mr Lim believes that this could push up the price tag on Singaporean workers, and in turn make it harder for them to find jobs.
Whether Singapore should have a minimum wage system has been hotly debated among experts recently. Mr Lim said there is a widening gap between higher and lower paid Singaporeans.
However, Mr Lim said a basic wage policy is not the way to go to help lower paid workers here.
Instead, the government should step in to top up the pay of low-income workers, something that has already been done through the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS).
Mr Lim said: “So we started the WIS system a couple of years ago. I think with this system, we should improve…I believe the minimum wage meets the needs of a bygone era, it does not meet the needs of today’s world.”
Mr Lim was speaking on the sidelines of the International Management Action Award.
The award recognised five outstanding individuals for showing strong management skills during the financial crisis.
Among the winners is Low Cheong Kee, who is the managing director of local company Home-Fix DIY.
He said: “As a retailer, we balance between occupancy costs and the salary of our people. This has always been a very hard balance that we are trying to achieve.
“What we have done is to send our people for upgrading. I think this empowering process goes further than monetary rewards. Of course, on top of that, we put in a performance management system, so that we know how well they are doing and we reward them accordingly.”
This award recognises individuals from both the public and private sectors, as well as the arts and social services.
The other winners are Christophe Megel, a French masterchef and chief executive officer of At-Sunrice Globalchef Academy; Professor Ivy Ng, who is deputy chief executive of Singapore Health Services and CEO of KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital; Terry O’Connor, the chief executive officer of Courts Singapore; and Tan Yen Yen, Oracle’s senior vice president. – CNA/ms
Fare hikes 'help bus workers and operators'
FORMER labour chief and minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Boon Heng waded into the public transport debate yesterday, explaining why fare increases, while unpopular, are necessary.
If bus fares were never allowed to go up, transport operators might not have enough 'to invest in new buses, and quality of service must drop'.
Speaking at a delegates' conference of the Singapore Shell Employees' Union, he noted that fare increases also went towards funding pay rises for workers.
'You know raising bus fares is unpopular. But if we cannot raise bus fares, how will that impact your fellow workers? I am sure you will understand that it is not fair if they cannot get wage increases,' he said.
'But their wage increase will be funded by fare increases, which adversely impact the public.'
Mr Lim, who left the Cabinet after the May General Election, said that in the absence of productivity improvements, a 3 per cent wage increase for workers meant that fares had to go up by 1.5 per cent because labour costs make up half the total operating costs for buses.
S’pore should not set a minimum wage for low-income workers: Lim Boon Heng
By Julie Quek | Posted: 15 September 2010 2330 hrs
SINGAPORE : Singapore should not set a minimum wage for low-income workers, according to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Lim Boon Heng, during a speech at a ceremony recognising top managers in the country.
Mr Lim believes that this could push up the price tag on Singaporean workers, and in turn make it harder for them to find jobs.
Whether Singapore should have a minimum wage system has been hotly debated among experts recently. Mr Lim said there is a widening gap between higher and lower paid Singaporeans.
However, Mr Lim said a basic wage policy is not the way to go to help lower paid workers here.
Instead, the government should step in to top up the pay of low-income workers, something that has already been done through the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS).
Mr Lim said: “So we started the WIS system a couple of years ago. I think with this system, we should improve…I believe the minimum wage meets the needs of a bygone era, it does not meet the needs of today’s world.”
Mr Lim was speaking on the sidelines of the International Management Action Award.
The award recognised five outstanding individuals for showing strong management skills during the financial crisis.
Among the winners is Low Cheong Kee, who is the managing director of local company Home-Fix DIY.
He said: “As a retailer, we balance between occupancy costs and the salary of our people. This has always been a very hard balance that we are trying to achieve.
“What we have done is to send our people for upgrading. I think this empowering process goes further than monetary rewards. Of course, on top of that, we put in a performance management system, so that we know how well they are doing and we reward them accordingly.”
This award recognises individuals from both the public and private sectors, as well as the arts and social services.
The other winners are Christophe Megel, a French masterchef and chief executive officer of At-Sunrice Globalchef Academy; Professor Ivy Ng, who is deputy chief executive of Singapore Health Services and CEO of KK Women’s & Children’s Hospital; Terry O’Connor, the chief executive officer of Courts Singapore; and Tan Yen Yen, Oracle’s senior vice president. – CNA/ms
