SMRT Strike - The National Interest Perspective

[RandomNexus]

GMS,

Seriously there is no case for opposition parties to take up the cause of foreign workers here. Why?

Simple reason. They got no voting rights. <period>

Unfair? Discrimination?

These issues, if relevant, should be championed by NGOs, rightly and not political parties.

You do not need political parties to spend time fighting for rights of foreign workers. That is not their mandate.

As of national interest which you cite for the need of equity, now that is debatable.

If we pay foreign workers like maids, construction workers, etc, to high wages, you can imagine the wage inflation and burden it will impose on Singaporeans. If a maid cost $1000 a month, how many can afford a maid then?

It is all demand and supply .. if foreign workers are willing to accept "low" wages and obviously, it must be something much better compared to what they can get in their homelands, then that is market forces in action. Nobody forces them to receive "low" wages.

It is not in our interest to pay them what Singaporeans are "worth" but it is also not to pay them very badly. What is worth should be determined what these foreign workers are willing to accept ... Fairness is debatable, and there is a more important question of economics. In a capitalist market economy, it is to what one is worth, and not to what one needs.

There is a question of distribution of wealth in this country, but that is not in this equation when we talk about foreign workers' worth and rights.

Noting your heart and passion for these foreign workers, I do encourage you to form a NGO to fight for their rights. Just let the political parties do what they need to do - to fight for Singaporeans and not urge them to become NGOs and confuse their mission.

 

[LeMans2011]

WP only cares about the rich. First they fought for Parking space for the landed property owners. Now they are questioning the minister in Parliament about safety and potential break in at landed property area. The know the loser retarded opposition supporting moron will vote for them no matter what, no need to care about them even when shit hits the fan

Can anyone lend me a few points to zap this retarded moron? I have zapped him too many times and the system does not allow me to do it now. I see a real issue with Sam's zapping system... it should allow us to zap a retard like this unlimited number of times.

 

[LeMans2011]

Try working in any countries outside Singapore and complain about unfair treatment, see if any of the political parties take up your case.
It is embarassing to see this kind of Fool's logic in cyberspace... seriously... i am blushing

 

[sleaguepunter]

Can anyone lend me a few points to zap this retarded moron? I have zapped him too many times and the system does not allow me to do it now. I see a real issue with Sam's zapping system... it should allow us to zap a retard like this unlimited number of times.

i think being a paid member allow u to multiple zap. i not sure lah, maybe u can ask member with inf power.

i never zap ppl so i upz your rep instead.

 

[Leongsam]

WP only cares about the rich. First they fought for Parking space for the landed property owners. Now they are questioning the minister in Parliament about safety and potential break in at landed property area. The know the loser retarded opposition supporting moron will vote for them no matter what, no need to care about them even when shit hits the fan

Excellent points. I have added to your reputation.

 

[OverTheCounter]

I am 100% in agreement.

Your POV coincide totally with mine.

Singapore first policy must go hand in hand with fair treatment of employee


Otherwise bosses will forever employ foreigners and marginalize Singaporeans.

I have a slightly different take. I think the ultimate aim is to create an environment that sinkies get first priority in jobs. Hence in whatever job given to FW, a very heavy levy must be imposed such that it is expensive to hire any FW. Only with this measure will employers seriously look for sinkies first, and also implement productivity improvements.

If there is really no sinkie able to do the job, then will employers be forced to hire FW with a heavy levy.

The government sector must also announce regularly the proportion of sinkies vs FW in the entire civil service.

PAP has carried the globalization and capitalism concepts too far.

 

[OverTheCounter]

Fuck the pap. Singaporeans are badly screwed by their foreign worker policies.

Now the PRC locust go strike ... commuters kenna!!!

Singaporean wages pushed lower n lower because of the fucked up pap policies.

 

[cleareyes]

Singaporeans shld be paid and treated best, Malaysians second, PRCs and others third, and India Indians last. Any political party or politician that champions human rights on this case shows that they know nothing about the last GE issues that brought down a GRC. That is why GMS did not win and LTK did.

I wholeheartedly agree and support you on this

And to GMS: do you know what the background of the strike? what are the terms of those PRC drivers hired upon and many other details?

If you had done none of those background checks, suggest you dont make a fool of yourself by saying thigs out of total ignorant.

None of the opposition partis are ssaying a word as they know too little to say anything. That is why they are politicans whereas now, you are nolonger one.

 

[kingrant]

As a PM-wannabe, you ought to be street savvy. The anti-foreigner sentiment has not died down. So the PRC bus workers strike comes at a bad time when we are all still sore over the failed PAP cheap labour immigration policy. Your appeal to national interest is better suited to someone from the NGOs and not from a budding political party or politician. Had we listen to national interests arguments, PAP wouldnt have lost Aljunied GRC and 2 Ministers. Tough as the PAP leaders want to be seen, their chief didnt find it misplaced to say sorry just before we went to the polls. And after that, many rules were pulled back. Political parties still have to win elections, even the PAP concedes that, despite hanging on to legacy policies supposedly in the larger national interests. That;s why WP can win elections and knock off a GRC, but you cannot. politics require shrewdness not foolhardiness. You want to sound like a leader? Then stop sounding like a professor. They are incompatible.

You are blind in your emotional ranting about nationalism without real understanding of the economics behind the numbers and the implications of your mindless rhetoric.

You will end up making more Singaporeans losing their jobs with such mindset, instead of protecting Singaporeans from being replaced by foreigners. I am sad that such show of xenophobia has come from people like you.

All bus drivers will enjoy free transport from their work place if they live in Singapore. The eg given by the Malaysian is totally flawed. Singaporean drivers also enjoy free company transport. The Malaysian chose to stay in JB thus they have ride their own bikes.

Just a simple proposal to these Malaysians, would they accept the low pay like the PRC if theu y are given the same terms and accommodation?
I dont think anyone of them will take up that offer

Goh Meng Seng

 

[kingrant]

Sounds non-sequitur to me.

In happier times, I wouild have stood up to fight for fair treatment of foreigners. But I am like so many Singaporeans who feel cheated and betrayed by our govt. Sorry my heart is not with them now. My head is still burning.

Singapore first policy must go hand in hand with fair treatment of employee


Otherwise bosses will forever employ foreigners and marginalize Singaporeans.

 

[kingrant]

It is a smarter angle to take to warn singaporeans to better think of their tranport problems and ask ourselves if we want better service if we send all these PRC drivers back and dont hire anymore PRC bus drivers, than to poke vaguely about the national interest about fair treatment, equitable labour laws etc the way GMS is going about. Asking Singaporeans to reflect on their dilemma is far more effective in making him sound like a visionary leader than the mumbo jumbo he is slobbering about now.

 

[Clone]

The public transport system is a matter of national interest so it of course concerns Singaporeans.

It's reasonable to want to hear from the political parties.

 

[Clone]

Ever since they started National Slavery the pay is pathethic...during my time it was $xx for a recruit..hardly can last half a month, then deduction of a few dollars for FORCED charity!, plus CPF....but food & lodging is free... ha ha ha ha

And these boys are not even eligible to vote. Who can speak up for them?

 

[aurvandil]

If you look at the released pay scales released by SMRT, you can only conclude that while they got rid of the Chief Idiot, there are still many morons in the senior management. If you have any sense at all, you will know that most foreign workers will accept lower pay when compared to Singaporeans and ang mo's. You however set the stage for confrontation when you implement different pay scales for foreigners of different Asian nationality.

Being a GLC, SMRT is supposed to follow the pay scales of the Singapore Civil Service. When the dust settles, I hope a brave member of the Opposition will ask the following brave questions:

1) Is the SMRT pay scale of discrimination by nationality common among other GLCs?
2) if such discrimination exists in the GLCs, is it practicised in overseas subsidaries in countries like Australia, the EU where such discrimination is against the law?
3) Is SMRT style discrimination by nationality also practised by our Stat boards and Civil Service?

 

[scroobal]

GMS

When I read the article , its obvious that you playing to the NGO gallery. Why post it hear? Why not write another article to address the political angle of this strike for Singaporeans?

1. Singaporeans coming first, jobs for Singaporeans is not even a policy issue. Its a given. A govt fails if it cannot do that.

2. Labour arbitrage is not a new science. Indians, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Indonesians, Thais, etc benefit from it and happy for the opportunity.

3. The SMRT wage negotiations were poorly handled from the 2nd quarter of this year. I am sure heads will roll. One had a huge increase while others hardly got anything.

4. Our central issue is the long dependency on cheap labour and maintaining low costs. If they had addressed productivity and up-skilled our local work force sufficiently earlier, the locals would be holding better jobs and a PRC drivers being paid $2k would not raise an eye brow.

5. Fully support minimum wage and anti discriminatory laws as these are basic. Every country in the world that have it also restricts entry of foreigners into their local workspace by a raft of measures. Its not because their civil servants got nothing better to do but to ensure that there is no local work force displacements. In developed world, low qualified new migrants drive taxi while local have engineering jobs. In Singapore ex- engineers, scientists and pmets drive taxis while low qualified migrants are found everywhere else.

In essence we got our fundamentals wrong. We focused on continuing to fuel the same economic set-up for the same result by repeatedly tweaking costs.

 

[scroobal]

Agree absolutely.

If you look at the released pay scales released by SMRT, you can only conclude that while they got rid of the Chief Idiot, there are still many morons in the senior management. If you have any sense at all, you will know that most foreign workers will accept lower pay when compared to Singaporeans and ang mo's. You however set the stage for confrontation when you implement different pay scales for foreigners of different Asian nationality.

?

 

[aurvandil]

Sorry ... Forgot my last question for NTUC chief Zorro Lim ...

4) NTUC Fairprice has a large number of PRC and staff of other nationalities. Are they on the same pay scale or does NTUC Fairprice also practice pay discrimination by nationality?

 

[mojito]

I am guessing GMS is plotting a return to SG politics through one of the parties it hasn't already been a part of. Fighting spirit is most admirable.

 

[mojito]

5. Fully support minimum wage and anti discriminatory laws as these are basic. Every country in the world that have it also restricts entry of foreigners into their local workspace by a raft of measures. Its not because their civil servants got nothing better to do but to ensure that there is no local work force displacements. In developed world, low qualified new migrants drive taxi while local have engineering jobs. In Singapore ex- engineers, scientists and pmets drive taxis while low qualified migrants are found everywhere else.

Afraid I may not have understood your stance entirely. Can minimum wage be effective (at reversing local work force displacements) without foreign labour supply constraints?

 

[watchman8]

I am guessing GMS is plotting a return to SG politics through one of the parties it hasn't already been a part of. Fighting spirit is most admirable.

He will be lucky to be invited to even a Christmas party. Heard TKL house is full, can't accommodate him.