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[h=2]Straits Times defends NTUC FairPrice’s action of recruiting foreign staff[/h]
June 2nd, 2012 |
Author: Editorial
TR Emeritus (TRE) reported earlier on Tue (29 May) that NTUC FairPrice has confirmed it went to China 4 times since 2011 to recruit PRC workers (‘NTUC Fairprice confirmed it went to China 4 times to recruit PRC workers‘).
NTUC FairPrice’s confirmation came about after TRE wrote to them to ask about its recruitment advertisement appearing in Shenyang, China and why, as a national labour movement, it would want to hire foreign workers instead of Singaporeans.
NTUC FairPrice replied that despite their ‘extensive’ recruitment efforts to hire locals, it is “still facing a manpower shortage just like most retailers here do”.
Three days later on Fri (1 Jun), Straits Times (ST) picked up the news and published with the heading, ‘Only 10% of staff are foreigners: FairPrice – Supermarket chain clarifies issue after getting flak for hiring drives in China’.
In the ST’s article, it quoted NTUC FairPrice Human Resource Director Rebecca Teo saying that “Only 10 per cent of its staff are from overseas” and that “there is a need to hire foreign workers, like those from Malaysia and China, because of a labour crunch”.
Even though in the article, ST also reported FairPrice’s confirmation to recruit staff from China, ST tried to mitigate for FairPrice.
ST especially quoted from FairPrice’s spokesman, “Compared with the number of job fairs held here to hire Singaporeans and permanent residents, overseas recruitment drives pale in comparison… It (FairPrice) holds about 40 job fairs at community centres and clubs every month. It also holds walk-in interviews at its 106 outlets and works with various agencies like community development councils and schools to recruit (local) staff.”
ST then added this without quoting anyone, “In line with its efforts to hire more Singaporeans, NTUC FairPrice became the first employer here to announce it was increasing salaries, two days after the move was recommended by the National Wages Council.”
The last line appears to be ST’s own addition. In essence, it is trying to tell readers that NTUC truly wants to hire more Singaporeans despite its attempts to hire PRC staff from China too.
The fact of the matter is, NTUC FairPrice is not just any supermarket chain but works under NTUC, a national labour movement. It shouldn’t be going to foreign countries and trying to recruit foreign staff in the first place. Besides, with only 10% of its staff are foreigners and 90% locals, this proves that FairPrice has been successful in hiring local staff and it should not have any problems recruiting locals at all.
Hence, there is no necessity for NTUC FairPrice to go China 4 times to hire PRCs.
NTUC FairPrice’s confirmation came about after TRE wrote to them to ask about its recruitment advertisement appearing in Shenyang, China and why, as a national labour movement, it would want to hire foreign workers instead of Singaporeans.
NTUC FairPrice replied that despite their ‘extensive’ recruitment efforts to hire locals, it is “still facing a manpower shortage just like most retailers here do”.
Three days later on Fri (1 Jun), Straits Times (ST) picked up the news and published with the heading, ‘Only 10% of staff are foreigners: FairPrice – Supermarket chain clarifies issue after getting flak for hiring drives in China’.
In the ST’s article, it quoted NTUC FairPrice Human Resource Director Rebecca Teo saying that “Only 10 per cent of its staff are from overseas” and that “there is a need to hire foreign workers, like those from Malaysia and China, because of a labour crunch”.
Even though in the article, ST also reported FairPrice’s confirmation to recruit staff from China, ST tried to mitigate for FairPrice.
ST especially quoted from FairPrice’s spokesman, “Compared with the number of job fairs held here to hire Singaporeans and permanent residents, overseas recruitment drives pale in comparison… It (FairPrice) holds about 40 job fairs at community centres and clubs every month. It also holds walk-in interviews at its 106 outlets and works with various agencies like community development councils and schools to recruit (local) staff.”
ST then added this without quoting anyone, “In line with its efforts to hire more Singaporeans, NTUC FairPrice became the first employer here to announce it was increasing salaries, two days after the move was recommended by the National Wages Council.”
The last line appears to be ST’s own addition. In essence, it is trying to tell readers that NTUC truly wants to hire more Singaporeans despite its attempts to hire PRC staff from China too.
The fact of the matter is, NTUC FairPrice is not just any supermarket chain but works under NTUC, a national labour movement. It shouldn’t be going to foreign countries and trying to recruit foreign staff in the first place. Besides, with only 10% of its staff are foreigners and 90% locals, this proves that FairPrice has been successful in hiring local staff and it should not have any problems recruiting locals at all.
Hence, there is no necessity for NTUC FairPrice to go China 4 times to hire PRCs.
