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http://tnp.sg/news/story/0,4136,204654,00.html?
No driving licence, no work
June 11, 2009
WITH HIS licence taken away, Mr Rengasamy Murali and his colleagues are at a loss about what to do next.
Said Mr Murali: 'I don't know the law and system. Boss says want to get Singapore driving licence, I take. Boss says drive, I drive.'
He has been driving his fellow workers to and from worksites for four years since he converted his Indian driving licence into a Class 3 Singapore driving licence in 2005.
Mr Murali's S-pass application was approved just a week before his work permit was cancelled.
Said his boss, Mr Fong: 'He (Mr Murali) is a good worker, serious about his duties and responsible. Over the 10 years, I have seen his capability and initiative.
'To make him eligible for S-pass application, I was prepared to pay him $1,800 a month, up from his previous pay of $1,200.'
Another driver, Mr Murthi, told The New Paper when we visited the dormitory last Monday: 'I have always driven carefully and never had any problems. Now, I cannot work, I have no money and cannot work more even though I want to.'
Both Mr Murali and Mr Murthi have kept their families updated of what has happened to them in Singapore.
Said Mr Murali: 'I told my wife and she said, 'Never mind, just come home.' But I told her I don't even have my passport.'
Another driver, Mr Muthusaravanaan, said: 'If I can't drive, I can work at the construction site. it doesn't matter.
'I can do anything. I just want to work here.'
The Ministry of Manpower has offered the men caught on 22May temporary passes to work in the construction sector, but only two out of the 11 men took up the offer.
Even then, they insisted on working as drivers and did not consider the other jobs on offer, said a ministry spokesman.
The Indian National gets a 33.3% pay increase, while the locals get paid $1,800 less 20% CPF cut, and yet the local employers complain local workers are fussy.
They have to pay for driving licence in S$, and gets demerit points if they do not drive carefully, and looses the licence. Once lost, they would have to spend money, lost of income etc., to sit for a new licence all over again.
While the Indian National gets almost scott free with their driving antics, and cheap conversion of INDIA DRIVING licence to Singapore driving licence.
That is why all SINGAPOREANS are farked...and FARKED even more, having to serve National Service & spend years toiling over Reservist, with IPPT, in-camp etc..
Better off being a third world citizen, whose heaven is in a so-called first world country likd SINgapore...
Singapore workers....

