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The strike by PRC bus drivers from SMRT continued on Tuesday, with over 60 no-shows. SMRT bus services were again affected. I would like to express my sympathy for the inconvenience and potential loss of income experienced by commuters. I also hope that no student taking the Cambridge A Level examinations were affected.
Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin has said that the no-show by the bus drivers constitutes an “illegal strike”. He said the government views this seriously and has zero tolerance for this. Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo also urged employers and employees to handle grievances in a proper manner. (CNA, 27 Nov)
SMRT has lodged a police report for further investigation into possible breaches of the law. At the same time, the company is conducting its own investigations on whether terms of employment have been breached. (TODAY Online, 27 Nov)
What is dreadfully missing from these proclamations is the simple acknowledgement that SMRT has exploited its workers by paying workers of different nationalities different wages. A table compiled from data at SMRT’s website illustrates this:
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7866
As a direct result of this discriminatory practice, workers of a particular nationality has risen up in protest and has chosen to go on strike. SMRT owes everyone of us an explanation as to how this could have occurred.
We have the government exhorting Singaporeans not to be xenophobic, but on the other hand, we have a GLC practicing wage discrimination along nationalistic lines in the most blatant fashion. This is sheer hypocrisy.
As it is, bus drivers employed in Singapore already rank lowest among developed countries in terms of pay. Hence, this episode illustrates perfectly well that the huge influx of foreigners is all about giving corporations and GLCs a gold mine of cheap labour at the expense of the livelihoods of Singaporeans.
The impotent National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) also added nothing of substance, apart from rehashing motherhood statements about the need for proper ways of dealing with disagreements or the need to maintain an open line of communication with workers, especially those who are not union members.
At a time when Singapore is counting on NTUC to represent the rights of workers, it is pussyfooting and ducking in a corner. This is shameful.
Make no mistake — this is a time where the leadership of the PAP government is being put to the test. This is also a time where our flawed foreign labour policies, and deliberate wage suppression coupled with exploitation of workers are all being exposed.
If the current situation is not managed properly, the Singapore government risks stoking the ire of the PRC community and that of the Chinese government. Already, there has been a loud backlash against Singapore from China websites.
The PAP government’s policy of racing to the bottom and exploiting cheap labour in the name of globalization is reaching its breaking limits. The strike by the PRC bus drivers is merely the symptom that not all is well.
As the wage differentials between Singapore and countries like China narrow over time, the flawed PAP policies will soon become increasingly ineffective. Foreign workers in Singapore, sensing that wages round the world are slowly catching up, will no longer consent to being exploited or abused in such a manner. Then, they will have no fear about going on strike to protect their rights.
This is when PAP’s policies will be exposed for what they are — untenable and unviable solutions that do not address the long-term economic needs of the nation but which instead lead to a hollowing out of our economy and a reduction in productivity, not to mention increased hardship and suffering
Acting Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan-Jin has said that the no-show by the bus drivers constitutes an “illegal strike”. He said the government views this seriously and has zero tolerance for this. Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo also urged employers and employees to handle grievances in a proper manner. (CNA, 27 Nov)
SMRT has lodged a police report for further investigation into possible breaches of the law. At the same time, the company is conducting its own investigations on whether terms of employment have been breached. (TODAY Online, 27 Nov)
What is dreadfully missing from these proclamations is the simple acknowledgement that SMRT has exploited its workers by paying workers of different nationalities different wages. A table compiled from data at SMRT’s website illustrates this:
http://www.sgpolitics.net/?p=7866
As a direct result of this discriminatory practice, workers of a particular nationality has risen up in protest and has chosen to go on strike. SMRT owes everyone of us an explanation as to how this could have occurred.
We have the government exhorting Singaporeans not to be xenophobic, but on the other hand, we have a GLC practicing wage discrimination along nationalistic lines in the most blatant fashion. This is sheer hypocrisy.
As it is, bus drivers employed in Singapore already rank lowest among developed countries in terms of pay. Hence, this episode illustrates perfectly well that the huge influx of foreigners is all about giving corporations and GLCs a gold mine of cheap labour at the expense of the livelihoods of Singaporeans.
The impotent National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) also added nothing of substance, apart from rehashing motherhood statements about the need for proper ways of dealing with disagreements or the need to maintain an open line of communication with workers, especially those who are not union members.
At a time when Singapore is counting on NTUC to represent the rights of workers, it is pussyfooting and ducking in a corner. This is shameful.
Make no mistake — this is a time where the leadership of the PAP government is being put to the test. This is also a time where our flawed foreign labour policies, and deliberate wage suppression coupled with exploitation of workers are all being exposed.
If the current situation is not managed properly, the Singapore government risks stoking the ire of the PRC community and that of the Chinese government. Already, there has been a loud backlash against Singapore from China websites.
The PAP government’s policy of racing to the bottom and exploiting cheap labour in the name of globalization is reaching its breaking limits. The strike by the PRC bus drivers is merely the symptom that not all is well.
As the wage differentials between Singapore and countries like China narrow over time, the flawed PAP policies will soon become increasingly ineffective. Foreign workers in Singapore, sensing that wages round the world are slowly catching up, will no longer consent to being exploited or abused in such a manner. Then, they will have no fear about going on strike to protect their rights.
This is when PAP’s policies will be exposed for what they are — untenable and unviable solutions that do not address the long-term economic needs of the nation but which instead lead to a hollowing out of our economy and a reduction in productivity, not to mention increased hardship and suffering
