Labour Day is a disgrace?

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May 30, 2017

I refer to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Report on Wage Practices 2016 released on 30 May.

It states that “Among the private establishments with low-wage employees earning a monthly basic wage of
up to $1,100, 40% granted wage increases to those employees in 2016, lower than the 46% in
2015.”

Earning below $1,100 monthly means that after excluding the employer and employee CPF contributions – the net take home pay may typically be only about $752.

This is already a very low pay. So, the wage credit scheme to employers to encourage them to give pay increases is clearly a failure.

Can you imagine earning less than $752 and not getting any increment?

Our labour policies such as not having a minimum wage and liberal foreign labour policies are clearly failing hundreds of thousands of lower wage Singaporean workers.

Looking at these dismal numbers – the May 1 Labour Day messages from the union movement are a shame and disgrace to our so called first world nation.

Leong Sze Hian

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About the Author

Leong
Leong Sze Hian has served as the president of 4 professional bodies, honorary consul of 2 countries, an alumnus of Harvard University, authored 4 books, quoted over 1500 times in the media , has been a radio talkshow host, a newspaper daily columnist, Wharton Fellow, SEACeM Fellow, columnist for theonlinecitizen and Malaysiakini, executive producer of Ilo Ilo (40 international awards), Hotel Mumbai (associate producer), invited to speak more than 200 times in about 40 countries, CIFA advisory board member, founding advisor to the Financial Planning Associations of 2 countries. He has 3 Masters, 2 Bachelors degrees and 13 professional  qualifications.