Miserable
Workers Part 3 of 3
19 APR 08
I
know if I don't contain this topic, I could blab on this subject
matter forever. So let me try to organize everything up and make
it digestible for you to read. Apart from the broken Education System
which seem to have this fixation around mugging on subjects that
does not have any remote benefit to the student or to prepare them
for the real working world, let us talk about the working culture
in Singapore.
Since the bulk of the
readers of this website are secondary school students, let Uncle
Evil Bunny give you a sneak preview of the hell that is to come.
And for those who are already stuck in the bloody rat race, I
suggest you keep your finger near the “Compose new email”
button because you might want to send me some feedback…
:D
I have noticed a series
of crap that awaits the Singaporean when he/she is about to enter
the workforce and I can delicately dissect these parts into 3.
Let us start with…
Wo
Pu Che Tao
Hmmm.. Remember the pledge that you guys say like a prayer in
school every morning? If you were really paying attention to the
words that you are saying, you might come across this line…
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Ok
stop right there. I want to tell you guys that even though the
pledge is built upon good intentions, I must say that the working
world is one bad racist rojak jamboree. At least for the private
sector. Go flip the Straits Times job listings right now and count
those ads that require “Mandarin Speaking.” A lot
of my Chinese friends do not know the severity of the problem
because .. well, they can speak Mandarin. But the minorities (Malay
and Indians) face this UNFAIR working policy on a DAILY basis
and it severely limits our job opportunities. I would love to
see an UNBIAS unemployment statistics based on race in Singapore,
that is, if they dare to conduct one.
No
Mimimum Wage
Now, we all know how expensive Singapore is… and yet Singapore
workers are screwed because we have no minimum wage policy. A
minimum wage policy is a BASIC law for any developed country.
Without it, workers are open to EXPLOITATION from jerk employers.
I have heard people accepting work for as low as $3.50 an hour..
that equates to only $28 per day!
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Look
here. To me, rather having this baseless fear that a minimum
wage will transform Singapore into a slum in India overnight,
and trying to confuse the public with technical economic jargons,
I suggest we fix OTHER factors that hinders minimum wage from
being implemented in the first place, for example:
Most
employers may disagree to pay minimum wage of $5 for Singaporean
as it increases labour costs?
Direct solution I can whip out from my ass right now: Lower
rent or give tax rebates. Instead paying more to overheads,
employers now direct their funds to workers.
12
hour shifts anyone?
Just when I thought that Graphic Designers who are the ones
affected by a brutal working conditions like sleeping in the
office and working without OT pay, I realize that proper, humane
laws at work are practically non-existent wherever you go in
Singapore. A friend of mine, Jim, quit his job as a fruit juicer
at Orchard Road because his supervisor did not let any of the
employee sit, even though there were no customers.
And
ironically, the same dictator supervisor can rest her legs at
any given time. Another friend of mine said he could only go
home after 7pm… even though he have cleared his work at
5:30pm. Another one had a bad experience working for a boss
that have the knack to call him back even though its his day
off.
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From
taxi drivers to people working in retail to Cisco guards to
designers to teachers- wherever you are, you will be faced with
some form of severe unjust working practices. The Singapore
working culture seemed to have this unspoken motto: If you are
not suffering that means; you are not working.
But
the most appalling reality of all this mess is that even though
the Government is aware of these problems, they turn a blind
eye. Remember the time they introduced the EZ-link cards for
the first time in buses and trains? And some commuters cheated
the system by tapping their cards even though they were not
alighting to save money? I remembered reading an article on
the Straits Times on how the transport agency lamented that
they were losing millions of dollars by this technical loophole.
The Government cracked this problem down hard and now the problem
is fixed. The machines are now smart enough to curb cheaters.
Bravo!
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But
when it comes to setting up a positive environment for Singaporeans
to earn their money to feed their families, all BASIC laws to
protect the worker is non-existent. Where is the minister to speak
up on racist ads? Why is the minimum wage not implemented? Why
are jerk employers are able to get away with their exploitative
ways? Why is this so? |
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| I
don’t take this issue lightly because, similar to the broken
Education System, disgruntled, miserable workers can create a negative
chain reaction that affects everybody. I’ll make a diagram
ala power point for you policy makers to comprehend. |
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How can a negative work culture affect birth rates or make a citizen
more patriotic? I let you ponder on that! |
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| I’m
not talking about creating a culture where workers can sue their
employers every time they have a backache. I am not even talking
about giving OT if the company is a start-up and cannot afford it.
All I’m saying is that you gotta be fair… If you cannot
afford to give OT, you have the right to a time-off. If you break
this law, you will have to face penalties. Do not bug your worker
when he is on leave. Have a minimum wage so that workers are not
exploited. Lodging a complaint to MOM every single time an employer
decided to be an a$$hole is counter-productive. Instead, keep these
laws transparent by having employers paste a standard worker rights
notice in the office for all to see. |
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| I
believe we CAN find the balance and have a fair and just working
system that’s works for both employer and employee.
Fix it and fix it NOW!
Evil Bunny
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