News: Unhappy bus drivers mass report sick 26nov2012

[Yewheng]

Haha I am just sitting back enjoying the show.

 

SG govt finally learns that not everybody is like Sinks, kena bully already diam diam dare not utter a word.

 

These PRCs are sibeh guai lan... Not happy, don't work. Feeling mistreated? Fark off, don't feel like working. I think the current Sinkie govt have never seen this before in their lives. This should wake their farking idea up. For years they have been ruling over an obedient and subservient workforce that never gave them problems despite unhappiness.

 

This will definitely set a precedent. We may see Pinoys, Banglas, Vietnamese, etc stage demonstrations and go on strike.

 

Just wondering now if my employees report sick and don't show up for work, can I make a police report also?

 

But this case is different leh. It is all BA kap together go report sick and don't want go work. If it is 1 or 2 than it will be easily be settle just sack them can already. If a lot it does post some question to smrt management.

 

Why so many suddenly don't want go work. There must be a trigger point. OK they complain is pay and logging but why is only started 2 days ago and not even way before? Anyway when such thing happen, it does boils to management team being such a failure. If it is under good management most likely such thing will not happen as they will understand bottom to up staff needs and problem will be less. Anyway with cost of living keep rising who can tahan when it used to earn more but now so much lesser. Maybe they under contract term and still cannot quit thats why they chui this stun? I don't know.

[Zogel]

But this case is different leh. It is all BA kap together go report sick and don't want go work. If it is 1 or 2 than it will be easily be settle just sack them can already. If a lot it does post some question to smrt management.

 

Why so many suddenly don't want go work. There must be a trigger point. OK they complain is pay and logging but why is only started 2 days ago and not even way before? Anyway when such thing happen, it does boils to management team being such a failure. If it is under good management most likely such thing will not happen as they will understand bottom to up staff needs and problem will be less. Anyway with cost of living keep rising who can tahan when it used to earn more but now so much lesser. Maybe they under contract term and still cannot quit thats why they chui this stun? I don't know.

 

Easy to say.. management nowadays is not so simple.

there are many of us who like to impose our unrealistic n myopic ideas. How to manage that?

 

[Greggywong]

We complain about long working hours, no work life balance, but we KPKB when MOM wanted to make Sunday off for maids mandatory. Have anyone went for a car wash recently, are they done by men or women? yet many people expect their petite maid to wash their cars, some even everyday, & many people expect the maids to work in all their waking hours. .

 

Giving maids off on a Sunday is a fatal mistake...they will return with a pregnant body and guess who bear the costs of semding them back...!!

 

 

[Ysc3]

Giving maids off on a Sunday is a fatal mistake...they will return with a pregnant body and guess who bear the costs of semding them back...!!

 

in the first place, why get a maid ?

[Ysc3]

I think the current Sinkie govt have never seen this before in their lives.

 

26 years actually.

[The_Bear]

Giving maids off on a Sunday is a fatal mistake...they will return with a pregnant body and guess who bear the costs of semding them back...!!

 

What kind of job doesn't allow off days? What kind of job denies a person sex life? What kind of job forces an employee to stay in the same house as their employee and works more than 8 hours a day without due compensation?

 

When a person gets pregnant, they get maternity leave. Not termination. Why are there 2 sets of rule for female employees?

 

Maids or Domestic Helpers is financial subjugation. Modern slavery at it's best. Free will? It is a matter of opinion. For a country of migrant workers, if their embassy do not stand up for them, who will?

 

We are Singapore. We have the financial clout. We do as we please. 2 sets of rules. Try to make ourself look good. But after all, we are douchebags. But it is fine. Because we are Singapore.

[RadX]

LOL.....a raw nerve hit perhaps

[Sosaria]

I am sure the Chinese Embassy has something to say about that.

 

China-style even better? In China they'll just get beaten up by their public security bureau officers, or their hired thugs. Then put under house arrest or worse.

 

These people are hypocrites who treat their dissidents, even those who are non-political but just raise safety issues - be it about tainted milk powder, unsafe train system, etc. - worse than dangerous criminals.

 

I think in the PRC population, pressure is building up, so their govt purposely let them blow off some steam on external issues - to keep the focus off their own leadership.

[Kar_lover]

My view is very simple

 

1) the china workers not happy with the pay, please resign and leave the country. It is a free market, if the company discriminates , by all means walk out the door

 

2) I hope the government comes down hard on these foreign guests in Singapore

 

A Strike free business environment is one of the attractions for businesses investing in singapore. These idiots if left unpunished will incite other groups to be bold and start strike action also. And in the end many Singaporean jobs will be at stake.

Our cost of business is already so high, but we mitigate it by saying Singapore is stable.

Left unchecked, it is the beginning of big trouble.

 

And these foreigners can just leave Singapore , while we locals born and bred here will live with the mess

 

You view is completely one sided. Would you like it if your pay was suddenly cut by 30%?? U think these fw came all the way here so that they can go on strike? They came here for what they believed was better job propspect and better opportunity. They left their families at home to come here to earn a better living for them. This is not something they want, but clearly felt that it was necessary. I am in no way agreeing or supporting their actions but the kind of anti-fw sentiment here is just as much a turn off and is not helping at all. They are humans too.

 

In the first place, why we need to hire them? Cos the locals don't want to do the job at the prevailing salary. You think sending the fws back will solve all the problems? Then who gonna drive the buses? Auto pilot? If PTOs need to hire locals to operate their buses & trains, are you willing to pay, say 20%-30% increase in fares? Sure kpkb again rite? So what? You want the govt to take back PT and pay the drivers the local salary yet have low fares, i.e. govt to subsidise PT heavily? That is also a cost as it is borne by tax payers' money.

 

Sigh.

 

[Myxilplix]

Well, they've gone back to work. I guess whatever the embassy people said last night worked.

 

I'd expect the "investigation" to go on until this whole thing dies down in the media, then maybe the leaders of this little strike will get called in for questioning by police/arrested/sent back quietly.

 

If nothing is done, it sends a very clear message. Unless the government pulls out it's "once in 26 years/let's move on" card and then prays VERY HARD this type of incident does not happen again for another 26 years.

 

 

[Wt_know]

not that i wish to jail them.

must follow law. rule of law regardless of who you are.

just like tycoon son also must go changi for having paid sex with underaged

 

Jailterm? So serious until need to jail them?

 

[Darryn]

Giving maids off on a Sunday is a fatal mistake...they will return with a pregnant body and guess who bear the costs of semding them back...!!

 

Well the that particular policy (sending back preggers maids) needs some serious examination, it is not right to make the employer responsible for what the maid does in her off time.

 

How would you like it if you got sacked for having a girlfriend?

 

In other words, the problem is not the day off, but expecting the employer to bear the responsibility if the maid is pregnant

[Mustank]

Well the that particular policy (sending back preggers maids) needs some serious examination, it is not right to make the employer responsible for what the maid does in her off time.

 

How would you like it if you got sacked for having a girlfriend?

 

In other words, the problem is not the day off, but expecting the employer to bear the responsibility if the maid is pregnant

 

 

LIKE!

[Greggywong]

What kind of job doesn't allow off days? What kind of job denies a person sex life? What kind of job forces an employee to stay in the same house as their employee and works more than 8 hours a day without due compensation?

 

When a person gets pregnant, they get maternity leave. Not termination. Why are there 2 sets of rule for female employees?

 

Maids or Domestic Helpers is financial subjugation. Modern slavery at it's best. Free will? It is a matter of opinion. For a country of migrant workers, if their embassy do not stand up for them, who will?

 

We are Singapore. We have the financial clout. We do as we please. 2 sets of rules. Try to make ourself look good. But after all, we are douchebags. But it is fine. Because we are Singapore.

 

Maybe if you have a maid and she gets pregnant..perhaps u would like to foot her hospitalization fee which can costs anything from 10k and above without subsidy, after that you can also take care of her baby at your own cost. Whether free will or modern slavery...no one knows..but definetly..no one put a gun on their head and force them to be a maid.

[Damien22]

the issue is pay cut after the supposingly pay 'raised'

 

how will you feel if you boss tell you, i giving you 20% pay raised and decrease your working hour a day but increase the working day by 1 more day which happen to cover the day that you usually do your OT.. which resulted in you havin a decrease in monthly pay by 30%?? while working the same hour?

 

 

Hi Joseph. I agree with you. I think right now the issue is not about whether the locals, Msians or PRCs are being paid equally. It is the issue of the PRCs being promised of a certain pay package but in the end, it turns out otherwise! If it is a better pay package in terms of monetary and same equal working hours, I do not think there would be complains. However this kind of case is almost impossible. Lower pay, one more working day in the work week (same hour notheless) and the perception of being cheated would definitely be a blow and cause them to blow their tops!

 

To me, the employer is unfair to the staff. However, it does not give the staff the rights to protest in such a manner, at least not in Singapore. But I think the other drivers in the company are sure happy about this somehow. Haha.

[Carnoob]

Sorry but I think we are looking at corporate exploitation of workers, regardless of locals or FW. The other issue is whether staging a strike or protests should be done to achieve pay rise.

 

Corporate exploitation had been around even when FWs were not in Singapore. Fellow Singaporeans had been exploited for a long long time but no one voice out until now through forum and feedback that prices are increasing but pay is never increased. We are peaceful but any changes? Corporate uses productivity as a shield not to increase salary. Our fellow Singaporeans had seen jobs changing from permanent to 1-yr contract renewable, which includes no AWS, no increment, no bonus, did we stage a strike or protest? We just accepted it. So this leads to - a strike or protests to achieve pay rise?

 

Whether the PRCs in this case is paid too low, I think no one except staff from SMART will know. It is the expectations of the PRCs that were not managed properly. I would support with both my hands and legs if they increase the PRCs' salary then corporate or businesses will FINALLY WAKE UP that FWs / FTs is not the solution to our LABOUR PROBLEMS.

 

Money is always an issue whether to FWs or locals. Manage expectations is one of the keys to staff management which I think SMRT had failed, if they are recruiting using agency then they should fire the agency.

 

Finally, when they did the pay adjustments did they go through with the Union? Seems like most of the bus drivers (not just FWs, locals had also voiced their unhappiness) were unhappy with the latest pay adjustments. So where do we move from here? Change the biz model or continue with exploiting and finally forcing Singaporeans to join in the strikes or protests because whoever (FWs or locals) strikes or protests will eventually affects Singapore as a NATION.

 

I have a PRC driver who also said the SMRT PRC drivers were stupid, if they are unhappy go through the proper channel or just go back home. I state this comment is from my PRC driver not from any locals. He is happy working with our company we don't exploit but I must admit we only treat locals slightly better because to us all staff are the same.

[Tom_kkh]

my wife took a cab last night.

 

she said that the cab uncle mentioned to her that while he was having break near a bus interchange, he heard some china drivers say Singapore cant do anything to them other than deporting them back, not to worry....

 

my Taiwan colleague who was oblivious of the strike told me yesterday afternoon that she notice that the china bus drivers were super rude yesterday...

 

HUAT AR!

 

I sincerely thanks the China drivers for the strikes. about time they give PAP headaches and lets see how well PAP "integrates" with the FW they so dear love.

[Oblong]

 

 

Always enjoyed bavarian one liner. Quite rare to see a lengthier piece. Nice worded irony

 

"We are Singapore. We have the financial clout. We do as we please. 2 sets of rules. Try to make ourself look good. But after all, we are douchebags. But it is fine. Because we are Singapore. "

 

Just to add, eventually, u reap what u sow.

 

Arrogance is a transient feel good state.