[Ngck]

Agree bro...

 

sometimes probably they need "bonding" time also...

wahahahha

 

 

drivers and executive bonding together [grouphug] ....

[Ngck]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came...

 

Good to know

 

 

know what?

 

understand is better than know

Edited December 3, 2012 by Ngck

[Ben5266]

This is racist.

 

If the difference in pay is based on service - then base it on service NOT nationality. Pass an english test, get a pay raise, pass a malay test, get another. When you distribute a raise based on nationality, you are explicitly rejecting service. Out of laziness? Maybe.

 

But if you really want to make the argument on service levels, then there should be metrics to use to base the raise on service.

...sorry...

if I have 2 employees, 1 is my cousin and the other is just another human of any races.

Both doing the same job and same service level.

And, if I pay my cousin more than the other guy... I am racist?!

 

Assuming I own the company.

 

[Ngck]

I like these last two sentences...

 

If recruit in China, offering the same pay as Singaporeans, what sort of quality would you get? Can maybe expect Uni Grad , fluent in english....

 

Maybe ex-prison bus drivers, or celebrity chaffeurs

 

 

they can come from somalia or bolivia or russia....

 

to me, doing the same job means same amount of pay..... how come different nationality got different grade?

 

since when is pay scale determine by nationality?

[Spurman]

The key reason for the strike was the difference in pay. The china drivers demanded to have the same pay as other foreign bus drivers as they felt that they were doing the same job. If SMRT caved in, then the next to strike would be the malaysian drivers as they were not getting the same benefits as the china drivers. I'm surprised that nobody cared for the welfare of our malaysian drivers when compared to the china drivers.

 

Not so simple I think.

Mainstream media uses this as main excuse onky

[Spurman]

Prob mammaster is the "50cent" post man..... U know what i mean

[Moredhel]

...sorry...

if I have 2 employees, 1 is my cousin and the other is just another human of any races.

Both doing the same job and same service level.

And, if I pay my cousin more than the other guy... I am racist?!

 

Assuming I own the company.

 

No. You're just not being prudent in your finances, all things considered equal, with another human pay as baseline.

[Spurman]

What we prob need to hear is the actual point of views from the bus drivers. Not just the china drivers. The locals, the malaysians.

 

Like I highlighted, it's not just a simple pay inequality thing.

[Ben5266]

No. You're just not being prudent in your finances, all things considered equal, with another human pay as baseline.

Well, in bad time, the local or my cousin will stay back and go through the hard time with the company.

The alien will just hop to another land.

So, why shall I pay the same during the good time?

[Mustank]

No. You're just not being prudent in your finances, all things considered equal, with another human pay as baseline.

 

Bro, Ben is stirring Darlyn's coffee lah

[Manmaster]

When the strike first started, the china drivers were claiming that they're striking because they felt discriminated due to lower pay compared to other foreign counterparts. They said they could accept that their pay was lower the SG drivers but not other foreign drivers as they're all doing the same job. That was the former claim made by the chinese drivers when first interviewed but as the incident developed, the chinese drivers shifted their goal poles. Everyone focused on the latter claims that they're being treated unfairly as SMRT unilaterally changed the terms of contracts, accommodation was bad, etc. Some even focused on the different pay raises based on nationality. The pay raise was different because the china drivers were contractual workers. Therefore, it's not fair to say that the standard of pay raises must be applied across the board without any differential treatment of all SMRT's employees regardless of perm, temp or contractual workers.

 

We must not encourage illegal strikes when the reason for the strike was flawed. This is important especially for essential public services.

 

 

[Royho1979]

Contractual workers are different from perm staffs and the china drivers are contractual workers on a 2 years term. It is unclear what SMRT had put in the prior contract and how can you be sure that SMRT contravened any term & condition in the contract? Maybe SMRT had already stated in the prior contract that it had the right to revise the terms & conditions for contractual workers.

 

The differences in pay could be due to different skills, training & other benefits, etc. I didn't say it was based on nationality. The article didn't point out that the china drivers were provided with accommodation and also chartered buses to bring them to work but not the malaysians. The malaysians have to either commute daily to work or find a place on their own. If u think the china drivers deserve the same pay, why don't u argue that the malaysian drivers deserve the same benefits too?

 

In the eyes of the law, any changes to contractual terms must be mutually agreed to. There is no such things as a signed contract where one party can amend the terms unilaterally. Look under the unfair contract act please.

 

Also, You are speculating.How would you know that Malaysians are better drivers and thus deserve better pay?

[Manmaster]

In the eyes of the law, any changes to contractual terms must be mutually agreed to. There is no such things as a signed contract where one party can amend the terms unilaterally. Look under the unfair contract act please.

 

Also, You are speculating.How would you know that Malaysians are better drivers and thus deserve better pay?

 

If SMRT contravened any contractual terms, the china embassy would lodge a formal complaint to MOM. China embassy must have also read the contract terms and didn't find anything wrong. If SMRT indeed was in the wrong and the china embassy didn't help those china drivers, then those china drivers must do another protest against their own embassy.

 

I didn't say the malaysians were better drivers, I said.....better service. Can a malay old woman ask the china driver for direction in malay? The chinese malaysian driver would be able to reply in malay. That's why I said the malaysian drivers' skills are better suited as they can provide better service. Like i said, a malaysian driver could speak 3 languages (english, malay, chinese or english, tamil, malay). I guess that's why the malaysian drivers are perm staffs while the china drivers are just contractual workers even though they're all doing the same job.

 

I'm glad that the instigators are going to be jailed......Gd job Singapore!

Edited December 3, 2012 by Manmaster

[Rncw]

when come to labor stuff, the embassy normally would not want to get involved.....these are private matters...

especially big countries embassy...

[Spurman]

If SMRT contravened any contractual terms, the china embassy would lodge a formal complaint to MOM. China embassy must have also read the contract terms and didn't find anything wrong. If SMRT indeed was in the wrong and the china embassy didn't help those china drivers, then those china drivers must do another protest against their own embassy.

 

I didn't say the malaysians were better drivers, I said.....better service. Can a malay old woman ask the china driver for direction in malay? The chinese malaysian driver would be able to reply in malay. That's why I said the malaysian drivers' skills are better suited as they can provide better service. Like i said, a malaysian driver could speak 3 languages (english, malay, chinese or english, tamil, malay). I guess that's why the malaysian drivers are perm staffs while the china drivers are just contractual workers even though they're all doing the same job.

 

I'm glad that the instigators are going to be jailed......Gd job Singapore!

 

 

Once again it's this "fifty cents" point of view.

 

[Manmaster]

* CNA News *

 

SINGAPORE: SMRT will not make further adjustments to the salaries of its drivers from China, despite an illegal strike last week over pay and living conditions.

 

But the company will look into the possibility of allowing its drivers to encash their unused leave.

 

This was the decision communicated to drivers by SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek at a townhall meeting on Monday morning.

 

Describing what has been a difficult week for everyone in SMRT, Mr Kuek said the management team is surprised and saddened that the situation had reached the point of an illegal strike.

 

He stressed that the existing compensation and contract terms are fair.

 

He also said SMRT reviews the salaries of its drivers regularly to keep pace with the market.

 

This year, it raised the starting pay of those who joined before July by $75, even though there's no contractual obligation to do so for short-term contract workers.

 

In mid-November, it decided on a second increment of $25 to their basic salary out of goodwill, backdated to July.

 

This is being communicated to the drivers and will be implemented in December.

 

Mr Kuek said the full monthly increase in salary from July 2012 would therefore be $100, and this will be implemented as planned.

 

With these increments, their starting pay is now $1,100.

 

He stressed that the remuneration package is fair and equitable, including transport, accommodation and utilities amounting to about $275 borne by the company.

 

Drivers from Malaysia, said Mr Kuek, are not provided accommodation by the company.

 

With many drivers clocking an average of 60 hours in overtime a month, their gross pay can reach $1,800 or more.

 

Member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, Mr Lim Biow Chuan, told Channel NewsAsia he agreed with SMRT's decision not to raise the pay of drivers from China.

 

Mr Lim said: "What the CEO has done is the right thing. From the perspective of the employee, if you feel that your salary is not right, you should actually speak to your employers about it. And if at the end of the day, employers are not prepared to increase the salary, you should then look for other employment.

 

"I think it is also a wrong signal to send if the company adjusts its salary upwards because of actions by employees to force their opinion on their employer to make adjustments to the salary."

 

Mr Lim said many drivers from China came to Singapore initially satisfied with their salary, and that it is not right for them to compare with their colleagues later and demand a change in the terms of employment.

 

"When you take up an employment with any company, you don't know what your future colleagues will be earning. You look at what you're offered, and you ask yourself, am I happy with this salary that I'm getting. If you say "yes", then you go in with your eyes open that this is the salary you take when you start work," he said.

 

Addressing complaints from some drivers about misrepresentation by agents in China who had hired them, Mr Kuek said SMRT will raise this matter with the relevant agencies to investigate further.

 

He also urged drivers to use the right and proper channels of communication and feedback to voice their unhappiness.

 

SMRT, he said, acknowledged that its managers and supervisors down the line could have been more sensitive and responsive to the needs of drivers.

 

It will address this shortcoming with priority and is strengthening its staff communications and engagement.

 

Turning to the living conditions of the drivers, Mr Kuek said he visited the drivers' rooms and surroundings recently and agreed with them that things can be improved.

 

As for bed bugs, the dormitory rooms were fumigated last month and again last week.

 

Mr Kuek said this appears to be a more persistent problem and SMRT will continue to monitor and act on this.

 

The Singapore Human Resources Institute said companies that employ a large number of foreign workers can do more to ease them into life in Singapore, such as through induction programmes and English lessons.

 

Mr David Ang, Executive Director of Singapore Human Resources Institute, said: "It is also very important that companies also explain to them that if you are working in the industry which is very important to the public, such as the essential services, then the rules and regulations as well as the law governing work in a company that is providing essential services should be explained to them."

 

Mr Ang added that companies' communications plan should not only include employment terms and the law, it should also explain their pay structure.

 

* END *

 

 

[Doosan]

What we prob need to hear is the actual point of views from the bus drivers.

Not just the china drivers. The locals, the malaysians.

Like I highlighted, it's not just a simple pay inequality thing.

 

Office in Wdland quite near to their dormitory, times to times meet them.

 

it cud be one sided view fr them, but thing started over even small positive proposals fr them.

eg a little to improve the living envirolment, management reply was:

 

u hv to adjust yrself to the envirolment, NOT for us to adjust the envirolment to suit u.

this is a template reply fr the atas management.

 

spark lead to inferno

[Aventador]

I am not a fan of the PAP, some of their policies are disagreeable

 

but however much I don't like them, in this turn of events, I strongly support a firm hand to clamp down on the trouble makers

 

Some of you don't realize the deep repercussions of what has happened

 

It affects foreign investments, property prices, your jobs and our social harmony

 

The number 1 rule that must be enforced in Singapore is, NO public unrest.

 

Now is some PRC bus drivers strike over pay, if we leave them be, next the construction workers strike, then we tolerate that, and Amy Cheong makes a racist remark, and the Malays protest in shenton way, then Chee soon Juan starts a protest down orchard road and we say that's ok

 

This is not the path Singapore should go down, look at Greece, the middle east Arab uprising, Spain, UK and more.

 

Some of you guys write flowery essays and talk about fighting for workers rights. Talk is cheap, when Singapore is in trouble , all your beautiful theories won't buy you food.

 

The foreign drivers acted in the wrong way and threatened our stability, there is no question they are wrong and should be sent off. Anyone siding the foreign trouble makers are traitors to me.

 

You want to fight for workers rights, go start a protest down orchard for better pay for our local toilet cleaners and old ah mahs clearing the dishes at the food courts - I will be there to stand shoulder to shoulder with you .

 

Writing beautiful prose to support the illegal actions of PRC workers that have no vested interest in Singapore - you can kiss my ass.