‘Strong S’poreans’ Can Work As Construction Workers Instead Of Delivery Riders, Says Leong Mun Wai

[Victor68]

2 hours ago, bsswan said:

Actually, plumbers/electricians/joiners/brickies/plasterers/glaziers etc. all are regarded as skilled, at least outside of Singapore - trained and certified.

Only gophers are not certified but they are quite scarce on a job site these days.

I am not sure how involved are you with these trades. Once upon a time, ITE has different level of training for them. Honestly, the skill set is quite good for plumbing, electrical, electronic and mechanical. When I last saw BCA, it is very diluted in my opinion. Maybe it is a fast way of passing to qualify them. If the entire nation are academics, then this is what we are experiencing. Technical skills should be maintained and promoted. In the 70, we wanted to follow the German way but somehow scholars beat the system. 

[BanCoe]

What surprises me is that the Samsui women were so strong and hardworking and not afraid to get elbow grease as i would put it and fast forward now 40-50 years the young rather go gyming and still complain no money .... I think , short of us becoming strawberries ( maybe we are already ) and of course the world has moved on at a very fast pace ( call it value adding ) but anyone given a thought as to how long this gig economy will last ?? I guess all you need is a smartphone and a bike and away you go . What skills ?? What craftsmanship ?? What safety ?? What process ?? 

[Throttle2]

I agree

i would rather be a construction worker than a grabfood guy. 

 

 

[t0y0ta]

10 hours ago, bsswan said:

See now, that.....that's another misconception.

I've spent more than 20yrs working all over the place, in all weathers..... Winter in Seoul or Dalian is no joke, working 40m off the ground in full PPE and harnesses etc., or Scotland where it even goes dark as well by 3:30pm. Each in strong winds and/or heavy rain where after 20-30min your nose and ears are burning cold, and forget about feeling your fingers because, unfortunately, to get any assembly work done, gloves are not an option. Worse when offshore and then, snow brings a whole new feeling, or lack of.

HK has far higher humidity than Singapore, year round, and added with the sun in July to October time, is hard.....but not impossible. You start sweating just as soon as step outside, let alone try to get any work done but it keeps you fit. Sure enough, in winter it's not bad but, of course, nowhere has heating and when the thermometer says 10-degrees, humidity makes it feel much colder.

No change for me here, at heights or underground in full PPE and, honestly, Singapore isn't so hard. Some hot days, yes and the rain only usually last a few hours per, not a few days per week. You could easily end up smelling like a 10-buck hooker, sweaty in all the same places, but....... so what? I doesn't mind getting hands dirty, that's what they invented soap for, right?

In US, EU, Oz etc. construction and engineering (not sit in office IT stuff) are respected for their skills and paid accordingly with suitable working hours and benefits. Many countries have improved their apprenticeship schemes in recent years as a way of getting out of the "cheap imported labour" trap, and it is a trap that needs effort to escape. All that said, Singapore is in a difficult position as its too small to have a full workforce but the excuse that "its too hot" doesn't paper over the fact the job is perceived here as low class and low skilled because a generation has grown up watching FW do it all.

My Aussie colleague (normal PMET) built his own new house, slowly over weekends and after work. His daughter (primary school age) and family helped out. End result is something like a simple no frills single-storey landed quality. He got an architect friend to do the design and certification.

So sometimes you got to admire AMDK, they really got the spirit of getting their hands dirty.

[Datsun366]

 

[Throttle2]

2 hours ago, t0y0ta said:

My Aussie colleague (normal PMET) built his own new house, slowly over weekends and after work. His daughter (primary school age) and family helped out. End result is something like a simple no frills single-storey landed quality. He got an architect friend to do the design and certification.

So sometimes you got to admire AMDK, they really got the spirit of getting their hands dirty.

yes, back in the late 80s when i was a kid, i visited a family friend in Perth.  
they are migrants in australia from Germany. Just husband and wife with no kids. 
built their own house from scratch.  Very very decent and beautiful in fact.  
As a singaporean kid, i was totally shocked that that was even possible.

singapore lang cant even fix a bulb. Wtf! 

[BanCoe]

6 hours ago, Throttle2 said:

yes, back in the late 80s when i was a kid, i visited a family friend in Perth.  
they are migrants in australia from Germany. Just husband and wife with no kids. 
built their own house from scratch.  Very very decent and beautiful in fact.  
As a singaporean kid, i was totally shocked that that was even possible.

singapore lang cant even fix a bulb. Wtf! 

It was like a rite of passage for the newly weds back then in that era ; Bonds them together better and a home is built , not a house 

[Jman888]

56 minutes ago, BanCoe said:

It was like a rite of passage for the newly weds back then in that era ; Bonds them together better and a home is built , not a house 

but many ang mo end up divorced, especially those with bigger the house

 

[Voodooman]

7 hours ago, Throttle2 said:

yes, back in the late 80s when i was a kid, i visited a family friend in Perth.  
they are migrants in australia from Germany. Just husband and wife with no kids. 
built their own house from scratch.  Very very decent and beautiful in fact.  
As a singaporean kid, i was totally shocked that that was even possible.

singapore lang cant even fix a bulb. Wtf! 

Excuse is I don't have enough space for my toolbox but really, we barely have enough time to catch up on our sleep, much less change a light bulb (figuratively speaking). 😂

Don't think IB in New York are fixing their own light bulb as well.

 

[Kb27]

oh i get a novel idea.

why not only allow CECA to take up construction work and revoked all other types of work pass ?

[TangoCharlie]

On 5/13/2021 at 1:33 PM, RadX said:

Same vein, pay the $$ accorded

i say again, when I was 16, I worked as one. Earned $50 per day. Big $$ then

 

@Soya Lai Lai😂

I did for 3 months before NS....carrying metal door frames and gates to HDB construction sites. It's a dignified though hard work. After first day, my fingers cannot straightened. Really blood sweat money. It's harzardous too...just a plank from the back of lorry to unload them.

On 5/13/2021 at 1:35 PM, Lala81 said:

I don't really know how to reconcile these 3 facts together.

a) To make Singapore a more equitable society, where your blue collared workers can make a decent living. Cleaners/landscaping/construction/healthcare assistants/stall assistants should be able to raise a family and earn a decent wage. Not everyone can be a highly productive worker/in a "good job".
Workfare is a good scheme.

vs

b) Fact is exceedingly cheap labour is all around us. SEA/indian subcontinent. It doesn't make sense for a small nation like us not to make use of it. U can call it "exploit" or what, but the fact is that it's there. And it will be there for hundreds of years or more given the current world situation. 
Many cities are precisely built on such labour. Or if not, then allowing low skilled migrants to arrive to work in F&B or other low skilled jobs. 

vs 

c) Rising costs. Which makes the part a more difficult to achieve.

For me at least... I see part A as the end goal..then the rest can be adjusted accordingly. It's not a either or kind of situation.

The lower income group definitely needs more help than it's currently dished out by those confusing many hands help schemes.

[Icemaiden]

Why are the people here so close minded? I recall speaking to an Australian and he proudly declare that he is a "builder" - and he help build houses for others. As long as the construction industry pays well, the locals will be okay to become builders. The delivery drivers deliver food from one place to another - does not require any skillsets and people are doing it because it pays well at $7 per delivery. Its' hard life risking their lives on the roads and in the streets just to deliver a pack of food - and I see many being drenched in the rain. If the construction industry pays reasonably well, and use technology like pre-fab for building, it may not result in higher costs. I recall seeing some industry benchmark and SG's construction PSF is NOT lower than Australia or Japan or other countries - which means our reliance on cheap foreign labour actually does NOT lead to lower costs. In fact it has become a crutch and these construction companies fail to innovate. And I think a builder is not a less important job as a delivery man. It's all in the mindset and mindset can change.

[RadX]

The truth is ppl want face

 

cut To the chase, if you need $$ to survive, any job will do

 

many sinkies have forgotten their past… really!

 

at least the pandemic was a wake up call for some but not enough 

[Throttle2]

1 hour ago, Voodooman said:

Excuse is I don't have enough space for my toolbox but really, we barely have enough time to catch up on our sleep, much less change a light bulb (figuratively speaking). 😂

Don't think IB in New York are fixing their own light bulb as well.

 

I happen to be the mr handyman

i fix my own lights and plumbing whenever  they break down. 

very simple if you have a knack for it. 

[Voodooman]

32 minutes ago, Throttle2 said:

I happen to be the mr handyman

i fix my own lights and plumbing whenever  they break down. 

very simple if you have a knack for it. 

I have 2 tool boxes at home and do simple fixes myself but relative to the typical suburb Australians or Americans, we are nowhere near. 

Fixing plumbing is however a lot easier than troubleshooting my wifi network or setting up a wireless speaker system but the younger people do it like eating lunch. 

Luckily with YouTube, everyone can be handyman with time on their hands. 

[Enye]

honestly, i feel more sense of achievement and satisfaction fixing my home toilet flush than helping my boss prepare another dumb presentation to the ceo to look good 

😬🙄

Edited May 15, 2021 by Enye

[Vid]

It is the pay lah. At least that has to be decent first.

In Hong Kong, there are many youths in construction because they still get paid a reasonable wage. Imagine how much property developers are earning in sg when they are paying those migrant workers such low pay yet private housing psf in sg is not that far off than HK's.

[Freeder]

While we continue to import scums from overseas to tarnish our hard earned reputation.. 

Our G love them so much...PUI..

https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/singapore-entrepreneur-harsh-dalal-removed-from-forbes-list-amid-reports?utm_campaign=stfb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR3-MLhfGK3hvuP_Yjg3O4h5XrbUI_hqPXrDBXxZnVJIcPbU3BnDvLAWBf8&utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=addtoany

Edited May 15, 2021 by Freeder