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June 30, 2008 Managers, professionals command higher salaries in '07 JOBS requiring professional and specialised training continued to command higher salaries in 2007, reflecting the premium on skills and responsibilities. Wages also rose with age, especially for jobs at the higher end. But this link was less so for the lower skilled and blue-collared workers whose wages rose slightly with age and peaked early in their 30s. These are some of the key findings of the 'Report on Wages in Singapore, 2007' published by the Ministry of Manpower's Research and Statistics Department. The 210-page report, out on Monday, provides information on salaries of over 300 occupations as well as wage changes and bonuses paid in various industries. It also includes information on the extent to which employers have restructured their wage systems. The report shows that managers received the highest median gross monthly wages at $6,101 in June 2007, followed by professionals at $4,030. The third highest paid were associate professionals and technicians at $2,789, while clerical and sales and service workers were paid close to $2,000. Among blue-collar occupations, production workers were paid more - at $2,110 - than plant and machine operators ($1,780). The lowest paid were the cleaners, labourers and related workers who took home a median gross pay of $968. The report also revealed that: [*]Amid the strong economic performance and tight labour market, total wages rose by a seven-year high of 5.9 per cent during the year, up from 4.5 per cent in 2006. This was a result of a basic wage gain of 4.3 per cent and an increase in bonus payout (also known as annual variable component) from 2.18 months in 2006 to 2.36 months in 2007. [*]Labour productivity contracted by 0.9 per cent, after the previous two years of slowing growth. After adjusting for higher inflation, real total wages rose by 3.8 per cent and real basic wages by 2.2 per cent. Consequently, real wages outpaced productivity growth in 2007 for the third consecutive year. Over a longer period of five years or more, the growth in productivity had kept pace with gains in wages, said the report. [*]As at December, 84 per cent of of the workforce in the private sector was under some form of flexible wage system, up slightly from a year ago but significantly higher than 76 per cent in June 2004. During the year, more private establishments (18 per cent) that employed low wage workers adopted the National Wages Council's recommendation to give more to these workers, compared with 16 per cent a year ago. The report can be downloaded from the Ministry of Manpower's website. http://www.straitstimes.com/Latest%2BNews/...ory_253138.html

Home > Breaking News > Sport > Story Aug 27, 2008 ...BUT STILL SOME WOUNDS Coach, team manager blamed By Wang Meng Meng A red-eyed Gao Ning after losing his match without a coach by his side. -- LIANHE ZAOBAO FILE PHOTO GAO Ning, the player in the centre of the Singapore table tennis controversy, yesterday slammed the two men he felt were responsible for his sour Beijing Olympics experience. The world's 12th-ranked player is also frustrated with what he perceived as preferential treatment to the women's team. He blamed team manager Antony Lee and head coach Liu Guodong for his early third-round exit. He said their failure to provide him with a coach during his match against Croatia's Tan Ruiwu, ranked 43rd in the world, contributed to his shock elimination. He lost 0-4 in just 24 minutes. 'It is a joke that Antony and Liu couldn't get a coach to guide me,' lamented the Sportsman of the Year. 'I have no dignity left. I'm a table tennis player representing Singapore on the biggest stage of all and they embarrassed me by not providing me with a coach. 'I cried after the game. It is the only time I've cried over table tennis.' Gao is clearly rankled by the incident, and is still 'hurt' and 'furious'. At the heart of the 26-year-old's unhappiness is what he perceived as unequal treatment of the men's team compared to the women's. He said: 'In Beijing, I shared a room with (teammate) Cai Xiaoli and another coach. 'But the women each had a room to themselves.' Following the coach's no-show incident, Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) president Lee Bee Wah told The Sunday Times that team manager Lee's services were not needed any more. That drove a wedge between the new STTA president and Team Singapore officials, who felt her timing was poor as the women's team had bagged a silver medal - the first in 48 years. Gao was also unhappy with having had to spar with the women, saying: 'I have a contract as a player. When I signed in 2004, I was not told that I would be a sparring partner for the women. 'But I ended up spending more than half of my six-day training week sparring with them. 'I was frustrated. But because the women's team were Singapore's medal hopes, I did not want to complain and upset the country's Olympic preparations. 'However, my own Olympic dreams have been damaged.' Since the team's return on Monday, Gao, a Hebei native, has not spoken to Lee and Liu. 'I've nothing to say to them,' he said. 'Their actions proved that I'm not important to the team. I'm not even a second-class citizen in the squad. I'm a third-class citizen.' But Gao has no plans to leave the country or quit the sport. 'I'm a Singaporean, why should I leave?' he said. 'When I returned to Singapore on Monday, an old lady said she felt sorry for me and encouraged me not to give up. 'That really moved me. I will be 30 when the next Olympics come around but I am determined to do well in 2012. 'Besides, I am filled with rage after this incident. That is the biggest motivation for me.' [email protected] http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNew...ory_272371.html i wonder if tat old lady is loud speaking smelly slipper with name tat sound like jewelry shop