Comments on: Letting go “with a heart”

By: SZ

SZ — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:11:52 +0000

I just wish that the same thing can be reversed on people who talk like this. let them feel what it is like to be at the blunt side.

By: Kenna Thonged

Kenna Thonged — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:23:42 +0000

the more i view the video the more i feel proud of the Union and unionists.
they believe retrenchment is good for companies in trouble. like this more jobs saved.
union members should be proud of being member of such a great union.
only singapore has such great union. the rest are only good unions. ours is great.

u believe me or not? i do.

By: aiyoyo

aiyoyo — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:30:41 +0000

aiyoyo

look at the workers plight,

also feel very sad too,

the worker sold everything just to come here to work,

and now being sent home…

the agent & the responsible party, feel very lousy about them.

how can the agent & the responsible party sleep & eat so well everyday???

what kind of world are we in???

aiyoyo

By: Kim Yong Shyang

Kim Yong Shyang — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:52:06 +0000

yes, indeed very touching video !

I recall some of the speech, something like “…and if retrenchment turns out to be necessary, NTUC will be behind the company” at the 1 min 33 sec mark of the video.

excellent speech!

regards
Kim

By: Kenna Thonged

Kenna Thonged — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:45:20 +0000

#4) anonymous

I heard it from the mouth of Lim SS ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zgoOS1yaNc&feature=PlayList&p=B2AB252F9EB3F127&index=2 )

that , I quote
” …. labour movement is not against Retrenchment
at all costs.”

“…and the labour movement we never rejected to these….”

very impressive videos indeed.

Thanks to the Youtube inventors.

By: PJL001

PJL001 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 11:17:10 +0000

Yes, we should give ample notice to those expensive clowns to be removed. When I read some of the comments, comparing one civil servant going to France to learn fine french cooking, and the fate of these foreign workers, it demonstrates clearly these expensive clowns are just interested in their own benefits!

By: Daniel

Daniel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 09:07:17 +0000

Can we then give ” gave ample notice” to those expensive clowns to be removed?

By: PJL001

PJL001 — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 08:17:36 +0000

This story is very sad. We can see how human beings could be so cruel to their fellow beings. What happened to the money? Why can’t the Govt use the workers’ levy to part compensate what the foreign workers have lost? Why can’t the offender agent be given such harsh punishment to serve warning to other greedy people.

By: anonymous

anonymous — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:53:05 +0000

“they gave ample notice” – SO? it is ok to retrench? what kind of union is this who does not fight for the workers’ interests ?
“We worked in advance with them, we prepared the workers” – shame! worked in advance with them to retrench? when the union should be working to stop them from retrenching!! What is the union preparing the workers for? For the final slaughter under anesthetic so that it is painless?

How could these words come out of the unionist?!

By: Tan Kin Lian

Tan Kin Lian — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:00:39 +0000

It is very sad to read the stories of the sufferings of the migrant workers. They borrow money to come to work in Singapore and have to work hard for one year just to earn enough to pay back the loan. They hope to stay longer and earn some additional money for their family.

If they are sent back home early, they will suffer a big financial loss. I think that the employer and government has a responsibility to protect the welfare of the migrant workers, and ensure that they are given a fair deal. They cannot be left to the harshness of the market. They cannot be asked to fend on their own.

As the government is collecting a levy on the foreign workers, I hope that some of the levies can be used as an insurance pool to compensate the workers who have to be sent back home as the projects have been scrapped.

We have to set an example of being a fair and humane society in treating people who are weaker and poorer. This applies to our citizens and to migrant workers as well.

If we treat the migrant people unfairly, the people in these countriesl will learn to hate Singaporeans. That is not in our long term interest.

By: Li Ma Ma

Li Ma Ma — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 04:40:21 +0000

They said they hope companies no sack at 1st resort.
My question is
how do you prove what is 1st , 2nd or 3rd or even 4th resort?
which is last resort? the 100th?

Also,
what if companies even sack at 1st resort?

can anyone comment on DBS ?

By: gemami

gemami — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 02:55:52 +0000

The art of making something so bad look so good.

How can the corporate social responsibility be made to fall on the axed worker, is beyond my comprehension. HY said: “As the recession bites in deeper, having a strong sense of corporate social responsibility is critical. “.

Is she asking the retrenched worker to understand that his/her role in being axed is part of a deeper responsibility of being a citizen with a critical sense of corporate social responsibility? Wow! This is thinner and lighter news.

There is even a ‘feel good’ factor in HY comments when she offered that there was a 2 days ‘employability’ camp to help the retrenched worker find work. Nothing is mentioned about these loyal employees, who have been with the company for the better part of their lives, after being retrenched, having to find new work and a salary scale, which I am certain, would make up only part of their current salary range.

Imagine one who has been with the company for, say, 20 years, and earning a handsome $2500 a month basic salary, and now after retraining, having to take up a job, probably in the healthcare or hotel line, that pays a paltry $1000 a month; if he is lucky? Can this be good news, or, the better of bad news?

I cannot understand, that a company that can pay retrenchment benefits equalling one month’s pay for every year of employment, continue to enjoy medical benefits for a year, have their union membership and fees paid for the year and with sponsored camps to make them employable; why can’t it make use of this money to keep the workers; and maybe have them work lesser days in the week; just as suggested by Tan Kin Lian?

This govt has talked about retrenchment being the last resort; is it? We are begining to understand, day by day, why thinner and fire is a good mixture. This is not a threat but it does go a long way to understanding why there are insane people around, ready to to turn to violence to state their cases.