The following is a letter to the Manpower Minister, Mr Gan Kim Yong, by Mr De Souza Jose Socrates on the 6th of July. The minister has not replied to him. We thank Mr De Souza for allowing us to publish the letter here – without edit.
Dear Mr Gan,
It is with much disappointment in the government’s and with your ruling party’s policies that I am writing to you.
When I was shopping around for clothes on this GSS at Suntec City’s Levi’s branch, to my surprise, I noticed that all but one staff working at the outlet were filipino nationals. So I decided to probe a little further and to my ultimate surprise, they were very open and proudly declared to me that they got this job while here on social visit passes.
They also further told me that most of them working in Levi’s other outlets also obtained this job (sales assistant) the same way and their sole purpose were to obtain permanent resident visas so they could bring their family over to live and work in S’pore. Some also said they were merely using S’pore as a stepping stone to migrate to other western first world nations! And this is just the tip of the iceberg as Levis is not the only company to have this pratice. Guardian Pharmacy, Watsons, Tenchi Digital Lifestyle and countless other deparmental stores also have large foreign labour on their ranks.
Which leads me to ponder on the current ongoing global economic crisis and the unemployment situation in S’pore. Your ministry just announced over the past week that the labour market here is still soft and that we can also expect more retrenchments to come. During this period of hardship for many S’poreans, why is your ministry still allowing more foreign labour (also desired by many of your fellow minister collegues) and especially those on social visit passes to easily obtain jobs in S’pore? Dosen’t the ICA also probe with each application made for work permits as to how they managed to get the jobs? Don’t tell me that these are jobs shun by fellow S’poreans? One will just find it hard to believe!
One also just need to take a stroll down Geylang especially along Lor 16 and 18 and find that most coffeeshop assistants working are chinese nationals and the porportion of S’porean workers supposed to be regulated by legislation just isn’t there and dosen’t tally up! Needless to mention the vices that are taking place there on a daily basis. Vietnamese women would be seen sitting at Lim Beng Coffeehouse harrassing male patrons aggrasively for their sexual services.
We, as the citizens of S’pore, really need to be asking ourselves whether we do indeed have a first world government who have a heart for our people? We are not asking for more welfare to be disbursed, (which in itself is not a dirty word) but for the government to be treating us in a more humane way which is expected of a first world government in the first place! Your party have lost interest in our people’s well-being while in pursuit of even more greedy economic development and ties with PRC, India etc. I am deeply saddened by what I see and would hope there would a change in the politcal situation which reflects the situation by and large that we are in today. I don’t think we would fall for the welfare payouts only during election time nor the nine more Non-constituency seats created for the oppostition. With this note, I end by hoping that a political tsunami like March 8th 2008 in Malaysia would take place here in S’pore to serve as a form of ‘punishment’ for the PAP government!
——
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
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Hi (146)Dan Dan and all who want to see changes,
You may like to see my suggestion for change advocators at http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/07/more-and-more-jobs-available-but-nobody-wants/comment-page-2/#comment-86776
The foreign trash situations is really very bad. It’s like a 10 FT to 2 Local when I am in the streets, taking public transport. I felt oppressed. Tell me fellow friends, don’t you!
PLEASE HELP ME TO VOTE OUT THE PAP…..
what characterises a singaporean nowadays?
what shall characterise a singaporean going forward given the existence of such a big proportion of new citizens, PRs and FTs and FWs?
what will happen to the singaporeans we know of?
Based on the last 50 years and historical evidence, I will be glad to see singaporeans change in mindset, characteristics and attitude towards social and political issues and sense of righteousness and dare to voice up and now kow tow to your pay master and sabo the rest.
I dun mind the extinction (figure of speech) Apathetic singaporeans if the new citizens and PRs can change our mindset for the better even though I do not say so with pleasure but with regret. Seriously, I am sick of apathetic singaporeans. I am sick of you to the core. I feel like i do not belong to current singapore as I am not
apathetic and I feel so ashamed to be associated with singaporeans who are so apathetic.
singapore, pls change , the sooner the better. I dun mind apathetic singaporeans migrating for whatever reasons they may have. I welcome non-apathetic new citizens. Come join us!
Is being a prostitute a dirty job for Singaporeans?
Me a Singaporean, thought of being a prostitute before, but found no vacancies leh.
So i took up a ‘cleaner’ job lor.
“155) Led by a Makapili on July 12th, 2009 11.51 pm
Is being a prostitute a dirty job for Singaporeans?”
No, being a sex worker is not a dirty job. It’s a respectable position because she has to satisfy the needs of men. It’s a noble job. I think sex workers should be accorded th e same status as a surgeon.
READ THIS AMAZING STORY OF AN NEW ZEALAND PROSTITUE, LAURENB ROCHE, WHO BECAME A DOCTOR!!
“Bent not Broken
Lauren Roche
You’ve heard about her on radio and seen her on TV; now read Lauren’s extraordinary journey from prostitute to doctor – a story of hope for people who need a second chance.
” You’ll laugh, cry, and at times be angry or shocked. It’s a tale of sex, drugs, rock’n'roll and more – of trouble and ultimate triumph. ”
Lauren’s message: “Whatever happens don’t give up on your dreams!”
http://www.self-help.co.nz/shop/Biography++Memoir/Bent+Not+Broken.html
When foreigner are here, they should follow the rules and regualtion here and not carry their country’s law here. Government want us to help them. He he he
With the foreigners coming in especially the lower paid job seekers, they turn our country to look like we do not have laws for pedestrians and road regulation.
They just cross the road, when the lights are showing red, they just dash through the moving car, they just sit around at Aljunied Mrt, Lucky Plaza and City Plaza.
This scenario is very common in Geylang road and little india. This does not happen in country like AUstralia, I believe.
I agree, government should have the minimum wage regulation like country such as London, and certain percentage of their work force must be Singaporean.
If we claim that we are the develop country, we should act like one. However, sad to see more foreign workers are flocking in. You go to all telephone help desk, be it Samsung, Nokia, Sony, you can see soo may Philipinos working there, ever wonder. SOme of them are rather arrogant in their behaviour and not helpful.
To VSRaaj:
#125 – Dumb & dumber : Challenge you say – set your benchmark and lets see how any opposition meet up! For now, since you mentioned it, current MPs/Ministers fare well largely but not to few short-minded individuals expectations, will or wishes – this is expected! Perhaps your name speaks better of you!
LOL, so you don’t have anything to backup your claim…, I rest my case.
Yeah, I am dumb, guess who’s dumber…..
#57
“Again, I think to place the blame squarely at the feet of employers isn’t really looking at the whole picture. ”
well, is there anything to stop them from paying the low pay?
I dun blame the employers.
its more than employers.
today i spoke to 1 shopkeeper
she told me the water rates has just gone up
who wages has been increased beside the ministers/civil servants?
“#157) Daisy on July 13th, 2009 10.55 am
This scenario is very common in Geylang road and little india. This does not happen in country like AUstralia, I believe. ”
Why? Because Australia does not take in those from the lower social economic class. Their own white Australians would do all the manual labour because they believe that manual labour is highly respectable jopb. Singapore, on the other hand, loves to use CHEAP labour (to exploit) so they take in the worst of the lot. They because manual labour because they believe that it is a low class, dirty job! They just want it cheap, pay the cheapest workers cheaply so as to maximise super normal profits! CHEAP workers mean lower cost in building projects. How DISGUSTING for a “first world” country to have a third world mentality. All the fault of the ruling elite.
Get all the CHEAP LABOUR (to exploit) from third world countries andthe country becomes a rubbish dump! Look at Geylang (amongst others), it’s FILTHY, full of prostitutes and third world labourers.
borderless,
Fully agreed with you. Geylang/Kallang/Joo Chiat/Little India really is swamped with foreigners not of the high class value added ones. The whole place is a hot bed for all kinds of diseases and neighborhood security and maintenance is generally poor. Dark alleys and filthy drains and horrible smell lingers around. Don think it will ever be better.
#161 & #162
Tell me this is not another form of elitism.
While we whine about the ruling elites could care less about us the lesser mortals, the same kind of tone is spewed from our mouth when we talk about these “third world foreign labour”.
Yeah the Australians have a lot of respect for the manual labour. Ever heard of Singaporean parents warning their kids that they must study hard or else one day they would end up becoming a street sweeper? Somehow this is the ruling elites’ fault. Because they told us what to think and we are compelled to think as we were told?
What an irony.
Another case of FT, Vietnamese women fined for baring breast, see below link. Strange things is that she is married to a Singaporean. Great job ICA!
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_402949.html?vgnmr=1
163) Lop on July 15th, 2009 12.21 am
“Yeah the Australians have a lot of respect for the manual labour. Ever heard of Singaporean parents warning their kids that they must study hard or else one day they would end up becoming a street sweeper?”
When we have some ‘national’ arrangement where we have a toothless union (under some tripartitie hand-holding) with a liberal policies of fully welcoming manual labour from some distant & near places and without minimum wage, you do not need to be super intelligent to know how this is going to translate eventually. Now whose fault ? Surely manual labour here would not want to vote for their own demise. Now do they have any choice in the form of protesting or registering their disagreement.
Now going back to your post 133) Lop on July 9th, 2009 7.30 pm if you are the same Lop.
“So I’m surprised you actually implied that the fewer people we have the better. I didn’t learn econmics in school, but I do know how the economy of scale matters. If you want to make 1 million dollars, you have to make $1 from everyone of the 1 million population. Whereas, you only have to make $0.20 from everyone in a 5m population, either that or $1 from 20% of the 5m population.”
This is provided that all of them can give $0.20. If lives are so simple for you to scale up and down linearly without diffiulty, as a practitioner you would have fed into your own practise (whatever that is) indefinite units of labour and get indefinite returns (after doing the mathematics) which is ain’t true at all in the real world.
While all other factors of production and services are mostly static lifeless commodities (excepting animals) also subjecting to the differing push & pull of supply and demand, human (labour variables) have an emotion & mind to it and feel for how it is going to be treated.
As you know as a practioner, sometimes you may have fixed a higher pay (during recruitment) for someone who came to be not-so-hardworking & but good in boot-licking while fixing a lower pay for someone who later on you learned to be much hard-working and a better value creator than the former.
Humans just cannot be treated like any other commodities and it would be sad for one group (lesser mortals who are conditioned) to feel that another group (higher mortals) has more rights to treat the former how they feel like it.
“163) Lop on July 15th, 2009 12.21 am
Tell me this is not another form of elitism.”
Why not, if it means to protect your own kind first. Charity begins at home.
Well, just like in the Serangoon Garden saga, why not have them live near your home. Action speaks louder than words.
#165 hello practitioner
Strangely during good times nobody argued that their maid’s pay was too low, and government should impose a higher levy or minimum wage on the foreign domestic helpers. Nor did you hear about HDB flats were built for Singaporeans and therefore should be built by Singaporean construction workers with pride!
Now the times are bad and people want to treat these foreign workers like tissue paper, without realising that they are a part of the backbone of the Singapore economy. Cheap foreign labour is like an addictive durg, once you are on it you can’t get rid of it.
As for the latter part of your comment, I sense that there’s a certain disconnection with reality. If your target audience in a bigger market had problem spending $0.20, why would you expect it easeir for a smaller market to spend $1?
Wage, especially in the retail trade, is pretty much limited by business cost, not some fanciful numbers that you pluck from the air. You might want to pay someone a lot more because the person is a star-perfomer, but that depends on whether your bank account agrees with you at the end of the month. Also wage is determined by the free market. A person’s wage is not a measure of his worth, but his work. If a person’s work is worth $900 and you pay $600, he’ll find work somewhere. If a person’s work is worth $900 and you pay $1200, your business will go bust. Simple as that.
#166 charity begins at home
Wow, I’m glad that you approve of elitism. Well, if they don’t like Serangoon Garden anymore they can always move to Bukit Timah can’t they? 6th Avenue is a much nicer place than Serangoon Garden in my opnion. If they can’t afford Bukit Timah then really they and those foreign labour belong together. Why do some people keep whining that they have to compete just to do some lowly jobs? I really feel like asking them to get out of my elite uncaring face!
167) Lop,
“Strangely during good times nobody argued that their maid’s pay was too low, and government should impose a higher levy or minimum wage on the foreign domestic helpers.”
I am not sure if you have hired a maid before, but at least I hope you have done some research on how much it costs the employer to keep a maid, so that both parents can go and work to earn a living to feed and educate their children. There are many hidden costs which people who do not hire maid are unaware. The salary of the of the maid is actually the saving of the maids.
The monthly cost to the employer is about $1300 or more, other than the infrequent costs.
Per contract costs:
agency fee: S$400 – S$600,
Embassy bond: $2000
insurance (for accident and $5000 security bond): $120 – $150
air ticket home every 2 yr: $400 – $500
Regular costs:
6 monthly medical: $45
outpatient: $30
off day in lieu: $20 – $40
monthly salary: S$280 – S$350 (for Indonesian maid); S$320 – S$400 (for Filipino maid)
monthly levy: S$170 and S$265 (used to be $345 per mth before revision, i.e. higher than maids’ salaries)
monthly food: $300 – $600
monthly basic toiletries: $10 – $30
monthly room cost: $200 – $400
reference – http://www.sgmaid.com/faq.asp
#169 Creducator
Thanks for the data and I admit I don’t have a maid. But if you had read through my posts here, you would have realised I’m an employer just like you (I’m assuming you employ a maid) and I disagree that a simplistic approach like impose minimum wage or sending all the foreigners home will help to save jobs for Singaporeans.
And you have brough up an excellent point! I can only afford to pay $900, so not many locals want to bite. In your case, according to your calculation, effectively you are paying $1300 a month – much higher than my $900, how come still no locals want to bite?
Believe it or not, one of my workers (Singaporean) whom I paid $900 a month, actually has a maid at home.
Hi (170) Lop,
“according to your calculation, effectively you are paying $1300 a month – much higher than my $900, how come still no locals want to bite?”
It is not true that local aunties do not want to be a maid, but rather, either:
1. Singaporean families find it ‘too close for comfort’ to hire locals (if stay-in, usually needed)
2. locals have their own family, so it’s not possible for them to stay-in
However, there are families who hire local part-time maid if that arrangement is possible.
when it comes to work, money is just 1 of the deciding factor. other factors that come into play would be in the contract of employment. besides, how does 1 local maid safeguard him/herself from accusations of thief (from petty 1s or major loot)? work in people’s home leh….
-.-”
169) creducator
///monthly room cost: $200 – $400///
I think this is not a cost per se, but a latent opportunity cost if you were to rent out the room
38) David
///m Yishun bus interchange all china drivers.///
all, really?
///Major telco service centers all manned by pinoy///
all, really?
///Massage parlor all china workers////
all, really?
///TC contractors – indian////
you did not say all, so I say its fair staement
///All the above tried to get PR to look for better jobs to compete with PMETs///
I cannot see the logic in your last sentence.
Hello (173) KopitiamApek
“I think this is not a cost per se, but a latent opportunity cost if you were to rent out the room”
a cost is a cost lah, Apek :P
175) creducator
But if that room was always left empty before the maid came, so there is really no cost what?
(176) KopitiamApek
Don’t think anyone will always leave that room empty, unless he/she is very rich lor.
Is there a way for me to downgrade from Spore citizen to PR? I want to be Malaysian citizen and Spore PR too…
I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can’t even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).
I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don’t even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them…to attend a funeral of my uncle…(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here’s an idea, why don’t I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!
I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)
I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!
[i]Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)
[/i]
last night while havin dinner in a local hawker centre
i saw a local man in his 40s
walkin up and down
no he is not a cleaner or a supervisor
i assumed he is the cleaner supervisor
because he wore a clean tees and pants
he was walkin up and down for almost 20 min
munchin an apple
till
i saw my next table was vacated after the diners 1/2 finished their teochew porridges
i thought the same bloke was goin to clean the table
as a matter of fact
he did CLEANED
the table
the dishes as well
he sat down
strech his 1 leg on the empty table/seat
usin the left over dinner chopstick/spoon
and cleaned ever leftover dishes down his throat………
wow!
how is that for an effective cleanin services
our prince the prime minister
must be damn proud
indeed there is no beggars
this bloke didnt begged @ all
he just have to fill his hungry stomach
he bothered no one
just sat down and ate quietly
ole yes
i seen this scenerio before
in cebu phillipines
but that diner was an ole vagabond lady
this bloke is not a vagabond
and he is a singaporean…………………
~sigh~
“this bloke is not a vagabond
and he is a singaporean…………………”
Sad……It seems that the Singapore Dream we all still share is at the TOTO vendor….
Recently, there was a news report about more locals marrying foreigners….No surprise….The spouse’s native country could be a good place where we can escape to or retire in the future…How certain do you feel about our country??
Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to protect Singapore. Afterall, I am not important to my country, I am not foreign talent. Good luck and bye!
Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to win sports medals for Singapore. Afterall, I am not important to my country, I am not foreign talent. I am sure Singapore can win the World Cup or the Olympics once they buy over Ronaldo or Phelps to the Singapore team.
Since Singapore favors foreigners over me, then the foreigners can be the ones to propagate for the next generation (assuming they do not get better opportunities in the US). LKY is worried that we would be the last of the Mohigans, so he says we need to import foreigners. But job-deprived, house deprived locals dare not procreate. PAP is killing my family line. I am afraid I will be the last of the true Singaporean……maybe the PAP will allocate reservations for us to live in the future like the Native American Indians.
Want to smoke a pipe by the totem pole with me brother? We can talk about the good old days when our country was ours.
Here’s a story about a husband and wife:
Husband: Why are you inviting so many men from outside into our house?
Wife: I need them to pump labor into me and give me money.
Husband: But I work hard to do that too.
Wife: That is no good. We need better seeds from more talented people outside. Yours is not good enough. These outside men are smart graduates, strong construction workers, handsome road sweepers, young and vibrant students. They are better than you.
Husband: I am your faithful husband. I love you, lived with you, protect you, stay with you in times of trouble. Doesn’t that count for something? Those men will come and go. Once they see someone better, they will leave you.
Wife: Since some of them will leave eventually, I must invite even more men to our house. I need them. If more men come, maybe, just maybe, if I am lucky, some will stay
Husband: I can fill our house will happy little ones too. Give me a chance.
Wife: You? That will take too long. Even if we have kids, when can they work to give me money. The men from outside are different, they can work and pay me lots and lots of money immediately. When they grow old, they will leave our house and we don’t need to even support them. On the other hand, we need to support our little ones when they age and are too old to be productive.
Husband: Trust me. Life will be better. Don’t invite these men over. I will work hard, and we can afford a nice room in our house if we save for 8-10 years.
Wife: It is no use. By the time you save up, the room prices would be much much higher. Only the men from outside can afford to pay for rooms in our house…you cannot.
Husband: Do you still love me?
Wife: Stay on if you want. It is better you leave. Go to another house. I don’t care. I doubt other houses would even want you. There’s the doorbell……HELLO!!! WELCOME !!! PLS COME INSIDE ME!!
Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?
[i]Look who’s talking on July 19th, 2009 11.27 pm Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?
Look who’s talking on July 19th, 2009 11.27 pm Hi whenmatasworeshorts. Peh Kio hawker centre, right?[/i]
nope toa payoh
there is another case in tiong bahru hawker centre as well
Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, S Iswaranv, told INSEAD Knowledge that:
- Most Singaporeans accept the logic why sg needs foreign talents
- Reasons we need foreign talents are,
a) we are unable to find a sufficient number of Singaporeans and permanent residents in Singapore who have the particular skillset that is required.
b) certain types of jobs which Singaporeans perhaps hitherto have been unwilling to get into them for a variety of reasons.
c) businesses make the judgment call.
- We will go out to give as much help as we can to Singaporeans, whether that is in terms of financial assistance, training opportunities and obviously creating as many job opportunities as we can.
source – “Hard times for a talent hub” at http://knowledge.insead.edu/Hardtimesforatalenthub090319.cfm?vid=190
The garment is bringing in LOTS and LOTS of people to do jobs that locals can do. They want to depress the wages.
In doing so, inflation rises, especially housing prices.
As a result, Singaporeans are paid lower and housing is further from reach.
One the other hand, foreigners remit money home at a very favorable exchange rate. They drive nice cars and live in big houses back home while we stay in 3-room flats with bedrooms smaller than their toilets.
“Singapore’s Senior Minister of State”??? Are you sure it is not Foreigner’s Senior Minister of State?
To 184) creducator:
The reasons cited are laughable. “Most Singaporeans accept the logic”….is there even a logic to accept? Who in the right mind believes this spin.
———————————————————–
- Reasons we need foreign talents are,
“a) we are unable to find a sufficient number of Singaporeans and permanent residents in Singapore who have the particular skillset that is required.”
——
-First of all, PRs ARE foreign ahem…talent.
-Secondly, many locals CAN do what these foreign “talents” can.
-Thirdly, if Singapore really want to import more foreign sports talent and pretend Singapore won the medals and pay them million dollars, then I can only shake my head.
-Lastly, I ask this. If your kid cannot do homework, you pay money and ask outside tutor to do for him or you ask the tutor to teach him? When the PAP admits these foreign “talent”, is there even a need for locals to train themselves in the disciplines Singapore lack?
————————————————————-
————————————————————-
b) “certain types of jobs which Singaporeans perhaps hitherto have been unwilling to get into them for a variety of reasons”
-Reason include wage less than even 2k or 1k? Such a small salary is a lot for foreigners in their native countries. But Singaporeans would need to live in the void decks of Jurong on these salaries.
————————————————————-
c) businesses make the judgment call.
If you are an employer, would you hire a cheaper worker from overseas OR would you hire a local who needs to do re-service and costs more? (Given that the administration is willing to allow an endless flood of foreigners into the country)
————————————————————–
I often go to Johor to refill petrol when I am free for my parents’ car. (Sad rite?….1st world citizen can’t afford oil in his own country, need to buy cheap petrol from ‘poorer neighbor’. Even sadder that he needs to drive his parents’ old car).
Yes, their crime rate is high and they have their problems, but the even the poor there live on landed property. Youngsters less than 20 have nice cars, while I could only afford to share a car with my whole family. (Sad rite?) Yet my beloved government and my MP (you can see his face up there) support these Malaysian PRs to Singapore. They enjoy work opportunities here, no NS, same access to ‘public’ flats, with almost none of the obligations Singaporeans have. When they retire, they will have a wonderful life. They can live in Malaysia like a king living off the rent of their HDB flats in Singapore. When Singaporeans retire(bitter laugh), we consider ourselves lucky, because at least we can do that before the day we die.
When I re-enter Singapore by Bus from Malaysia, I queue at the “All Passports” lane instead of the “Singapore Passports” lane of the customs. I feel I will be treated better as a foreigner to Singapore.
Only children will believe his logic.. or maybe not.
“The New Economic Strategy Committee Shares Reform Party Vision”
This the the title of the RP post at http://www.thereformparty.net/?p=272
It looks like the new tactic of the ruling party is starting to surface. I hope they do it genuinely and not just bcos we r complaining and GE is coming.
singapore is one of best country to live in for its cleanliness and
disciplined…in which i knew most people observed and impressed about.
in regards with the filipinas working that site or anywhere in singapore,have you ever ask yourself that singaporean would fit or like that job?have you ever touched by
their approachable smiles and by their character of being hospitable.have you ever touched that they are not only mean for a domestic job?maybe they’ve done the risk,but then i knew and i believed theyve done their part to meet the requirements to work in your country.if ever thats their stepping stone that is part of their dreams DREAMS to have a better life and greener pasture in the future and if they like to have a residency that is because SINGAPORE is a peaceful and beautiful country to stay.SG is not greedy on its economical growth but have open disciplined , strict but caring heart to their neighbor countries.Never greedy.Never selfish.
“in regards with the filipinas working that site or anywhere in singapore,have you ever ask yourself that singaporean would fit or like that job?have you ever touched by
their approachable smiles and by their character of being hospitable.”
cycle of chicken and egg kind of situation. if you keep flooding sg with more so-called FTs (even the kind on social visit pass as per the above story), do you think the smile & touch of our locals can ever be better – maybe better for those who are not at the particular point of the value chain having to compete with those FTs.
if you are a foreigner in a ‘unfamiliar’ foreign land already paved good (with sweat, hard work & money) by locals and offered an opportunity better (perhaps many times over than) in your own country, your smile and touch of course will be better.
I wished i can take care of my children, help them thru school instead of leaving them in childcare and work a whole day to make ends meet.
On top of that, having to compete for jobs as a teacher as many philipino’s are working here as childcare teachers and willing to accept low pay.
Its very frustrating…i feel very alien in singapore…very alien..
borderless on July 9th, 2009 6.23 am
I like your proposal…hahaha! that means I dont need to study anymore…be a street sweeper and earn like a doctor!..wohooo!!!..you are brilliant!…
Is this true?…have you considered filing a complaint?…..or they have all the reason to replace you?…
178) Bitter Singaporean on July 19th, 2009 2.47 pm Is there a way for me to downgrade from Spore citizen to PR? I want to be Malaysian citizen and Spore PR too…
I am an engineer. Over the past year, I have been squeezed out of my job by cheaper Chinese, Malaysian and Indian engineers. To them, $2000 is much when they remit back home. To me, I can’t even afford a HDB, as frugal as I try to be, because the foreigners keeps driving home prices up on a daily basis. To add insult to injury, more of the foreign graduates replacing me had their university fees paid by our very own Ministry of Education. These graduates were not only given free college education, they were even given a month allowance of few hundred dollars each. While I had to work part time to support my education in NUS, and I still remain in debt to my student loan. (BITTER LAUGH!!!!).
I spent 2.5 years of my precious youth serving the SAF, during which I lost my first girlfriend during training. These foreigners were given PRs and citizenship in less than 2.5 years and they don’t even need to serve. If war breaks out, I have to protect 1/3 of the population fuilled with these people?? (Assuming they dun run away at the 1st sign of trouble??!!) SAF even sent me a letter threatening to fine me for going overseas without telling them…to attend a funeral of my uncle…(BITTER LAUGH!!!!). Hey, here’s an idea, why don’t I migrate to another country before migrating back. That will save me more time!
I am working in odds jobs now 7 days a week. I am now almost 30 already. Inflation exceed my savings rate, and I find a home, marriage, kids and happy future beyond me. A simple illness or a year of unemployment could wipe me out. Yet the government is wondering why there are less marriages and births….(BITTER LAUGH!!!!)
I bear no love to my country now. My country does not need to be attacked, it has already be invaded and taken over. Thanks PAP!
Nothing against anyone who wants a better life for themselves, whether to work illegally, using another country as a stepping stone etc.
Now, the criteria of hiring foreigners are spelt out quite clearly in our labour laws.
But let us take the Food and Beverages business as an example. Say, if you are a small bar, and you want to do everything by the book, you are face with many problems. The turnover rate for your local (mostly young) is high. Why so? Well, traditional career opportunities are not very obvious. There is not much of a ladder to climb. So, you start thinking of hiring foreigners who would probably appreciate the job a little bit more, and would definitely be a lot more loyal especially if you were willing to pay them the same as local. And why not? Same hours, same labour, same pay. And what a small bar operator gets in return is stability, loyalty, consistenty and a peace of mind in longer runs.
However, there is a problem, he (small bar owner) would have to hire a number of singaporeans before he can hire one foreigner (and that depends on where they are from as well). And since it is only a small bar/cafe, he is stuck as he doesn’t need more than 2 or 3 staff to run the place effeciently.
But bigger F&B businesses, like those in the hotels, who have deeper pockets can accomodate this law of ratio as they have local employees at different levels which can easily account for any foreign intake. And bigger businesses with better leverages can also benefit from student exchange programmes etc. Now we know that foreigners working at hotel’s restaurants and bars are not getting paid as well as one would as a local. And there is also no need for these employees to be a familiar face like in a small local cafe or bar. So having a turnover of staff is not really a big problem, as they can hire the next badge of low wage workers continually, meeting the local vs foreigner ratio easily. These big restaurants and bars in hotels with deeper pockets are openly given the green light to save even more money than their small local counterparts, while not supporting the local employment issues.
If you are young and you want to join the F&B industry from the bottom up, you might like to join one of these big restaurants or bars within a hotel. But you would have to compete for place with low wage workers who are easily available to the hotels. So your chances diminishes significantly. And you head out to small enterprises to gain experience knowing you will not stay there for long which is in truth a little unfair to the small bar owner.
The small bar owner, who wants to do things by the book, looks around the playing field and knows he is not on the level. Big F&B businesses in hotels that could afford higher wage local workers are taking on lower wage foreigner ones because they can. And many dodgy F&B bars are taking on social visit pass visitors as hotesses are not getting penalised or being thorougly investigated. (think duxton, tanjong pagar, joo chiat, little india, to name the obvious few).
You think those girls working at levi’s store is the real problem? The policy is. And the people who are supposed to uphold the policy are not doing a good job either, even though it is disproportionately an unfair policy to the small players.
You cannot blame companies or employers for hiring foreign workers..u know y? they are more efficient than locals. They have perseverance and patience which most of the singaporean lacks… whether they want to use Sg as their stepping stone it’s definitely out of the question. It’s their own life and they can do whatever they want..they are earning money using their own skills and knowledge.. You know what’s the real problem with SINGAPOREAN? Well, they are too PROUD!! Most of them think highly of themselves.. And if i may ask how many Locals obtained their degree here? Most of the Singaporeans I know only finished up to O level or POLY.. You always look down on foreigners. If you don’t want your country to accept foreign workers and talents then better strive and work harder. Prove to all that you are more efficient and are more capable..
Regarding those vietnamese or other nationality harassing guys in Geylang– well I think if GUYS would ignore them they wouldn’t be there as well… and who are these guys picking them up and bringing them into the hotel? AREN”T THEY SINGAPOREANS as well? And why most of the LOCALS now take foreigners to be their wives?
–> In DARUL ARQAM Filipinas outnumbered Chinese converts?? why? Simply because SINGAPOREAN MALAYS/MUSLIMS choose Filipinas over Singaporean ladies.
Whatever difficulties you are dealing with STOP PUTTING THE BLAME TO FOREIGNERS.. because they are not asking food from you. They are feeding themselves out of their own earnings and sweat. YOUR LIFE..YOUR CHOICE
Recently i just when to a Thai disco at east coast park, saw many thai girls trying to be friendly with my male friends and asking my male friends to buy drinks for them, i thought they are waitresses from the disco, but turn out is not, these thai girls are mainly on social visit passes, but they are working in the disco to earn commissions by asking customers to buy drinks, this makes me wonder why foreigners are allowed to work in Singapore on social visit passes.. Then what is the work permit about?