A letter to the National Wages Council by Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)
The Secretary
National Wages Council
c/o Labour Relations Department
Level 6-01 Ministry of Manpower
18 Havelock Road
Singapore 059764
Dear NWC,
As a society concerned with the well-being of migrant workers in Singapore, Transient Workers Count Too wishes to appeal to you to give consideration to the raising of salaries in the lowest paid sectors of the economy, where migrant workers are concentrated.
Salaries of most work permit holders have failed to keep pace with rising costs, including the cost of placement, since the end of the last century. While efforts have been made to raise the skill levels of local low-paid workers so that they qualify for posts carry improved salaries, migrant workers have tended to be left behind.
This is evidently to their disadvantage, but also to that of the overall Singaporean economy. Improved pay levels would increase the incentive for workers to sign up again after their first placement for work in Singapore, and so the country would gain greater benefit from their enhanced skill levels, instead of seeing a large proportion go elsewhere at the end of their contracts and needing to replace them with inexperienced new workers.
In the shipyard and construction sectors, hours are often long and the work is hard and hazardous, despite serious efforts to raise safety standards, and yet most workers are paid $2-$4 an hour. This is inadequate compensation for their work.
It may be that the council would consider domestic workers salaries as being beyond its purview, in the informal sector. We hope not; what other body concerned with salaries will speak up for them otherwise? Most domestic workers are at present paid between $300 and $400 a month. The pay of a worker with no day off and a salary of $350 therefore works out at $11.67 a day. Many work long hours; for a 15 hour day, this would mean a worker being paid 78 cents an hour.
In view of the exceptionally low pay of domestic workers and their limited bargaining power, we believe that the introduction of a minimum wage (if necessary from a policy viewpoint, specifically limited to domestic workers as a special case) would be an effective means of redressing this situation. We note that the Philippines is seeking to establish an internationally accepted minimum monthly salary for its nationals of US$400 and suggest that this might be considered as a good starting point for considering its level.
The government has highlighted the need for enhanced productivity in Singapore’s economy. Reducing the level of turnover among migrant workers through improving salary levels could be one strong component element in the drive for improved productivity. Even if current efforts to curb recruitment, allied to a reduction in demand from the construction sector, produce a stabilisation or drop in migrant worker numbers, it is unlikely to radically alter the high level of migrant worker participation in Singapore’s economy. A long term relationship between migrant workers and Singapore society will develop more favourably for all concerned if locals and foreign workers are made to feel that they share a common interest in Singapore’s rising prosperity, reflected in enhanced pay levels, rather than being competitors who can only gain at each other’s expense.
Yours sincerely,
John Gee
President
Transient Workers Count Too
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
If you like this article, please consider a small donation to help theonlinecitizen.com stay alive. Please note that we can only accept donations from Singaporeans. Thank you for your assistance.Do you have a flair for writing? Volunteer with us. Email us your full name and contact details to theonlinecitizen@gmail.com
Ladies and Gentlemen,
According to my knowledge, there is no minimum salary floor for our local workers. What makes John Gee thinks that we should have higher salary to make it fairer for transient workers…?
According to Dictionary.com, the word “transient” means “lasting only for a short time, existing briefly”.
I feel that it is relatively absurd for John to cite the example for the domestic workers. Yes. Their salaries is low when compared to US, Canada, etc. But bear in mind that our salary is way below par when compared to the above mentioned countries too. Not to mention that we have to pay for levies to the respective govt authorities too. The employers for foreign domestic workers will have to pay for their food and lodgings, etc.
We have loads of “transient” workers in Singapore and they are willing to work at a low salary. But bear in mind that, for example, a Bangladeshi construction worker in Singapore is earning as much as a white collar executive back home in Bangladesh.
We, the native of Singapore, should be raising our voices that the readily available pool of transient workers depresses our salary. It is absurd for us to compare our wages to them as we live here and the cost of living is sky high when compared to Phillipines, Bangladesh and India, etc, instead.
I would suggest John (assuming that he is a local “bred” in Singapore) to speak up for Singaporeans instead. When our wages are higher, the cost of living lower, we can definitely pay “fairer” wages to the transient workers. Note a Chinese saying ” sheep hair grows on the body of a sheep”.
Just a 2 cents worth of thought from me.
Thank you.
Regards,
Vincent
IMHO, the writer has a misplaced sense of ‘justice’.
Instead of asking higher wages for the transient worker; he should provide a form of service to inform would-be migrants to Singapore, the kind of conditions and wages they would be expecting and the almost non-existent labour laws in Singapore. So when they do come here, they come with both eyes open and no one is to be blamed but themselves.
A Blacklist of companies that exploit the workers should also be created so that the workers can avoid such companies.
The writer should empower the migrants to fight for their rights or at least work to improve the laws of Singapore to protect ALL workers from being exploited.
Or else, it’s just lip service.
Bangladeshi cleaners employed in town councils are paid as low as S$420.00/month, working at least 12 hours daily without any off-days. This works out to about S$1.15/hour. How do we expect local workers to work for such a meagre pay and under such working conditions?
Well, if the floodgates to mass import “foreign talents” is not opened, do you think the salary will be that low…?
The government chose to mass import them making them readily available and therefore the profit making organisations will of course choose to employ them.
Of course, no Singaporeans are willing to work for such meagre pay (if given a choice). But what about all those unskilled Singaporean labour? Do bear in mind that they need to feed their family etc. And they need to pay in all in Sing Dollars for their food and lodgings, not in Rupees like in India…
Do also note that the Bangladeshi workers come here alone and their families are in Bangladesh where the cost of living is way below Singapore.
If no Singaporeans are willing to work on the conditions of at least 12 hrs and $420 a month, then the town councils should do something to shorten the work hours and increase the pay when no foreign cleaners are available. Town councils are offshoots of statutory boards, they should first take care of the welfare of Singaporeans first and not the cleaning agents or the town councils that employs the cleaners…
In accordance with the employment act, a worker can put in max of 44hours per week not 12hrs a day without off days which amounts to 84hrs per week. Aren’t the town councils flouting the employment act when you mentioned the above working hours…?
To end this note, Singapore for SINGAPOREANS, not transient foreign workers.
Thanks…
The issue with Town Council (TC) cleaners, the workers are not employed by the TC. TCs normally sub-out the work to contractors; so in the point of view of the TCs, they are already paying a good amount of money for the job done.
Whereas, in the point of view of the contractors, they want to maximise profits as much as possible; hence the need to employ migrant workers.
So, the issue is the tender system, whereby very low bids are accepted. TCs don’t care who gets the job done as long it’s done to a certain standard. While contractors can get away with good profit margins by paying ridiculously low wages which no Singaporeans will take.
But yet, Singaporeans are to be blamed for ‘shunning’ the work when the problem is companies not wanting to pay good salary so as to maximise profits, and not wanting to innovate by redesigning the job to make it less labour intensive.
The minimum wage has worked in many countries. It’s to make sure that no matter what job one does, one can make a decent living. If Singapore adopts a minimum wage system, for example, a cleaner might earn $900 a month. It has to work across the board. Meaning, if a company hires a foreign worker cleaner, the foreign workers also has to get at least $900 a month. This makes it costlier to employ a foreign worker after adding levy and accommodation. It also makes the salary for a job more attractive to Singaporeans. Yes, it’s a unattractive job but at least it pays the bills. Perhaps more Singaporeans will work as construction workers like in the 70s. But if not, and there’s a need to employ foreign construction workers, then perhaps the government can subsidize or implement lower levies. I would rather pay my domestic helper $170 more instead of giving it to the government, which I’m currently doing.
Then companies would not be profitable and cleaners would be overpaid for their value given. More attractive doesnt mean pple will want. There are a lack of manual workers, sales staff and misc. workers such as cleaners. We need foreign workers pls!
If local Singaporeans are not given this privilege of minimum fair wages, why should migrant workers?
I think TWC2 needs to be careful how they portray themselves here or else Singaporeans many not support their cause.
Many of us lost jobs to foreigners and fighting for the causes of foreigners may be a double-edged sword here.
it is true that the workers came here on their on accord and know full well of the kind of treatment and pay they were to receive upon arrival and job placement. of course it doesn’t change the fact that exploitation is exploitation. many of them having agreed to the terms because they don’t have much of a choice; if they want to improve their lives, if only marginally, back home. living conditions and wages are only two things that need to be considered when dealing with a person’s life. but where would singapore be without the use of their cheap labour, or cheap skilled labour provided by yours truly? just my two cents…