NSP’s May Day Message 2010
Sat, May 01, 2010
In recognition of May Day, the National Solidarity Party honours the workers of the world in general, and those in Singapore in particular for their invaluable contributions towards nation building through their strife and hard work, sometimes in demanding and non-conducive environments.
Although a fundamental prerequisite of Production, labour is often taken for granted, especially by organizations with vested interest. Workers are expected to be more productive as in faster and better, yet they are also expected to be “cheaper” as well.
Labour unions should be truly independent to best advance the interests of their members. They should not be beholden to the State or any political power. In Singapore, the NTUC has categorically stated that it has a “symbiotic relationship” with the ruling party PAP. It would naturally serve to help sustain PAP’s political hegemony. At times, the NTUC operates much like a sub-division of the PAP.
Thus, in many sense, the NTUC has become a labour front turned political party. Its Secretary General and several other leaders are cabinet ministers, and the entire body has openly aligned itself towards a specific political identity. Under such circumstances, it inevitably loses its independence and ability to exert a better bargaining for the workers whose interests it supposed to safe guard.
The PAP Government has pride itself for having formulated an unique “tripartite” relationship with the labour front and the employers federation. However this is done by pure dominance of the labour union NTUC instead of treating them as independent equals.
Consequently, despite various fiscal schemes to promote productivity, Singaporean workers are often over-worked, over-regulated, under-paid and under-motivated. On the other hand, the leaders of the so-called “tripartism” are generally over-paid. Indeed, the divide between the rulers and the ruled has further expanded year after year.
Perhaps, the Government could re-examine its policy paradoxes involving market versus values, local against foreign, and family versus work. The mad chase after high GDP growth regardless of cost and benefits have caused great confusion to the People. High GDP growth is fast becoming meaningless to Singaporeans when many of them are displaced by cheaper foreign workers in the process. The stagnated income level for the our lower income workers has made High GDP growth figures totally irrelevant.
The union, NTUC, has not resisted any attempts by the PAP government to artificially boost GDP growth at the expense of Singaporeans by opening the flood gates to foreign workers. This is the most glaring failing of NTUC as well as the “tripartite” relationship.
Nevertheless, NSP continues to share a common aspiration with the Singaporean worker in maintaining a positive outlook that livelihood would improve with the anticipated structural changes in the national political scene in the coming months.
Ken Sun
Chairman, Central-South District
National Solidarity Party
Employers over dependent on foreign workers and PRs to reduce labour input cost to stay competitive and enjoy higher profits have made them complacent to look into other areas of their business administration and production for cost-cutting measures or to increase productivity through efficiency. In fact, the employers and even government departments have become addicted to foreign workers just like heroin. Our government has become the greatest drug pusher so should be put to the gallows because they do not dispense the heroin just like a doctor does just to alleviate the pain but instead allow the employers to go on high with foreign workers.
The government now is not able to withdraw this drugs immediately lest it will cause the employers having withdrawal symptom .
NSP
Next time, pls get someone someone to double check the release. Tiny mistakes here and there.
tiny mistake is not the issue here but the main points in contention.
Its imperative that labour intensive industries should move away from singapore.
the island cannot provide a “level playing field” by importing and exploiting cheap labor and at the same time giving out incentives like tax cuts, job credits, productivity incentive and what else to keep them here.
the island has 1.5 million migrant workers and should these industries shifted, we have more land and the above incentives can be channeled to higher valued ones and therefore locals can reap more benefits.
sametime, these 1.5 million migrant workers can return home where these jobs can provide them better conditions and to be near their families instead of renting rooms here and unhappy in their work and productivity fall to lowest level. Its a double edge sword for these workers and for the host country.
The gov is only interested in their pockets and not interested in other things and saying productivity has gone down during the past years is all a farce.
the nation can absorb the excess or digest whatever jobs or industry left behind and with 1.5 million migrants workers gone, there will be a true “level playing field” for both locals and businesses. Wages will rise and productivity too and in exconomic sense, equilibrium met.