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Tag: foreign workers

  • Malay Diploma-Holder Working As Secretary Find It Hard To Make

    Malay Diploma-Holder Working As Secretary Find It Hard To Make

    Dear Gilbert,

    I heard about you from my friend who tells me that you are a labour activist representing the downtrodden in Singapore.

    Would just like to share with you my experience. I have a diploma from Republic Polytechnic and have been working for some years now as an secretary. Even though my salary has risen in the past few years, I am finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the costs of living.

    For example, my increment last year was $80 (about 3.5%) but the costs of food court near my workplace in CBD has grown way more. A set meal for example has risen from $3.90 to $5.00. What is more worrying is that I have just gotten engaged with my finance and I do not look at the future with optimism.

    My brother has told me about how his IT company has hired so many foreigners on S-pass for $2500 which is even higher that what I am earning. And the thing is that this is very cheap considered to locals whose pay is about $3.5 to $4k working as a IT engineer.

    I am worried that someone may steal my job in the near future.

    I am also about to get married soon and did a simple cost calculation that we need about $1.5k a month at least for payment for loans taken out for a simple wedding, 5 day honeymoon to Bali, and furniture. Also, our monthly mortgage will cost us at least $1.2k in CPF for a new HDB.

    After spending $550 for food, transport and groceries, $300 for general maintenance, and giving $400 to my aged parents and school going siblings, I find that I do not have enough money left.

    The reality today is that costs of living is really affecting the middle-class like myself. Sigh.

    Good luck for the upcoming elections as we need more people like you who has walked the ground to speak up for us in Parliament.

    Thanks,

    Fatimah

     

    Source: www.transitioning.org

  • Foreign Worker Angels Returned Me My Wallet

    Foreign Worker Angels Returned Me My Wallet

    Just 30 minutes ago my doorbell rang, upon hearing it I was thinking to myself, this better not be some irritating salesman cuz I was enjoying my off day slacking on my bed. I dragged myself off my bed and out of my room to answer the door.

    Through the peep hole I saw 3 Indian men standing in front of my house, I thought to myself “what the hell do they want!!”.

    Still puzzled and with much suspicion I opened the door. I stared @ them and suddenly my eye zoomed into the middle guy’s hand (later introduced as “Muru Muru”), I saw a familiar item on his hand and think to myself “Why TF is he holding on to my IC and what is my wallet doing on his hand!!!”.

    Speedily I unlocked my gate and walked out to them, Muru Muru said,” is this yours? Check the one thousand dollars note inside!!”. Still blur from my evening nap I immediately realized that they are angels sent from heaven to deliver my lost wallet that I haven’t even realized is gone @ that time.

    I took over my IC and pulled out my 1000 dollars note kept inside my wallet and before I said anything, he said,” I am rich, I don’t need your thousand dollars”and laughed, and his two friends laughed along.

    Upon saying that muru2 asked the second Indian guy “Radja” to take a picture of me and him, immediately after I said “thank you guys so much, omg, omg, omg, thank you”. I shook their hands and hugged them individually. I asked the last guy for his name but he refuse to say, he just kept wobbling his head. I insisted a group photo taken with my phone, right after that they just walked towards the lift.

    As they were leaving I had so many goosebumps, as I was seeing them off, I had so many thoughts running in my mind, I wanted to offer them money but thought to myself I spent my very last 10 dollars note on lunch and all I have is a can of coins in my room, I was thinking all so vigorously what can I give back, should I offer my one thousand dollars note since they’re the one who found my wallet? If not how can I say thank you, how can I show gratitude?

    They went into the lift and so they’re gone.

    These thoughts, these feelings, this need to do something filled my 20 seconds walk into my room.
    I grabbed a handful of coins and ran downstairs in hope to find them and probably treat them food or drinks or anything but they are gone.

    Thank you Muru Muru, Radja and third Indian man. What u did is really beautiful. So graceful and untainted. I am very grateful to have you guys who found my wallet, to have you guys as neighbor, to share this space with people like you.

     

    Source: Sugie Phua

  • Influx Of Foreigners ‘The Mother Of All Issues’

    Influx Of Foreigners ‘The Mother Of All Issues’

    Immigration is likely to be a hot button issue in the general election campaign, some political observers said yesterday, after news broke that Nomination Day will be Sept 1 and Polling Day, Sept 11.

    Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said the influx of foreigners into Singapore is the “mother of all issues”.

    “That’s because people point to immigration as the cause of things such as high cost of living, high cost of transport, high property prices,” he said, adding that while property prices have stabilised, “they are at a high”.

    Political analyst Derek da Cunha echoed this. “The Population White Paper of 2013 has really brought this issue to the fore. The different aspects over the changing nature of Singapore society due to the vast numbers of foreigners in Singapore, and the many more expected to emigrate here, will likely focus the minds of quite a number of voters,” he said.

    Gillian Koh, senior research fellow at the Institute of Policy Studies, also said that it is “inevitable” that opposition parties will bring up the issue of immigration, and that it is not unanticipated.

    But she added that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has taken pains to address immigration concerns and introduced a slew of measures to curtail the influx of foreigners. These include the cutting of foreign worker quotas for the services and marine sectors.

    Associate Professor Tan, a former Nominated Member of Parliament, said the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) is likely to stress qualities like competence and integrity in the light of the Workers’ Party’s (WP’s) management of the Aljunied-Hougang-Punggol East Town Council (AHPETC).

    In February, the Auditor General’s Office identified lapses in AHPETC’s accounting and governance practices, and found its accounts unreliable.

    Analysts said that the PAP may be riding on a “feel-good” factor by calling the GE now, following several milestones such as the country’s recent 50th birthday and the national mourning of the passing of founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew on March 23.

    Dr Koh said: “The timing shows that they would like to take advantage of the celebrations, the reminiscing of the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew and perhaps, a flight to safety, with the global economy in stormy weather.”

    The analysts said that while they had expected the election to be called soon, they were not expecting it to be held on a Friday as it has traditionally been held on Saturdays.

    Alan Chong of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies speculated that Sept 11 could serve as a good international backdrop. This is because most of the First World will be remembering the tragic events of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

    Prof Chong said that it would provide a backdrop for the ruling party to remind the electorate of global danger, and to vote wisely.

    An estimated 2,460,977 Singaporeans will vote in the Sept 11 polls for 89 MPs in 16 group representation constituencies and 13 single-member constituencies.

    In 2011, the PAP won 81 of the 87 seats. Its share of the national vote was 60.1 per cent, down from the 66.6 per cent at the 2006 General Election.

    Former Nominated MP Siew Kum Hong said he believes the PAP will, at best, garner “in the mid-sixties” of the votes.

    Veteran opposition observer Wong Wee Nam believes that the ruling party will also rely more on door-to-door campaigning instead of mass rallies, where it may not draw a sizeable number of supporters.

     

    Source: http://news.asiaone.com

  • 68 Year Old Uncle Shows Singaporeans The Right Way To Treat Foreign Workers

    68 Year Old Uncle Shows Singaporeans The Right Way To Treat Foreign Workers

    Witnessed a heartwarming incident on the train at Raffles Place before peak hour this evening involving an uncle and a construction worker who had scooted down some seats to make way for Singaporeans.

    Uncle to worker: “Hey you can sit down… You don’t always have to give up your seat, especially not to men on the train. You come here to build our homes so you can sit also you know?”

    The worker at first puzzled by the interaction digests what he means and breaks into a sweet and winning smile. I can’t really hear the next exchange but then I see the worker whipping out his mobile phone to take a selfie with the uncle.

    Uncle And Foreign Workers 1

    The uncle continues chatting with him… he points to the train map overhead and dishes out advice and instructions on how to navigate Singapore’s transport network, honing in on Little India in particular. He asks: “Do you know which bus you can take if you get off at that station?”

    Uncle And Foreign Workers 2

    Later I learn from the “uncle”, Mr Rimy Lau, 68, who used to work in the hotel line, that the worker, Saravanan Samidurai, 28, has been in Singapore for just three days and he just wanted to him to feel welcome.

    “They come here to work. This is how we can take care of them,” said Mr Lau.

    (shared with permission)

     

    Source: Melody Zaccheus

  • Lee Hsien Loong: Price To Pay For Every Decision Made On Foreign Worker Issue

    Lee Hsien Loong: Price To Pay For Every Decision Made On Foreign Worker Issue

    The issue of immigration and foreigners was cited by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong yesterday (Aug 23) as one of the “tough” issues that will come up from time to time, and for which the Government would need Singaporeans’ support to deal with.

    Singaporeans understandably have strong views on the issue and the Government has adjusted its policies, but there are no easy choices. Every option chosen by the Government has a cost and a downside, said Mr Lee, as he laid out the different scenarios. If Singapore closes its doors to foreign workers, firms will not have enough workers. Some will close down and Singaporeans working in these companies will lose their jobs. Foreign workers are also needed to build homes and schools here and, in the case of domestic workers, to meet Singaporeans’ daily needs.

    However, if the country lets in too many foreign workers, society will “come undone”, Mr Lee said.

    Singaporeans will be crowded out, workplaces will feel foreign, the Singapore identity will be diluted. Singapore has to find something in between but even then, there is a trade-off, he said.

    Companies will still find costs going up, and they have to pass on some of this to consumers. They will also have to pass up opportunities. Yet, because there will be some foreign workers coming in, Singaporeans will still feel that the country is changing too fast, and resent having to compete with non-Singaporeans.

    “It is my responsibility … to make this judgment. And then to act on your behalf … Having acted on your behalf, to account to you for the results and for the reasons I decided the way I did.”

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com