Monster on two wheels

THE SAME "FT" CYCLIST CREATING TROUBLE ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

The Australian cyclist who was involved in a spat with a driver near VivoCity (Video: http://on.fb.me/19dgBon) has spoken up, saying the driver in question had shown him no respect.

However today, he was caught on video AGAIN by another Singaporean attacking the car of another driver on the road. (Video: http://on.fb.me/1bEnYFD)

The cyclist, who wanted to be known only as Keneth, reportedly also lost his cool with another woman driver near the Telok Blangah area in September this year, reports The New Paper.

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DEAR TRS, ANOTHER ANG MOH CYCLIST BRINGING THEIR ROAD HOGGING CYCLING CULTURE INTO SG

This cyclist not only hogged the road near Phillip Street in the Raffles Place area, he also flashed his middle finger at the driver behind him.

Living in Singapore for 36 years (Which is my ENTIRE life), I have never encountered cyclist cycling on the road, the bangladashi workers in the late 90s were kind enough to cycle on the road and not cause trouble to us. Only in the last decade am I seeing increasing number of Ang Moh cyclist cycling on the road!

I went to Perth for holiday before and I understand that Australia and many western countries have Bike Lanes and the drivers are very polite to cyclist since the roads are wider and 100000x less crowded than Singapore roads. These Ang Moh need to integrate with us when they come to live in Singapore and not the other way round.

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MPS KEEP TELLING US TO LEARN TO BE RESPECTFUL AND GRACIOUS TO FTS

Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health Dr Faishal's Facebook post about a road bully of Australian origin rings a bell: "Instead of assigning blame, it is important for us to remember that we must be gracious and respect one another on the roads."

It has to be a paraphrase of Member of Parliament (Tampines GRC) Baey Yam Keng's ringing endorsement of PRC scholar Sun Xu's diatribe (“There are more dogs than people in Singapore”) directed at our senior citizens: "We need to reflect upon ourselves, are we the way they described?" It all looks so familiar: Foreigner Talents 1, Singaporeans 0.

Faishal's expressed rapport is for a serial cyclist offender, striking terror into motorists unfortunate to share the same roads. The housewife was driving home to her condominium at Keppel Bay when she had a brush with the monster on wheels: “He was violent, aggressive and used vulgarities. He even threatened at one point that he’d make sure I got my licence revoked.” The guy who is giving Aussies a bad name banged his fist on her car window, and reached in to open the door. The New Paper quoted Kenneth's version of the run in, “She tried to run me over.” He claims to have started cycling at age 3, dating his terrorist days all the way to the kindergarten sand pit

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Lawless In Singapore

See no evil, hear no evil...

Established in 1999, the annual Transport Gold Awards were intended to encourage higher standards of service quality in the public transport domain. This year the joint National Kindness Award – Transport Gold is a collaboration with the Land Transport Authority, Traffic Police, 13 public transport companies and two transport associations.

This year, 425 service stars were awarded to front line staff and drivers from the public transport companies and associations to honour their exemplary service for offering commuters a more pleasant travelling experience.

Too bad none of the nominees were around when the poor lady received a face wash from the deranged spitting man at the Woodlands Bus Interchange. The official statement from SMRT said the police was contacted, and their intervention was awaited. Meanwhile uniformed staff stood by, a safe distance away, while the stoic victim of the physical abuse put up with the indignities

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Cycling in Singapore is evolving, so expect joy and expect growing pains!

I looked back to a blog post from ten years ago and it is a fascinating read - "Thoughts about cycling in Singapore".

The important issue though is, how much has changed since? Well in the past year, so many things have happened in the cycling scene in Singapore and the number of announcements, news items and discussions have far outpaced my ability to keep this ten-year old blog updated!

Stakeholders have been meeting with URA and LTA, sounding out suggestions, consulting on routes and even going on bicycle rides! In a very short time, advocates for cycling as an integral part of city life have become a united group, whether in government or from the ground

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Monster on two wheels

The big "W" behind is for Wanker

Just last week, my female colleague was flabbergasted when a Caucasian jogger ran straight into the side of her stationary SUV, and then hurled invectives at her for being in his way. Unlike Kenneth’s milder victim, she gave him a tongue lashing and threatened to call the cops if he persisted with the nonsense. The best way to treat such abominations is to face them down, not take the contemplative route advocated by Faisal and Baey.

Although a police report has been made, it remains to be seen if the road bully will get away with a slap on the wrist. For all we know, the parliamentarians may use the incident to initiate a “Be Kind To Foreign Talents” campaign, tapping the $10 million fund made available to the National Integration Council for the welcoming party for foreigners.

Channel NewsAsia (CNA) quoted the police as saying “appropriate actions will be taken against the parties involved if they are found to have flouted any rules”, implying that the motorist could be taken to task for not being sympathetic to road users who cannot afford a $100K COE.

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Police investigates FT road rage cyclist

Australian cyclist Kenneth

The police have confirmed that they are investigating a case of road rage involving an expat cyclist along Keppel Bay Drive last month, as well as a case of the same cyclist stopping in the middle of the road to challenge a driver this month. In the latter case, the driver’s in-car video captured the whole incident along Keppel Road (video: ‘FT cyclist breaks traffic rules, challenges driver‘)

The police’s confirmation came after Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health, Dr Faishal, posted a comment about the 2 incidents on his Facebook page yesterday (25 Oct):

“Many have asked for my opinion on the recent incidents involving a cyclist and other motorists. I understand that the Police are already investigating both incidents.
Instead of assigning blame, it is important for us to remember that we must be gracious and respect one another on the roads. Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike must abide by traffic rules and play their part in looking out for one another. When we demonstrate courtesy and empathy, our roads will be safer for everyone. I believe that we can all contribute to making everyone’s journeys safer and more pleasant.”

With regard to the first incident, the police said that they received a call at about 7.44am on 16 September 2013 for assistance along Keppel Bay Drive. When they arrived, it was established that an alleged case of road rage had occurred.

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Some way to go for cycling path network

A day may come when cyclists will be able to use Singapore's growing network of cycling paths to commute from home to their school or workplace.

For now, though, it is not exactly a smooth ride for those who try.

This was what The Sunday Times found when three reporters rode their bicycles some 180km over three days, to check if the cycling path and park connector networks work for the daily commute.

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All The New Bicycles For Singapore



Have I gone bonkers? No, surely. As a proponent of mode-share commuting, I have decided a bicycle thread here would be a good platform to cultivate interests in alternative form of commuting, especially in times like these when a COE cost an arm and a leg. Partly, also due to a casual comment from perceivedtobe whom mooted the thought of a bike thread elsewhere in the forum.

Unlike cars, my knowledge on bicycles are as thin as an ice sheet in the days leading to up to the summer. So, if you have - I presume - leanings about bicycles that are as thick as foliage of the Amazon rainforest, please share with us.

Singaporeans will spend good money to get a top-end bicycle, which some models costing up to $8,000. Modern bikes are a hi-tech brood, boasting expensive carbon fibre frame, sophisticated suspension and on trail models, 29-inch wheels. These are not the austerity machines one often associates with bicycling. Maybe it's time we drop our predisposition about the humble human-powered two wheelers.

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Watz Buzzing - 28 Oct 2013

Saliva Spitting case at woodlands interchange 22 Oct 2013 2140hrs

The lady in blue (0:40) was queuing up waiting for 950 to go back home. This Singaporean man (he claims to be Singaporean) suddenly cuts her queue, she asked him to queue up behind. He claims that he was in the queue just now. But he went off to buy a drink at the shop nearby and came back. He claims that he is in the queue, nobody saw him.

Bus came. All in the queue went up the bus, this guy spitted on the blue lady multiple times before he went up too, everyone complaints. He pushed the blue lady down the bus and spitted saliva on her face multiple times.. (estimated +- 10x) , she went to call the control room personnels (1:41 & 2:04) to scene. This guys hogs the bus refusing to alight, blaming the driver for not moving becos he is waiting for him to alight or police to come. (Meanwhile control room sends for a second bus, now 2-3 SMRT staff + driver at scene but did nothing). He still insist its the drivers fault.

Alot of ppl screamed and scolded him for being inconsiderate (old man in bus almost got punched for scolding him, many others shouted at him for delaying bus departure). He fought back verbally with the whole bus of passengers, pushed his way into 25% from the front of the bus then squeezed his way roughly out again. (Second bus came, back door opens, ppl alights, he rushed to the back door stopping ppl from coming down but failed becos alot of guys pushed him aside. This green lady was unlucky, got stopped by him. He said she scolded him in the bus just now and there is none of her business why she KPO.)

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Rude Bus Commuter SPITS and hurls verbal abuse to female passengers at Woodlands Interchange



Man identified as 47-year-old Juraimi Kamaludin and he faces FOUR charges:

1. Accused of committing a public nuisance with his aggressive behaviour at Woodlands Bus Interchange on Tuesday at about 9.30pm.

1. Juraimi is also accused of spitting in the face of 41-year-old Teoh Lay Peng

1. Spitting at 34-year-old Lee Kuan Eng – at the same place that same night.

1. He faces a fourth charge of behaving in a disorderly manner in public in September this year, at about 8am at a void deck at Bukit Batok Street 21.

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VIDEO: Another road rage involving caucasian FT

Hardwarezone Forum, 30 Oct 2013

Video:VID-20131003-WArage.mp4

Related: PAP MP: Singaporeans must learn to be respectful and gracious to FTs on the roads

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Monster On Two Wheels

Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health Dr Faishal's Facebook post about a road bully of Australian origin rings a bell: "Instead of assigning blame, it is important for us to remember that we must be gracious and respect one another on the roads."

It has to be a paraphrase of Member of Parliament (Tampines GRC) Baey Yam Keng's ringing endorsement of PRC scholar Sun Xu's diatribe (“There are more dogs than people in Singapore”) directed at our senior citizens: "We need to reflect upon ourselves, are we the way they described?"

It all looks so familiar: Foreigner Talents 1, Singaporeans 0

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Police investigates FT road rage cyclist

Australian cyclist Kenneth

The police have confirmed that they are investigating a case of road rage involving an expat cyclist along Keppel Bay Drive last month, as well as a case of the same cyclist stopping in the middle of the road to challenge a driver this month. In the latter case, the driver’s in-car video captured the whole incident along Keppel Road (video: ‘FT cyclist breaks traffic rules, challenges driver‘)

The police’s confirmation came after Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health, Dr Faishal, posted a comment about the 2 incidents on his Facebook page yesterday (25 Oct):

“Many have asked for my opinion on the recent incidents involving a cyclist and other motorists. I understand that the Police are already investigating both incidents.
Instead of assigning blame, it is important for us to remember that we must be gracious and respect one another on the roads. Cyclists, motorists and pedestrians alike must abide by traffic rules and play their part in looking out for one another. When we demonstrate courtesy and empathy, our roads will be safer for everyone. I believe that we can all contribute to making everyone’s journeys safer and more pleasant.”

With regard to the first incident, the police said that they received a call at about 7.44am on 16 September 2013 for assistance along Keppel Bay Drive. When they arrived, it was established that an alleged case of road rage had occurred.

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No country, no govt, no citizen – bo cheng hu

The pathetic incident of this guy spitting at two young women at Woodlands Interchange, grabbing one of them and harassing them, is what this country has turned into, bo cheng hu. This guy went spitting at one woman after another several times each and everyone, including SMRT staff could only watch like a despicable circus act. No one could or would stand up to stop the abuse and humiliation of two women in broad daylight, in a crowded place.

How could such a thing happen in a first world city? I can offer only a few reasons. Everyone was so civilized except the guy who spitted at women, or everyone was so selfish, so afraid or did not know what to do or whatever. Chivalry is dead. Manhood is dead.

What happened could be like this. The guy could be fierce, but from the video, any medium built guy could knock him down. He was no big hunk, more like a grown up boy. Anyway, the women could also be foreigners. The people watching also could be foreigners, or most of them. Any Sinkie there, maybe a few

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Man spits at woman: thuggish behaviour on the rise

A very aggressive young man spat on a lady not once but several times at a bus interchange.

It was disappointing that SMRT staff merely watched helplessly as he continued to hurl abuse at the lady, and didn’t try to restrain him from attacking the lady by spitting at her again and again.

With his face captured on camera, I’m sure Singapore Police Force (SPF) will have little problem in arresting him.

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Rude man spitting at commuters in bus interchange

A video depicting a disturbing scene at the Woodlands Bus interchange is now viral where a man was filmed verbally insulting commuters at the interchange and spitting at a lady. It was posted as a video on Facebook by a person by the name of Sia Jianhe.

In my opinion, the SMRT staff on ground should have known better what to do about this man apart than just standing by and waiting for something to happen. The man was spitting at the lady right in front of their eyes! Were they waiting for him to board the bus or just walk off?

What if he was in fact showing early signs of being aggressive, and he had a knife in his possession? Could they have reacted in time to subdue him? Even if he did not do anything drastic at the interchange, what if he did something very wrong else where? None of their business? The general public would have assumed that by having an ex-general as the SMRT’s CEO, there will be directives passed down for the staff to be ready for exceptional situations like this incident.

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Not a good spitting image at all



A man was spitting and swearing at two women, and also pushed some members of the public, at Woodlands bus interchange last night (Screen capture from video by Sia JianHe)

The latest in what looks like a trend of taking videos of transportation-related incidents: A man causing a ruckus and spitting in two women’s faces several times at the Woodlands Regional Bus Interchange yesterday at 9.30pm. The video, originally uploaded by Facebook user Sia JianHe last night, has gotten over 1,900 likes and over 14,000 shares.

There is a law against spitting in public in Singapore… In the statutes it specifies spitting on public places like roads and buildings, but it probably also applies to spitting in people’s faces. It’s considered a chargeable offence – a fine up to $1,000, to be precise. Add that to the other charges this fellow is liable to, namely harassment as well as threatening others, each of which can call for a fine up to $2,000. And that’s just for the things we can see in the video.

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MP: Singaporeans must learn to be respectful and gracious to FTs on the roads


Singapore Notes, 28 Oct 2013

Parliamentary Secretary for Transport and Health Dr Faishal's Facebook post about a road bully of Australian origin rings a bell: "Instead of assigning blame, it is important for us to remember that we must be gracious and respect one another on the roads."

It has to be a paraphrase of Member of Parliament (Tampines GRC) Baey Yam Keng's ringing endorsement of PRC scholar Sun Xu's diatribe (“There are more dogs than people in Singapore”) directed at our senior citizens: "We need to reflect upon ourselves, are we the way they described?"
It all looks so familiar: Foreigner Talents 1, Singaporeans 0. Full story

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Spitting incident at Woodlands Interchange: SPF should carry out active policing



It’s heartening to note that SPF have been swift to arrest the spitter. I watched the video and found it scary the way he humiliated the woman and struck fear into those who happened to around at the time.

This highlights the need for SPF to boost its policing in public areas. So far it’s ignored this.

What if the arrested man had had a weapon? He’d have inflicted serious injuries or even caused a death.
Once again SPF have been reactive instead of being more proactive with active policing

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MP ANG HIN KEE: DON’T BLAME EXTERNAL FACTORS



Ang Hin Kee, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, said, “I have been to crowded places and seen how people accommodate one another. You have a choice. Don’t blame external factors for our behavior.”

Ang was referring to the anti-social behavior of the hooligan who spat at the two female commuters and threatening to hit one of them if not stopped by a SMRT staff. Ang should experience the rush hour crowds at MRT interchange and then ask if the commuters have a choice not to be there.

I would like Ang Hin Kee to read the study on how white rats behaved when overcrowded and the comments by psychologist Joel Yang, ‘that commuters may become “increasingly angrier” and tend to react negatively to minor annoyances as Singapore’s population density increases.’ Yang also added, ‘It has been widely researched in major, densely populated cities that crowding is linked to anxiety, frustration, aggression, and inappropriate social interaction

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Vet who put down ‘aggressive’ puppy should put down aggressive spitting S’porean




The spitting Singaporean, forever immortalised on video, was reacting to his surroundings with escalating aggression and could not be muzzled.

He not only jumped queue while boarding the bus, but was foaming at the mouth.

One Singaporean, Yang Chong Wu, said: “Actually, if cannot euthanise, neuter him also can.”

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Ugly Singaporeans



– TOC: Rude man spitting at commuters in bus interchange
– SpotlightOnSingapore: Man spits at woman: thuggish behaviour on the rise
– My Singapore News: No country, no govt, no citizen – bo cheng hu
– Mitsueki: Rude Bus Commuter SPITS & hurls verbal abuse to female passengers
– New Nation: Vet who put down ‘aggressive’ puppy should put down aggressive spitting

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10 Explosive Volcano Destinations

Volcanoes may arouse a sense of peril, but they also inspire awe. And while many flee when these restless mountains explode in a symphony of lava and ash, plenty of others see it as an opportunity to travel. Whether you're the adventurous type or not, here are 10 volcano destinations that have made headlines this year—from the famed Ring of Fire to the Land of Fire and Ice.


Hawaii


Montserrat


Iceland


Congo


Ecuador


Indonesia


Italy


Chile


Japan


Canary Islands, Spain

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A minimum wage for Singapore?

Update 27 Nov 2103: Prof Koh continues to voice his support for minimum wage

Speaking to reporters at his book launch at the end of last month (30 Oct), Singapore’s ambassador-at-large Professor Tommy Koh continued to voice his support for a minimum wage or other strengthened measures to help Singapore’s poorest

Poverty in Singapore should not be ignored, Prof Koh felt.

“We all feel that it is not good for Singapore to have such a huge gap between the rich and the poor,” he said, referring to public intellectuals who speak on the topic collectively.

“It will eventually threaten our unity and cohesion, and it is certainly a source of concern to our moral conscience because we all aspire to Singapore being a good nation – and a good nation is one that doesn’t tolerate such a high degree of disparity.”

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Is a minimum wage really that bad for Singapore?

Minimum-wages is a “zero-sum game” and “an easy solution”. At least that’s what Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and National Trade Union Congress chief Swee Say says.

While more than 90% of countries, ranging from developed nations such as the US to neighbouring countries like Malaysia, have seen merits in implementing minimum-wages, policymakers in Singapore continue to insist that such a system is not suitable for the island state.

We look at some arguments commonly brought up against minimum-wages, and explore whether they are really relevant to Singapore.

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A one-of-a-kind union that rejects minimum wage

Inspiring great confidence in the union

Every good party needs a clown to provide the laughs, and it was Zorro Lim (not his real name) on the PAP roster yesterday.

At the Budget debate, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say rejected renewed calls by several MPs, including Inderjit Singh and NMP Lawrence Lien, for a minimum wage system. Instead of speaking up for the workers that he is supposed to represent, he is strangely the one voicing the objection, even if we know all along that the government is never keen on the idea.

This must be an absolute one of a kind. Nowhere in the world will you ever find another union chief who argues against higher wages for workers.

related: Govt rejects poverty line, says prosperity line better for social objective

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Singapore's approach is "more than a minimum wage"


Labour chief Lim Swee Say yesterday rejected renewed calls from Members of Parliament for a minimum wage system in Singapore.

Speaking on the second day of the Budget debate, he said that Singapore's model of Workfare Income Supplement, Workfare Training Support and a progressive wage system, works better overall than a minimum wage.

"With the WIS, WTS and the progressive wage model, we believe we have now a minimum wage model - in fact, it is more than a minimum wage model - whereby we can actually maximise the upside for the low-wage workers, and at the same time, minimise the downside," he said.

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Minimum wage is one hot topic

Minimum wage is one hot controversial topic. Whether in the NSM or MSM, there will be robust and sometimes emotional discussion on this topic. I’ll attempt to give my two cents worth. I’ve been thinking about this topic for quite some time since it affects most of us – directly or indirectly.

I am no economist nor an expert on wages. I will just use some common sense to say my piece here. When I was in school more than 30 years ago taking Economics at A level, I was quite impressed and persuaded by the concept of “Price Mechanism” or “The Law of Demand and Supply” in the market place. “The Law of Diminishing Returns” is another interesting concept I learnt in my Economics class. Until today with so much changes in our modern society, those economic concepts still hold true irrespective of political ideology or thinking

The fascinating thing about the Price Mechanism or The Law of Demand and Supply in the marketplace is that it’s an universal eternal law throughout human existence. This fundamental economic theory remains one of the most fascinating concepts since the dawn of civilizations when man started producing and trading openly in the market whether it’s within their own community or across borders

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Why the “Minimum Wage” System is Not Possible for Singapore

Singapore's leaders had long justified their high salaries by insisting they were necessary to attract the best managerial and leadership talent to public service. They insisted that it is probably a bad idea to expect that enough good politicians and civil servants will fill these positions even though they can make a lot more money doing something else.

So why are the top earners in the private sector earning so much money? Since Gintai is quoting everyday items, I shall do the same. Let's imagine the amount of wealth generated each year as full pizza, shared among 10 people. The first man sliced the pizza into 4 quarters, gingerly place one quarter of it on a plate, smile at the 9 men and then walks away with the rest of the pizza, still warm and tucked safely in his pizza box. The remaining 9 men were left looking at each other, wondering how to divide the remaining quarter among themselves. That represents how wealth is divided in Singapore.

The above example illustrated that the only way to ensure remaining men gets a guaranteed (however thin) slice of pizza instead of fighting among one another feeding off scraps is to have the first man taking less and leave more behind for the rest. The PAP government's solutions are based on creating a bigger pizza or even a second pizza but only to see the same situation happening each time - the majority of the men left with little to share. In such a situation, talks of implementing a minimum wage is not only unnecessary but impossible.

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Singapore Minimum Wage

Because Singapore does not have a minimum wage, there is no mandatory minimum rate of pay for workers in Singapore. Pay rates must be agreed upon directly with the employer through collective bargaining or other means of negotiating a fair living wage.

What is the Singapore Minimum Wage? - Singapore's Minimum Wage is the lowest amount a worker can be legally paid for his work. Most countries have a nation-wide minimum wage that all workers must be paid. Singapore has no minimum wage laws or regulations. Singapore's minimum wage was last changed in N/A.

How does Singapore's minimum wage compare to the minimum wage in other countries?
Singapore's yearly minimum wage is $0.00 in International Currency. International Currency is a measure of currency based on the value of the United States dollar in 2009. There are countries with a higher Minimum Wage then Singapore, and Singapore is in the top 0 percent of all countries based on the yearly minimum wage rate.

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We need a minimum wage in Singapore

The issue of whether Singaporeans should be entitled to a minimum wage has cropped up from time to time and sparked heated debates.

Some people have argued that the presence of a minimum wage may paradoxically lead to an increase in unemployment, due to the fact that the profit margins of companies employing low wage workers will be reduced, forcing them to either close down or relocate.

Allegedly, in response to larger labor costs, businesses will then try to compensate for the decrease in profit by simply raising the prices of the goods being sold, thus causing inflation and hurting consumers.

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Minimum Wage: Proceed With Caution

In her latest blog entry, Kitana has proposed introducing a minimum wage. A lively discussion has ensued in the comments section. I was tempted to jump into the debate immediately, but the more I read about minimum wage policy, the more I realised how complex and difficult a topic it is.

Here are some of my thoughts on the issue; my overall position is that a minimum wage high enough to alleviate poverty is also likely to hurt the very people it aims to help. Furthermore, there are more effective and more efficient ways to distribute and allocate assistance to those in need.

I apologise in advance for this article's length and for any inaccuracies or misconceptions. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

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Finally, a Minimum Wage?

Last week, these headlines were splashed across our mainstream media: “10,000 cleaners set to get pay increases” (Today); “Across the board pay increase for cleaners” (清洁工起薪全面提高, Lianhe Zaobao); “Proposed cleaners’ pay starts from $1,000” (Straits Times). Some even likened it to “a minimum wage in deed and not in name” which would then signify an about-turn for our government who, as recent as last year, was adamant that “a minimum-wage policy runs counter to the Singapore work ethic and culture of self-reliance” (source).

The plight of our poorly-paid cleaners (“My wife’s life as a cleaner”) has struck a chord in many Singaporeans and last week’s news must have brought some cheer to those of us who believe a pay raise for workers in the cleaning industry is long overdue.

But is it really as good as a statutory minimum wage? And are there any loopholes that may be exploited by unethical employers? Since these are only recommendations, what are the incentives for employers to implement the guidelines? Are there any penalties for errant accredited cleaning companies that have won tenders for government jobs? What measures are in place to prevent the exploitation of disadvantaged workers?

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Minimum wage in Singapore

In this article, I have given my reasons in support of a minimum wage to be implemented in Singapore. I have also explained why the negative aspects of the minimum wage are likely to be less serious than feared. Apart from helping the lower income workers, a minimum wage will lead to a more sustainable economy.

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Can minimum wage system work in Singapore?

I refer to the current debate going on regarding minimum wages in Singapore. Its still a profound mystery why a economic powerhouse country like ours has so much reservation implementing minimum wage policy to better protect its vulnerable  rank and file workers. Most first world countries and even third world countries have minimum wage policy in place so that workers have access to reasonably decent wages when they put in their fair share of work.

I am aware of the dangers that minimum wage implemention can bring especially on the rising cost of businesses  if that particular industry is heavily dependent on human labour. Even Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Mr Lim Boon Heng,  has voiced out against the minimum wage proposal citing business cost as the main factor. He preferred that our low-wage workers relied on the  Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) which is paid out  to  workers that earn below $1700 a month.  Rank and file workers who continue working can have a maximum WIS payout of $2800 a year payable over several periods. This is to encourage our older vulnerable workers to continue working.

Since its inception in 2007, over 300,000 workers receive WIS benefits each year. The amount of WIS paid annually exceeds $300 million, which works out to an average of more than $1,000 per worker. For FY2009, a total of $343 million was disbursed to 320,000 workers, or an average of $1,072 per worker (source: MOM). Mr Lim said: “So we started the WIS system a couple of years ago. I think with this system, we should improve…I believe the minimum wage meets the needs of a bygone era, it does not meet the needs of today’s world.” (source: Channelnewsasia 15 Sep 2010).

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Minimum Wage

Since I became leader of the Reform Party in April 2009 I have made the introduction of a minimum wage in Singapore one of our main policy pledges (see the link below for RP’s 19 main policy pledges): http://votingrp.wordpress.com/about/

Why? Since 1998 the average incomes of the poorest 20% of households have fallen by around 20% after inflation. However this is undoubtedly a substantial underestimate of how far real incomes have fallen for poorer households.

The government measures inflation by the change in the consumer price index (CPI). This measures the change in the prices of a basket of goods consumed by the average household. This basket represents the items that the average family buys in the course of a week. However the basket of goods consumed by the poorest 20% is very different from that consumed by the average household. Food, transport, housing and other basic necessities represent a much bigger percentage of household income for poorer households. These items have risen in price much more than the average over the last ten years.

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Salary

An employer is liable to pay his employee(s) within seven days after the end of the salary period, in accordance to the provisions of Part III of the Employment Act. Failure to pay salaries in accordance with provisions of the Employment Act is an offence. Employees who are not paid for work done can report employers to the Ministry for investigation.

Employees in managerial and executive positions who earn basic monthly salaries of $4,500 and below are only covered partially on the basic payment of salary. Other types of employees covered under the Act are also covered for unauthorised deductions of salaries.

If an employee is not covered under the Employment Act, he may consider consulting a lawyer to assess if his employer has breached the terms of his employment contract.

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'Each of us can do our part'

Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng (above), who is chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Social and Family Development, shares his views on the poor in Singapore

Is there a need to define the poverty line and for the Government to make public the number of poor in Singapore?

I think it is not clear whether having a poverty line is effective in aiding poverty alleviation, from the experience of countries that have established such benchmarks.

Like many Singaporeans, I have been to the United States, Britain, Hong Kong and Japan and I can say that in many of these places, I do see more poor people on the streets and this is a less common sight in Singapore.

related:

Singapore must define poverty, say experts

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What makes a fair wage?

Your next “fair and equitable” pay packet

As they say, a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work. But what exactly constitute a fair wage? At the most fundamental level, a fair wage is one that, in exchange for, a worker willingly provides a service to an employer, and that the employer willingly compensates the worker for this service it is receiving. It is simple demand and supply coming together in the labour market where neither party is coerced into entering such a contract of service. In the financial markets, we call this price discovery.

In a closed labour market, wages should adjust to reflect the cost of living. Workers have to consider the cost of living and determine if the wage paid is sufficient for sustenance and upkeep. If it is not, they will struggle and other problems will start to crop up. They may look for other jobs or start demanding for higher pay.

It gets complicated when the labour market opens up internationally. We get bus drivers from China, construction workers from Bangladesh and maids from Indonesia, and all these workers come willingly because wages here are higher than what they can command back home. So with this new supply of workers who are willing to accept lower wages than Singaporeans, employers happily pay lower. Price discovery does not necessarily provide correct valuation, as we see here with external distortion. At this new equilibrium, can employers now claim that this is a fair wage?

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Minimum wages is a “zero-sum game” and “an easy solution”: Lim Swee Say

Yahoo! News Singapore, 24 Oct 2013

Minimum-wages is a “zero-sum game” and “an easy solution”. At least that’s what Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and National Trade Union Congress chief Swee Say says.

While more than 90% of countries, ranging from developed nations such as the US to neighbouring countries like Malaysia, have seen merits in implementing minimum-wages, policymakers in Singapore continue to insist that such a system is not suitable for the island state.

We look at some arguments commonly brought up against minimum-wages, and explore whether they are really relevant to Singapore. Full story

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