The recent illegal strike by SMRT bus drivers from China and the issue of foreign workers in Singapore should be seen from a broader perspective with proactive action taken.
At a media conference on 14 December 2012, NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say said it is a timely reminder that while dependency on foreign workers cannot keep rising as it has especially since 2004, it is not possible to reduce the current ratio of one foreign worker in every three workers as it will hurt Singapore’s economy.
The way to go about it, he said, is not to increase or decrease the ratio but to live with the current ratio and tighter labour market, speed up the upgrading of the workforce “and find ways to make sure Singapore will always be attractive and companies can still compete and continue to grow.”
“For that to happen, we believe as a Labour Movement the only way is for us to make better use of every worker. Whether a local or foreign worker, the one way ahead for Singapore is to make better use of every worker and pay every worker better,” he said.
He clarified that making better use of every worker is not asking workers to work harder as “Singaporean and foreign workers are already working hard enough. The way to make better use of every worker is to help them do their jobs smarter, make their jobs easier.
“If we can do that, we believe we can sustain this concept of making better use of every worker. And, of course, along the way make sure that we pay them better in recognising their higher value-add and contributions.”
Overall, the legislative framework, mechanisms and channels including the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) are in place to help and protect foreign workers and “our challenge will be how to create greater awareness.”
“What MWC is doing is to provide assistance and outreach to foreign workers in general. But among the foreign workers, some may like to have additional support and services.
“That’s where the unions come in. They can take that one step further to join as a union member” adding that “along the way, it is important that more and more management look at the role of unions positively,” he added.
Beyond merely abiding by employment contracts, terms and conditions, SG Lim said a big plus would be strong labour-management relations as “it is possible for union and management to jointly reach agreement to offer something more than what is provided in the contract to the foreign workers.”
He also stressed that union leaders and workers have expressed a lot of concern and the Labour Movement is highly uncomfortable with the idea of same job, equal pay as it will disadvantage local workers and their families.
Factors to be considered include long term employment versus short term contract, differing levels of expertise, experience, skills and productivity, loyalty, employers’ extra costs in hiring foreign workers, and differing cost of living and currency exchange rates across countries and regions, amongst other things.
“Instead of trying to push for same job, equal pay, which could cause a lot of unhappiness and unfairness, what is important is for us to go for a fair and reasonable pay for all workers regardless of their nationalities.”
