<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Pay cuts are a fact of life, especially in a recession
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I READ with concern Miss Yeo Gek Noi's Online Forum letter on Tuesday, 'Why SMEs resort to pay cuts'.
The pay cuts she described are not uncommon in Singapore's employment environment, especially during a recession. Most of my friends have experienced pay cuts or wage freezes, or have had to take unpaid leave.
The Government has implemented the Jobs Credit scheme and tax rebate incentives to help businesses and employers tide over this difficult period, and most importantly, motivated them to retain workers. However, some petty-minded, over-calculating or over-pessimistic employers still exploit such measures to cut staff pay or freeze increments, and force employees to take unpaid leave.
This is a loophole over which the Government has little control. Teo Kueh Liang
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I READ with concern Miss Yeo Gek Noi's Online Forum letter on Tuesday, 'Why SMEs resort to pay cuts'.
The pay cuts she described are not uncommon in Singapore's employment environment, especially during a recession. Most of my friends have experienced pay cuts or wage freezes, or have had to take unpaid leave.
The Government has implemented the Jobs Credit scheme and tax rebate incentives to help businesses and employers tide over this difficult period, and most importantly, motivated them to retain workers. However, some petty-minded, over-calculating or over-pessimistic employers still exploit such measures to cut staff pay or freeze increments, and force employees to take unpaid leave.
This is a loophole over which the Government has little control. Teo Kueh Liang