<tbody> </tbody> | ||||||||||
|
<tbody>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<td vAlign="top" width="784" colSpan="2">
Look at low-wage jobs in a different light: NTUC
By S Ramesh | Posted: 23 June 2012 1837
hrs
<tbody> </tbody> A cleaner sweeping at a void deck | ||||||||||||||||||
<tbody> </tbody> |
<tbody>
</tbody>
<tbody>
</tbody>
plan to implement a progressive wage system for low-wage workers is aimed at
encouraging tripartite partners and Singaporeans to look at low-wage jobs in a
different light.
Labour chief Lim Swee Say told the media at a grassroots
event that he wants to make today's low-wage jobs into tomorrow's jobs of the
future.
He is confident this can be achieved in today's environment,
compared with five years ago.
The NTUC will set wage targets for low-wage
workers under its progressive wage approach.
Workers who are currently
getting less than S$1,000 a month would strive to earn at least S$1,000. For
those already earning S$1,000, NTUC wants to lift their wages to
S$1,200.
NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say explained that raising the
wages of these low-wage workers is just the beginning.
=> Sleeping for the past decades despite being paid by the millions?
"Not only do we
want to help them to up their wages, we also have to do our very best to ensure
their wages will go up faster rate than the medium wage.
"Secondly, we
should not always look at the low-wages jobs as always a low-wage job, because
the other developed countries have done in a very different way and the workers
take pride in what they do, the public shows them respect and they earn a very
decent salary," M r Lim added.
=> So why are SGs working for peanuts when the ministers are paid stratospheric wages?
The labour movement will kick off public
education on the progressive wage structure with the cleaning sector, followed
by the security, hospitality and food and beverage sectors.
On the
private sector's response to the National Wages Council's recommendation to give
a pay rise of S$50 or more for low-wage workers, Mr Lim said it is still too
early to judge.
He said the message of helping low-wage workers with a
more sustainable pace of wage increase is something that's not fully understood
yet by the private sector.
- CNA/ck
[/TD]
</tbody>
