Lim Swee Say: Minimum wage is an easy solution

[Watchman]

Lim Swee Say: Minimum wage is an easy solution
October 1st, 2010 | Author: Your Correspondent

PAP minister without portfolio Mr Lim Swee Say has lashed out at advocates of the minimum wage as opting for an “easy solution.”

The minimum wage came under public discourse for the first time after figures aligned to the establishment spoke out in support of it publicly such as a professor from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Dr Hui Weng Tat and senior diplomat Tommy Koh.

More than 90 percent of the countries in the world have a minimum wage system in one form or another to safeguard the livelihood of its low-income workers with Hong Kong the latest economy to introduce a minimum wage.

Rehashing the same old PAP rhetoric, Mr Lim claimd that introducing a minimum wage will lead to higher unemployment rates as commpanies start moving to more cost-competitive locations.

“Yes, we can try to reduce the number of low-wage workers by having a minimum wage, but the number of workers with no wage will go up and unemployment will go up,” without substantiating his statements as usual.

His claims were already debunked by sociologist Dr Vincent Wjeysingha at the Singapore Democratic Party’s pre-election rally last Saturday. He quoted a study from UK showing that the minimum wage has negligible impact on cost of living and employment rate.

Mr Lim had earlier exhorted Singapore workers to be “better, faster and cheaper” and compete directly with the hordes of foreign workers the PAP is mass importing into Singapore.

As Reform Party Secretary-General Kenneth Jeyaretnam had written in an article lately, the main problem faced by Singapore is that it has became an Asian hub for low-cost laborers whose relentless influx has depressed the wages of ordinary Singapore workers.

It is pretty obvious that the PAP regime has run out of fresh ideas to manage the economy. Singaporeans should vote wisely in the coming general election to reclaim their rights as citizens of their country.

 

[myfoot123]

PAP also always talked about money not enough, especially claiming themselves underpaid while still drawing million of dollars salaries plus other perks. May be we should ask Lim Swee Say, is he overpaid and is he more hardworking than underpaid peasants?

 

[annexa]

Dear Uncle Lim, thank you for admitting that it is a solution.
At least the oppos have a solution, you leh?

 

[Spock]

Indeed, the best way to grow the economy is to increase the population size by a quantum leap. But this is a difficult way as there are many issues to consider, besides having to manage the people's unhappiness about the intense competition for jobs and other resources.

 

[streetsmart73]

lim swee say only know of 'stupid solutions'.

hi there


1. aiyoh! never expect much from a stupid-looking clown.
2. better, betterer, betterest!

 

[Kid278]

This up down turner still dont know how many low-income workers he's up against. How pathetic.

 

[silverfox@]

There is 1 issue we can discuss though it doesn't happen here.

Look at Apple awarding contracts to Foxconn in Taiwan making ipods and iphones for them. And look at the wages Foxconn is giving their workers. Increase the wages to an acceptable standard will mean increase costs and Foxconn may pass this cost increase to Apple.

What is Apple's alternative? Increase price of Ipod, Iphone or find another company to produce their products?

 

[sta1100]

maybe we should have a min wage for MP

 

[drifter]

fuck goverment ..if they cant solve problem ,please dont create another problem !!

 

[Leongsam]

In this downturn, the workers can’t feel sad. when its upturn, we will all be glad.
go for help and e2i
or call union hotline
cut costs save jobs good for Singapore
With some help from SPUR and Jobs Credit
you can fight adversity
for you, from you
let us stand in pride and unity
we are pro-workers oi oi
we are pro business oi oi
Upturn the downturn.

 

[Rogue Trader]

Who say Swee Say got no solution? You all forgot obviously about Workfare.

 

[Rogue Trader]

There is 1 issue we can discuss though it doesn't happen here.

Look at Apple awarding contracts to Foxconn in Taiwan making ipods and iphones for them. And look at the wages Foxconn is giving their workers. Increase the wages to an acceptable standard will mean increase costs and Foxconn may pass this cost increase to Apple.

What is Apple's alternative? Increase price of Ipod, Iphone or find another company to produce their products?

People like you probably think ipods are worth more than workers' lives.

 

[silverfox@]

People like you probably think ipods are worth more than workers' lives.

You obviously can't read for nuts. The example I quoted about Apple n Foxconn is an example which Lim Swee Say is saying

Foxconn can increase wages and give a minimum wage.
This increase eventually will pass over to Apple.

Apple will decide whether to find another company to produce their products. If they choose another company, who is losing in the end? Apple, Foxconn, or the workers.

The most you can do is imply I think ipods are worth more than the worker's life.

I think the wage should increase because their wages is low. But once you increase it, the increase will be passed on to who? It's Friday, I know. If you can't think, I can forgive you.

 

[Kid278]

There is 1 issue we can discuss though it doesn't happen here.

Look at Apple awarding contracts to Foxconn in Taiwan making ipods and iphones for them. And look at the wages Foxconn is giving their workers. Increase the wages to an acceptable standard will mean increase costs and Foxconn may pass this cost increase to Apple.

What is Apple's alternative? Increase price of Ipod, Iphone or find another company to produce their products?

Wages are workers' livelihood, a necessity. Ipod, Iphone whatever products is a luxury. If phobocracy are always applied then workers will always be held hostage of capitalist.

 

[silverfox@]

Wages are workers' livelihood, a necessity. Ipod, Iphone whatever products is a luxury. If phobocracy are always applied then workers will always be held hostage of capitalist.

Foxconn has about 900K workers.

Example, if Foxconn increase its wages to become more humane. This increase made Foxconn no longer competitive with other companies. Companies started to withdraw all the renewal of their contracts with Foxconn and choose cheaper ones.

What will happen next?

(Whether the product is a luxury or not, it is not related to minimum wage).

I think this is what Lim Swee Say meant in his interview. He want us to think beyond what happens after a minimum wage is being set

 

[rodent2005]

There is 1 issue we can discuss though it doesn't happen here.

Look at Apple awarding contracts to Foxconn in Taiwan making ipods and iphones for them. And look at the wages Foxconn is giving their workers. Increase the wages to an acceptable standard will mean increase costs and Foxconn may pass this cost increase to Apple.

What is Apple's alternative? Increase price of Ipod, Iphone or find another company to produce their products?

Don't be daft, Singapore can never hope to compete with other countries on low cost labour unless the PAP intends to replace Singaporeans with foreign workers. This appears to be what PAP is doing and this is no solution at all.

If the PAP has no solution, then it's better that the PAP go.

You may then say there is no opposition capable of taking over the government. Well, look at it this way. With the PAP, the workers lose out. With the opposition, the workers may or may not lose out. Even if the opposition is hopeless, the workers will not be worse off since their situation is already bleak.

 

[jim007jimmyboy]

Don't be daft, Singapore can never hope to compete with other countries on low cost labour unless the PAP intends to replace Singaporeans with foreign workers. This appears to be what PAP is doing and this is no solution at all.

If the PAP has no solution, then it's better that the PAP go.

You may then say there is no opposition capable of taking over the government. Well, look at it this way. With the PAP, the workers lose out. With the opposition, the workers may or may not lose out. Even if the opposition is hopeless, the workers will not be worse off since their situation is already bleak.

who says PAP got no solution

the mother fuckers is flooding sinkieland with FTrash to boost GDP

 

[Kid278]

Foxconn has about 900K workers.

Example, if Foxconn increase its wages to become more humane. This increase made Foxconn no longer competitive with other companies. Companies started to withdraw all the renewal of their contracts with Foxconn and choose cheaper ones.

What will happen next?

(Whether the product is a luxury or not, it is not related to minimum wage).

I think this is what Lim Swee Say meant in his interview. He want us to think beyond what happens after a minimum wage is being set

This up down turner is preaching phobocracy, he has no solution. Must workers' wages continue to be suppressed indefintely just because of fear of the unknown.

If minimum wage has no bearing on the product, a luxury then you shouldnt be talking about costs and competitiveness, you seems to be contradicting yourself.

 

[coolguy]

Implementing minimum wages will suck the well dry.
Which also mean putting peanuts in my golden rice bowl.
Your think I DAFT issit?

 

[ChaoPappyPoodle]

Foxconn has about 900K workers.

Example, if Foxconn increase its wages to become more humane. This increase made Foxconn no longer competitive with other companies. Companies started to withdraw all the renewal of their contracts with Foxconn and choose cheaper ones.

What will happen next?

(Whether the product is a luxury or not, it is not related to minimum wage).

I think this is what Lim Swee Say meant in his interview. He want us to think beyond what happens after a minimum wage is being set

Lim Swee Say is a joker. How to take him seriously? Does he even know Economics 101? Why does he not support his statements with facts and theories? Is he too daft? Or does he think we are daft?

Your analogy is a simpleton, PAPdog reply to a very important question for society to answer. To date, almost all developed countries have minimum wages? If it were so bad why do they have it? Are they all daft? Well, they can't be because they are first world countries.

Foxconn has already raised their wages and Apple as well as other companies have continued to outsource to Foxconn. Therefore, your analogy has failed immediately.

There are other factors for companies outsourcing to Foxconn. There are other factors affecting the price of an iPhone. As the iPhone is still priced similarly before and after Foxconn raised their workers' wages, it again shows that you and your master LSS are actually making up stories and perpetuating scaremongering tactics without any truth.

There is of course a chance that prices will increase and businesses may close after minimum wage is implemented. For the latter, if a business is well managed or even marginally well managed, they should be able to continue as an on-going business entity as wages alone do not factor that much into overheads or moving costs and this is especially so in Singapore.

With regards to price increases, most goods manufactured in Singapore are sold overseas. Most of what we consume are actually imported so the direct hit on consumers may be negligible. Services, on the other hand and the F&B industry are the ones to look for price increases as these are generally consumed locally.

Further, minimum wage alone will not solve the problem of low wages for Singaporeans. It has to be supported by other programmes such as Singaporeans-first for job opportunities and a much tighter scrutiny of allowing foreign workers into the country.

The whole notion of minimum wage is to allow Singaporeans in the lower income and even middle income to earn a decent living. Implicit in this is that workers should have jobs. It is pointless then to not have job security as part of a package of programmes.

Therefore, minimum wage+job security programmes are what we need. Do you think the PAP will allow such programmes to exist?

They have always made it difficult for Singaporeans to have a decent life. Just look at how they price HDB, water, electricity and even the recent world cup fiasco and by LKY's own words, they want Singaporeans to just work and worry about paying bills and not have time for civil society activities.

They have also tied the country to promises of jobs for foreigners as part of FTAs with other countries. These FTAs opened up foreign industries to invesments by Temasek, GIC and business ventures by GLCs. As is expected, the profits from these activities is kept by the PAP government while the citizens are kept away from their CPF funds.

Given these FTAs and the PAP's ideologies on how to govern Singapore, we can not even imagine that they will enact minimum wage laws and if they do, the hourly rate will be so low that it will be worthless or they will not incorporate other supporting programmes to ensure its success.

In short, the PAP can not be vested with the power to ensure a devent living for its own citizens as it goes against their very reason for existence.