Question:
Is this fair to contract workers ?? I don't think so. I laughed when I read
that some construction workers from China earned $40 to $50 per day while
many Singaporeans actually earned only $3 to $3.50 per hour. That means they
make more than 250,000 Singaporeans !
Do our PAP politician or MOM understand the problem by $3.00 per hour
contract workers when they make more than $200 per hour ?
Answer:
In many lower skill jobs paying $800 to $1500 such as hotel, restaurants,
cleaning services, building security and management services, production
operators, odd jobs labor, freelance agency vocations, driving taxis, etc,
etc, more and more Singaporeans with fancy education certificates are being
"forced" into those jobs because of poor job climate and bad financial
situation.
Whether under-employment is a bigger problem than unemployment remains to be
seen. If there is 100,000 Singaporeans unemployed, I reckon there could be
at least 500,000 Singaporeans or 25% of 2 million working Singaporeans
population engaged in such lower skill jobs. In addition, out of 500,000,
50% or at least 250,000 Singaporeans are actually engaged as contract
workers or part times jobs. It means they have no health benefits, no annual
leave, no nothing and if they don't work, they have no salary. Also since
they are contracted to some job agency, it also means any salary paid to
them is first to the job agency before contract workers get their share.
For example, I know some employers paid some job agencies $1500 per
contract workers but in the end, contract workers get only $900 with job
agency taking $600 per worker. I don't think it is far to contract workers
at all because it is the contract workers than perform the job, not the job
agency. In many manufacutring company, demand for contract workers is
booming but contract workers only get a small share of salary while job
agencies employing them took a big share. That is why many contract workers
earned only $3 per hour, or $42 per 8 hours work.
Another example is when some building management or condominium managers
employing security agency to provide guards. Many condo managers paid $1800
to $2500 for each contracted guards but eventually each guard only received
salary of $1000 to $1200 with no benefits at all. That means the agency
"earned" $800 to $1300 per guard or $3 to $3.50 per hour. This is happening
in every trade providing contract workers, such as land scaping, cleaning
services, hotel trade, air-con services, manufacturing services, computer
operators, construction services, building services, etc, etc.
Many contract or part time workers are being stripped to bare bones by such
job agencies.or contractors because a big portion of worker's salary has
been "absorbed" by job agencies or contractors as "working capital". Some of
these job agencies have big office, many office employees while they
employed contract workers with no benefits to work for them.
I totally agreed with kilo. I've worked as a contract worker myself
before and understands what those guys are in for. The working
conditions is disastrous and the supervisor in charge in like a
prison warden. He's in charge of all the workers and has the right
to stop anyone from coming to work if he's not happy with him.
He also controls the overtime working of the workers and 'ban'
any worker he's not please with from working overtime. Vulgar
languages are used on the workers whether they are males or
females.....totally barbaric. But a lot of these workers have no choice
but to endure the lousy working environment where they are treated
like mono-brain working creatures. From those guys whom I've
made friends with, old and young, many of them are bankrupt uncles
who got tons of debts from their visa happy days....some are gamblers
who own money....some are ex-convicts....some only with primary
school education. They've really got not much options left. Most of
then are really sincere about changing their lives, but not much chances
are available to them.
As for the China workers ( foreign talents)...some at my site earned
as much as $80 per day. But those are really skilled labour.
