Mr Lim Swee Say is the man

Published July 11, 2009

Layoffs slipped almost two-thirds in second quarter

By GEORGE JOSEPH

	Email this article
	Print article
	Feedback

AFTER 10,000 workers were axed from the unionised sector in the first quarter of this year, the number of layoffs fell almost two thirds in Q2, labour chief and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Lim Swee Say told a maritime industry conference yesterday.

MR LIM Warns that the game is not over yet even though the labour movement has done well

The labour movement has done well, but 'the game is not over yet', he warned.

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general was drawing an analogy with the longest-ever Wimbledon tennis final last Sunday, when top-seeded Roger Federer displayed excellence and doggedness in turning back an unexpected assault from American Andy Roddick to claim his 15th Grand Slam title.

Urging unionists and employers to remain similarly focused on the fundamentals to keep jobs, Mr Lim said that they should not 'assume, like Roddick, that the game was over'.

Yesterday's conference took place as the day's headlines heralded good news of polls projecting more hiring in some sectors from Q3, after a long period of retrenchments and freezes.

Mr Lim paid tribute to the world's best 'tripartism' - Singapore's symbiotic relations between government, unions and employers - and singled it out as a critical 'national asset' that helped the unionised sector weather the economic storm.

In the past, Singapore survived by being 'cheaper than those who were cheap, and better than those who were better than us', he said. But trying to be cheaper than the cheapest is not always a good option, he said, pointing instead to the need to always strive to be better than the rest.

Singapore's workforce will always have to be among the world's best, Mr Lim said.

While shipowners and unionists at yesterday's conference noted some signs of improvement on the economic front, none were prepared to commit being 'out of the woods yet'.

Shipowner and president of the Singapore Shipping Association SS Teo said that the container shipping industry faces the worst over-supply of ships and is not seeing much of a comeback in cargo volumes.

But cutting manpower would be the wrong thing to do, he said. 'Confidence and human resources are the most important in our industry.'

At the one-day conference - organised by the Singapore Maritime Officers' Union (SMOU), with the theme 'Upturning the Downturn: Turning the Crisis into Opportunities' - some 300 delegates heard how Singapore's tripartism has helped workers keep their jobs or get retrained and reskilled through government schemes to cut costs for employers so they retrench only as a last resort.

SMOU president Thomas Tay said that the downturn presented opportunities for companies to invest in manpower capabilities. The Singapore Maritime Training Fund has invested $1.9 million to retrain 1,000 officers on Singapore-registered ships, he said.

To help seafarers, SMOU is working with shipowners on cost-cutting measures to help companies stay afloat and keep seafarers employed through the downturn, Mr Tay said.

when people ask you why our government is out of touch, just quote Mr Lim Swee Say. this man is a legend and im sure he will gladly tell that to the world: "I AM LEGEND"

ever notice he always speak in Singlish? cheaper than cheap, better than better. WTF! how did he get his degree?!

Layoffs slips, yeah, unemployment rate is still on the rise hello.

enough about playing with numbers. where is your integrity Straits Times?

US increases Min wage...singapore?

"For a family to survive on $22,000, it's impossible. A minimum wage job might technically keep you above the poverty line. But the practical reality is that anyone trying to survive on minimum wage is in real, real dire straights."
~ Matt Goldberg, a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Center-Employment Law Center, an organization that advocates for low income workers

US is increasing their min wage hours despite being in the midst of financial crisis.
What about Singapore?

Does our leaders even care if the lower echelon are earning enough?

May I remind everyone that Singapore's cost of living is higher than US's.

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107297/higher-minimum-wage-coming-soon.html?mod=career-salary_negotiation

FT: why are Singaporeans unhappy?

Wealthy and yet unhappy - how come, Singapore?

IT IS disturbing to read that Singapore ranked 49th in the Happy Planet Index 2.0 survey conducted by the New Economics Foundation ('Costa Ricans the 'happiest worldwide'', Monday).

This is even though it was ranked fourth highest per capita income in the world by the International Monetary Fund last year, and third by the World Bank in 2007.

By all counts, we are a materially wealthy nation, so why are Singaporeans not happy with their lot? Singaporeans have access to the best of everything, yet they seem to indicate that they are not happy.

I wonder if this is why we often see grim faces on buses and the MRT. Are Singaporeans stressed out? Do they yearn for more, without finding it? Why are we, as a nation, not as happy as our poorer neighbours like Vietnam, for example, which ranked highest in Asia? Does our education system stress material success over achieving internal peace and happiness?

Curiously, Vietnam, with less material success than Singapore, ranked fifth in the index, and Costa Rica topped the survey.

At the same time, the wealthy and technologically advanced nations we like to emulate, such as the United States and Britain, ranked 114th and 74th respectively, even worse than Singapore. This clearly shows that material success does not guarantee happiness.

It is time that we made an effort to re-establish our priorities, learn to relax, appreciate what we have, smile, and be happy.

Anil Bhatia

this idiot should look at the lower echelon of Singaporeans struggling for a living. we Singaporeans knows that if we ever stop working for a short period, lets say a month, we will join the poor.

the sick and old are not only tormented physically by their illnesses, but mentally by our government hospitals' "highly subsidized" medical bills. their refusal to implement free health care for all citizens reminds us the old saying:
better off dead than sick.

how to be happy?

we contribute 33% of our monthly salary to a forced saving scheme which depreciates yearly because of inflation. worse, our HDB pigeon holes are more expensive than the landed properties in US and UK. the bothering mortgage loan eats your CPF for decades, leaving you with nothing left in your twilight years.

how to be happy?

oh and i have not mentioned the burden of National Service for all males. we are short-changed and treated like dust in the government's eyes. the government sees no need to compensate our sacrifices, and rather spend more money in propaganda campaigns and advertisements telling Singaporeans to "defend" our nation.

how to be happy?

foreigners flood Singapore and compete with Singaporeans for survival. they depress our local wages and dilute our national identity. our beloved government even have the cheek to tell Singaporeans welcome them with open arms. welcome them to replace you? why dont we have foreign talents to replace our PAP then? im sure they are willing to serve when they are given MILLIONS like our leaders are enjoying now.

how to be happy?

simply:
vote PAP out and abolish NS.

SBS: the source of Singaporeans' stress

There are several issues I would like to address regarding the service standard of SBS transit.

1) Why does the front ez link tap reader sometimes shows only "entry" when passengers are alighting?
This has resulted in many unknowing passengers tapping an entry instead of a supposed exit. A double entry without exit would cost victims as much as $4. Please fix this technical flaw.

2) Why do passengers have to wait up to a week for a refund for the above incident?
A technical lapse take away $4 in mere seconds while a refund takes a week?

3) Why is there a refund cap at $1.50? and one has to wait another week for the remaining refund?
$4 penalty in 3 seconds, $4 refund in 3 weeks. does SBS transit have a sense of proportion?

4) Why does the service staffs at Toa Payoh Terminal unable to communicate in English?
Some may accept that it is business-sense for SBS transit to cut costs by preferring foreign workers over locals. But please do not compromise standards. Singapore is not China.

5) Why is bus service 139's bus frequency from Toa Payoh Terminal at peak hours 20mins?

Is SBS bus service abusing its monopoly and adding stress with its substandard service?

Alex Tan
xxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxx.com
xxxxxxxx

poverty in first world Singapore

"woman died from eating food picked from rubbish bins"

no wonder our PAP leaders claim poverty is eradicated:
even food from rubbish dumps are fit for eating

poor people what poor people? we have the highest home ownership percentage, highest saving at 33%(CPF) and our HDB properties are one of the most expensive in the world! therefore, we concur that all Singaporeans are rich.

poor?
no way! our PAP leader NTUC chief Lim Swee Say says that he feels rich every month he sees his CPF statements(even though CPF send statements once every year, maybe special case for him lah hahaha)!

“Every month, when I receive my CPF statement, I feel so rich and the best part is, I know the CPF money won’t run away. CPF will still be around for a long, long time to come… Not only is it earning good interest, my capital is protected.”~PAP minister Lim Swee Say


our leaders say that there are only lazy Singaporeans who think that the government owe them a living.

underpaid or retrenched because of cheap foreign labour?
no lah, this is meritocracy. you must always be ready to compete in this world.

forage and scavenge for recyclable items in the rubbish bins then. most of our elderly and unemployed are doing that anyway.

this is first world Singapore, thank you very much PAP.

engaging the YPAP on facebook part 1

Alex Tan wrote at 8:07pm when ya driving a car, if you don't look back you cant see your blindspots. likewise, if you cant be a pessimist, you can't see your weaknesses. keeping a positive outlook is good definitely. government says what, just follow suit. take their explanations as your medicine and continue to believe you are always the patient. that is not being optimistic, but pure foolishness and ignorance! Singapore's final destination to a just society in the future will be the modern US and UK's democratic system. checks and balance are there where the people and government respect each other's obligations and rights. ask yourself. do you think Singaporeans respect the PAP and the PAP respect Singaporeans?

Delete

Alex Tan wrote at 8:00pm Hello Julian A mainstream media is a cornerstone of justice. It connects the people and the government, but only stands at the side of fairness, aka reporter's integrity. get the recession off the people's mind? good. but covering up Temasek Holdings and GIC's losses in foreign investments and praising them for their "good" track record? regarding the Youth Games: a booming economy benefits everyone? fair enough. but please stop lamenting about Singaporeans lack of interest in sports. like the government, we are only interested in the MONEY generated. stop the slew of propagandas telling people to like sports, welcome foreigners and return your own tray. it is disgusting. luckily there is the internet. else everyone will become smiling morons from reading too much The Straits Times. Delete

Julian Hong (Singapore) wrote at 10:49pm on July 1st, 2009 I stand by my reasoning that although keeping a lookout for our blind spots are important, it is even more important to keep a positive outlook in life and in situations. Research by psychologists have shown that a positive mind offers more possibilities rather than a negative mind. In the same respect, i hope you might catch on to the trend in my replies to you (: Positivity as how you are interested in the future of our country (positively i hope!) because of the experiences you have went through. Report

Julian Hong (Singapore) wrote at 10:46pm on July 1st, 2009 Hi Alex, Thank you for sharing these views. I admit that you are definitely right on this that they have to drum up publicity and attendance for AYG. In my view, i believe this is a precursor (trial run) for the YOG next year. Why then is that necessary? As how i depicted my view of why such comments are published in my previous reply, i believe this is yet again a multi faceted approach. 1) Keep the focus off recession and onto something else. It was reported that movie revenues were at an all time high during the great depression in US. The same reason the human psyche chooses to adapt to focus on the positives and not the negatives. 2) AYG and YOG is an opportunity to showcase Singapore off to the world, tourism, trade, relations with the world will be boosted, which in turn will have lasting effects in beefing up our economy. A better economy is definitely helpful for every Singaporean.

funniest piece of SAF news

July 1, 2009

Soldiers renew commitment

By Jermyn Chow, ON BOARD THE RSS STEADFAST

MORE than 3,000 active and national servicemen pledged to guard Singapore's independence with their lives on Wednesday.

The military's top brass, including Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Desmond Kuek and the chiefs of the army, air force and navy, led the soldiers to recite the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) pledge to reaffirm their loyalty and commitment to the nation's defence at the Safti Military Institute.

Those present included President SR Nathan, Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean and Second Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen, who is also the Education Minister.

The parade also honoured those who lost their lives in service. As a mark of respect, those present bowed their heads in silence for one minute.

The SAF's best units were honoured, with the 1st Commando Battalion - this year's Best Combat Unit - receiving the State Colours from President Nathan. DPM Teo also presented awards to 22 units.

Earlier in the day, over 850 NSmen and their employers took part in four re-dedication ceremonies held around Singapore.

In his SAF day message, Mr Teo said the SAF remained the 'ultimate guarantor of the peace, security and prosperity that Singapore enjoys.'

He also thanked all Singaporeans for their support in national service and the sacrifices they have made so that the national servicemen can carry out their duties.

'During difficult economic times, this support is even more important. This spirit of unity and solidarity will enable us to overcome any difficulties and come out stronger.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_397698.html

defend the country to death?!
WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
only NS men knows how SAF works!
Hahahahhahahahahahha

SUCCESS @Asian Youth Games

AS A 51-year-old Asian Youth Games 2009 volunteer, I was at the Health Promotion Board level 3 for my flu vaccination. I was at complete ease and did not even have the chance to say 'hey presto' when I already had my jab.

Kudos to Lagitha and Nastha Basri.

Who says injections are no fun?

Raymond Chua
Technical official
Singapore Swimming

injection is fun! H1N1 is nothing! Asian Youth Games is everything!

this rubbish is nothing more than an advertisement for the Asian Youth Games. please be reminded that only 7% of the tickets are sold and the attendance is not even 1/10 of a day's visitors at suntec IT fair.

solution? get our SPH-awards-winning reporters to write about it! here is one:

Support our sporting youths, show up!
By Santokh Singh
July 01, 2009 Print Ready Email Article

OH WHAT a sad spectacle it was, when a scan of the terraces revealed a dearth of spectators.

On the Jalan Besar Stadium pitch, a battle was underway yesterday between 22 passionate youngsters from Singapore and Thailand, punishing their lungs, fighting for every ball, yearning for glory.

And off the pitch? A mere 500 scattered like tumbleweed in stands meant for 6,000.

It made me want to shout: Come on, Singapore! Surely we can do better? And I would NOT be referring to the home team's performance (Singapore lost 1-4 to Thailand).

Never mind the quality of the football or the result, the 22 boys on the pitch deserved a better atmosphere and lustier support from fellow students.

Where were Singapore's students?

Even a fraction of the 100,000 kids in the 12-to-14-year-old school cohort would have packed the stadium to capacity.

But no, there seemed to be other, more important factors at play.

Parents, being Singapore parents, would be thinking about their children's exams.

Principals, being Singapore principals, would be worried about rankings, results, additional remedial classes, enrichment programmes, mock exams or common tests ahead of national examinations.

And then there's this thing called Influenza A(H1N1), which no doubt is feared mostly for possibly threatening the 'A' that really matters.

Putting into practice

But isn't the Games an opportune occasion to teach and practice social responsibility?

H1N1? Sure, if you're not well, stay away. But if you are okay, show some spunk and spirit; come support our kids and do your bit for the country.

Tickets too pricey at $2? Sure, organisers could have reduced the entrance fee, or even allowed free admission for students.

But really, for teenagers who don't think twice about indulging in a fast-food meal of more than $4, what is $2?

Afternoon match scheduling should have been friendlier to school hours?

Certainly. But would a few hours off over eight days result in a national examinations catastrophe?

In the sixties and seventies, there were principals like the late Mr Philip Liau of Raffles Institution, and Victoria School's now-retired T P Naidu.

They took bold decisions and yet produced some of the top political and business leaders today. Why can't today's principals show the same confidence?

I remember as a student making no less than 10trips a year to various sports events during curriculum time - and still my batch produced three Cabinet Ministers.

The educators then had it right: Sport is nothing without support, and achievement is empty without camaraderie.

The young boys and girls here for the AYG have spent more than a year training, sacrificing their own remedial classes for the sake of the country.

They deserve better.

The AYG is a dry-run for the Youth Olympic Games, which Singapore hosts next year.

Singapore deserves better support.

The AYG soccer competition is already going live via the Internet to the world, as will several other sports over the next few days.

With TV and web cameras scanning the action, do we want the world to see near-empty stands reflecting the host nation's athletic apathy?

There is still time. The Games have just begun.

Show up. Cheer our guests and our teenagers over the next week.

Pack the stadiums, the swimming complexes, the sports halls.

If you're not ill, be part of the thrill.

i love Singaporeans. they are a very honest lot. if they have no interest in something, they won't fake it. very unlike what our government and media always do, always hyping up fake success and enthusiasm.

we shall see more letters and articles regarding Asian Youth Games in the next few days.

Spenser Tan

Singaporeans too fussy, so ease up on hiring quota

THE new Ministry of Manpower (MOM) guidelines on work permit quota entitlements introduced on June 1 are causing distress and confusion among many employers like me.

Under the new rules, the new ratio in the service sector is 10:1, whereas under the old guidelines it was 5:1.

Furthermore, to qualify for a new lower levy under the new rules, these work permit holders must have a diploma. Does it make sense to expect lowly paid work permit holders (foreign workers) to have a diploma? If they did, would they want to work for such low wages, doing jobs shunned by Singaporeans for low monthly incomes of $600 to $800.

The problem came about because of fussy Singaporeans who do not want to take on many jobs. Recently, The Sunday Times reported on 10 jobs shunned by Singaporeans. In truth, it is more like 50 to 60 jobs which Singaporeans shun nowadays, including the following, just to name a few:

- Toilet cleaners

- Maids

- Construction workers

- Void-deck cleaners

- Gardeners (landscape technicians)

- Wet market stall holders or workers

- Hawker assistants

- Butchers

- Abattoir workers

- Funeral home workers

- Hospital attendants

- Petrol-pump attendants

- Garbage collectors

- Manufacturing or assembly line workers

The list goes on - any jobs that are so-called 'hot and dirty' will be rejected.

So where does that leave us? Singaporeans are too fussy, proud, dignified, qualified or whatever to do many jobs - in fact, some Singaporeans would rather be jobless than take on certain jobs, even when employers are willing to pay a premium of up to 40 per cent. There are simply no takers. Period.

Even for administrative jobs, Singaporeans refuse jobs they feel may be too far from their home or not near an MRT station. Likewise, they reject if they are required to work on weekends, do shift work, wear a uniform or serve customers.

As employers we receive many applications from Myanmar, the Philippines and even as far away as India for every job vacancy advertised.

Given that Singaporeans are extremely picky and fussy, even during this downturn, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and multinational companies (MNCs) need foreign workers in order to run and operate businesses here. It would help greatly if MOM could make the quota system less onerous and more business-friendly.

It would also decrease incidents of 'phantom workers' if MOM could relax the guidelines and revert to the more pro-business ratio of 5:1 in the service and retail sectors.

A survey of SME and MNC bosses or personnel in charge of recruitment will reveal how difficult the situation is, where businesses desperately need workers but cannot find them due to these onerous new quota restrictions.

Spenser Tan

i wonder what business Spenser in. he even offered to pay up to 40% premium for a local worker when in actual fact, both the locals and foreigners earn the same amount of wages. just ask the 40 50+ Singaporean auntie clearing your chicken rice plate.

besides that, Spenser is telling us that hiring more cheap foreign labor means pro-business. no matter if it is the retail, service or manufacturing line, English will stay as the bona fide language of Singapore. unless he is pretty sure, these foreigners can achieve communication level of Singaporeans level, i am all for his stand for "pro-business"

oh ya and if the employers are hiring "phantom workers", it is Singaporeans fault. typical government blame-game. our fault always.

evidence of locals becoming second class citizens

	15979.1
	June 27, 2009 H1N1 TESTING Why should being responsible cost $214? WHAT is the rationale behind the charges for Influenza A (H1N1) testing by the health authori-ties? Singaporeans and foreign visitors who experience flu-like symptoms have come forward responsibly and, in many cases voluntarily, to be tested in an effort to contain the spread of H1N1 virus in the community, yet they are slapped with hospital charges. On June 11, I called the 993 hotline after experiencing flu-like symptoms, especially since I had recently arrived from abroad. I did so even though I had completed the seven-day waiting period. The operator advised me to go immediately for H1N1 testing and sent an ambulance to take me in. While at the Communicable Disease Centre, I was told I needed to be warded overnight while waiting for my test results. The next day, my test results were found to be negative and I was allowed to return home, but not before I was slapped with a bill for $214.05. Billing items included room charges, treatment fees, investigations, X-ray and lab fees, and medication. It would be good to know the rationale of the Ministry of Health for imposing these charges to ascertain my (negative) H1N1 status. I would have preferred not to be warded but was given no choice and now have to pay the overnight room charges. Also, why are all suspected H1N1 cases made to pay the laboratory fee of $60? Daphne K. Teo (Ms)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

	16104.1
	June 29, 2009 H1N1 FIGHT Excellent service in difficult times WE HAVE lived abroad for the past 12 years and usually return annually twice a year to visit family and friends. We have always been impressed by the courtesy shown by people from all walks of life wherever we go in Singapore. But last Wednesday and Thursday we saw how well the Singapore system works. We came back from a holiday on a late flight and my daughter, who is 11, came down with a fever and sore throat on the flight. Immediately on arrival, we were isolated when the thermal scanner picked up her temperature. From that moment, a whirlwind ride took us from Changi Airport Terminal 1 to KK Women's and Children's Hospital and back home. Despite the seriousness of the situation, all the professionals involved - including nurses, doctors both at the airport and the hospital, immigration officers, ambulance paramedics, security officers and the volunteer taxi driver who took us home - treated us with respect and courtesy and were efficient in carrying out their duties. My children, who are only nine and 11, did not feel alarmed at any time. What really impressed me was how we were treated well and did not even have to pay for all the services provided. When we reached home at about 3.30am it did not take us long to fall asleep. In any other country, I am not sure we would have been accorded such excellent service during this difficult period. Rosie Zaiton Mohammed (Ms)

Singaporean Daphne Teo is slapped with a $214 bill for H1N1 test at the Communicable Disease Centre while an overseas-based Singaporean, Rosie Zaiton Mohammed, gets VIP treatment and need not pay a cent for the H1N1 tests.

this is yet another proof that the government is taking us Singaporeans for granted.

the Singaporean males serve 2 years of NS and get second class treatment. i have started saving up to settle elsewhere, hopefully before 25, i will get to relocate. avoiding NS reservist is my priority and, if the PAP wins the next General Election and Singaporeans vote themselves to be screwed over again, i will stop my online contributions in political matters.