Inform foreign workers about the law

14 November 2012 (not published by St Times)

Editor, Forum Page

Straits Times

I wish to ask if our bus operators and other establishments

that provide essential services have made special efforts to 

notify their employees, especially the foreign workers, that 

they would be committing a crime, if they went on on an 

illegal strike and disrupt public transport and other 

essential services.

Perhaps it should be made compulsory for them to join a

trade union, so that they can be represented by the trade

union and advised on how their grievances can be addressed.

It is compulsory for businesses to be a member of the 

Singapore Business Federation. This same compulsion should

be extended to workers in essential services, with the membership

fees borne by the employee. As the employer now has to 

bear the worker's levy, the cost of the membership fee should be

quite small

Tan Kin Lian

Using emotion in relationship

Singapore is an unemotional people. Read the views by Seah Cheang Nee.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/12/8/focus/12428622&sec

Dilemma of contract workers

The employer is able to impose different working conditions for contract workers
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/12/04/bus-strike-exposes-dilemma-of-contract-workers/

The law on employment should be changed to treat contract workers fairly.

Increase in property tax

The high prices of HDB flats have now hit existing flat owners through increase in property tax
http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/12/05/the-real-reasons-why-pap-increases-property-tax-for-hdb-flats/

This is bad for most people.
It is time to review the policy of market pricing of HDB flats!

Difficult conditions for PRC drivers

Here is another side of the story that many Singaporeans are not aware of
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2012/12/the-indignity-that-singapore-bus-drivers-smrt-have-to-go-through/

Lemon Law and Services

Mr Lee attended a preview for a Forex Training Course. He signed a voucher to charge $4,000 plus to his credit card. He changed his mind and did not attend the course. The trainer charged his credit card and the bank pressured Mr Lee to make the installment payment with interest. Can Mr Lee get off using the "Lemon Law"?

Reflect on the issue of PRC bus drivers

Mr. Feed gives his views about the issue of the PRC bus drivers
http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.com/2012/12/are-we-proud-of-what-happened-to-prc.html

Unequal pay for the same work

Watch this experiment and know why people do not like to be treated unfairly
http://www.upworthy.com/2-monkeys-were-paid-unequally-see-what-happens-next?c=upw1

Governor of Jakarta - Joko Widodo

I travel to Jakarta monthly and have the fortune to talk to my Indonesian friends, who tell me about their new Governor. I wish to introduce Joko Widodo to my Singaporean friends. I hope that our leaders can emulate his good example.
Read the honest views of the residents of Solo (Surakarta) where he served as mayor for two terms.http://www.worldmayor.com/contest_2012/comments-surakarta.html
He is clearly an inspirational and well respected leader.

My views about the "unofficial strike"

My sympathies are with the workers who were involved in the "unofficial strike", although I wish that they could have used other channels to express their grievance. I hope that this incident will make the government leaders and top management more aware about the ground feelings.

I know that the unofficial strike is inconvenient to public transport users (and I am one of them). I also know that traffic delay are regularly caused by serious accidents and traffic congestion during peak hours. In this respect, I would not exaggerate the seriousness of the incident. I understand the paranoia that this can cause a flood gate towards more serious industrial action in the future, although I personally do not share this fear.

I know that many Singaporeans are not as tolerant as I am, and they will raise "a public outburst" about the inconvenience caused by the disruption. We should learn to be sympathetic to the plight of other people and should not only focus on their own convenience.

As a Singaporean, I do not wish to take side against the PRC workers. I wish to treat them the same as for local workers. Some of the "public outburst" against the workers are based on their PRC origin. I find this discrimination to be unacceptable. We should not practice discrimination - racial, religious or cultural. We must treat everyone fairly and without discrimination.

Those who know me well will recognize that I often speak for the under-dogs and for people who are oppressed by the social or economic environment.  This is just another example of the way that I see things. I hope that more Singaporeans will join me in seeing issues from this angle.

Trading in binary options

There is a new trading product, called Binary Options. Here is the analysis of this product. 
http://tankinlian.com/admin/file.aspx?id=709&IID=713

Master Mind

Like the game Master Mind? You have to guess the colors and position of the pins according to the clues given to you. Here are some puzzles. Don't look at the answers on the last page, until after you have tried them. This is a test of logic.
http://tankinlian.com/admin/file.aspx?id=708&IID=712

Repatriation of SMRT bus drivers

29 bus drivers, who participated in the illegal strike are being repatriated. They will get their pro-rata bonus and the cost of passage will be borne by their employee. This is a good solution to the dispute.

Five instigators will be charged in court for breaking the law. Read the views of Mr. Feed here:
http://feedmetothefish.blogspot.sg/2012/12/the-right-to-decent-living-power-and.html

It is sad that they will be made an example and take the rap, in accordance with the saying,  "kill the chicken to frighten the monkey". What an unjust society.

SMRT will have to take measures to address the concerns of the remaining workers and improve their wages and living conditions.