Monday, September 20, 2010

Minimum wage in Singapore

In this article, I have given my reasons in support of a minimum wage to be implemented in Singapore. I have also explained why the negative aspects of the minimum wage are likely to be less serious than feared. Apart from helping the lower income workers, a minimum wage will lead to a more sustainable economy.

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2 comments:

Unknown said...

I fully agree with Mr.Tan. Singapore has come to a status of 1st World country. It is time to seriously look at implementing minimum wage. Is time to lift the dignity of the people who are left behind due to our so called success or GDP growth that brings Singapore to the 1sr World status. PAP ministers should do more in this area than just trying to showcase Singapore on F1, YOG, Shanghai Expo...

September 20, 2010 2:54 PM
Spur said...

Some people have proposed the term "Basic Living Wage" to highlight that govt & society have a duty to ensure that anybody who wants to work will be able to provide at least a basic and comfortable home for themselves, adequate nutritional food, ability to raise a family, adequate recreational time for family bonding and personal development, etc. We should not expect people living in this land to work for pittances such that they cannot provide for family locally, cannot afford a safe & accessible housing, cannot spend time to nurture their kids becoz they need to work double shifts just to pay the bills and buy enuf food. It is a social compact to ensure sustainable working society. We have not reached a stage whereby we face outright revolt by the socially and economically oppressed. It is also a terrible waste of human resources by creating a difficult environment for children from poor families.

Those who think that it is perfectly ok to pay however low that indebted foreigner "slaves" are willing to take, and that less capable Singaporeans must also take it, are simply ascribing to creating a class society or apartheid or even a form of eugenics to ensure that less capable people are not able to form families and have kids.

Back in the early 1970s, LKY was serious when he stated that those who earned less than $200/mth should be sterilised so that they do not produce too many "stupid" children. The irony is that back in the early 1970s, the average starting pay *was* $150-$200/mth. A couple with gross household income of $400/mth in those days could afford to have a family car, bring up 2 kids, and pay-off a 3-rm HDB flat in less than 10 yrs.

September 20, 2010 3:32 PM

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