“Old is gold”?
According to the Channel NewsAsia news report “Old is gold: Senior workers bring experience, passion to the workplace” (Jan 27) – “The retirement age in the Republic is 62, after which employers have to offer re-employment until the age of 65. As more people live longer and are healthier, the Government is looking to raise this to 67.
Straits Construction employs almost 370 people, excluding foreign workers. Six of them are above the age of 65.”
No statistics on foreign workers
How come this news report only talks about the number of workers who are not foreign workers?
What percentage of the total workforce are foreign workers and PRs – not Singaporeans?
63 year old retrenched now working at $5.50 an hour
I had tea today with my 63 year old classmate. After working for 14 years as a storeman – he was retrenched four years ago without notice with just three months severance pay. His job was replaced by a cheaper foreign worker.
Since then, the only jobs that he has been able to get are “sales assistant” and “F & B crew”.
He has been working as a crew for two years now, in a fast-food outlet in a shopping mall. He takes a bus to work which takes about 45 minutes.
He works for five hours a day – four weekdays a week and every saturday and sunday – for $5.50 an hour weekdays and $6.50 an hour on weekends.
Meal break also deduct half an hour’s pay
As half an hour of each day is his meal break (free food) – he is only paid for 4.5 hours instead of five hours.
$630 a month for 30 hours a week, including every weekend
This works out to a weekday pay of $24.75 per day (4.5 hours x $5.50) – weekend pay of $29.25 (4.5 hours x $6.50) – $630 a month ($157.50 x 4 weeks), and a 13th month bonus.
Pay increased by 50 cents
When he started two years ago, he was paid a lower $5 and $6 per hour for weekday and weekends, respectively.
He has medical benefits and initially seven days annual leave – now nine days leave after more than two year’s service.
70% foreign workers
The manager of the outlet is a foreigner, three of the five assistant managers are foreigners and 14 of the 20 crew are also foreigners.
Media “spin”
Now, how come our 150th ranked Press Freedom ranking media never highlights the plight of the estimated more than 50,000 elderly Singaporeans working for “peanuts” like my classmate?
Talk to low-pay elderly workers
If you are reading this – you may like to talk to the next cleaner you meet at the hawker centre, or the next F & B crew you meet, etc – to ask them how they feel about SG50 and what it means to them?
Win battles lose war
TRS contributor