OPINION: Troubled times for Singaporean workers - Seah Chiang Nee


Malaysia Star, 15 Jun 2013
Firstly, the government has a duty to protect the interests of workers during a labour conflict.
Ironically, the government is also the state’s biggest employer.
The government owns about one-third of Singapore’s listed companies. Its interest is to have a cheap workforce or at least not an expensive one.
NTUC is a trade union movement but it also owns several companies, including insurance, taxis, supermarkets and retail businesses, which makes it a big-scale employer as well.
So this voice of workers which owns a list of big businesses is also a major employer.
When people clamoured for an anti-discrimination law for workers, Lim immediately said it must also be formulated to benefit the bosses.
In his view, a good worker is a cheap worker, something that Lim has advocated publicly. Full story