I sent a fax to the directors of M V Land to complain that their management officer does not answer telephone or reply to e-mails. Three days later, the projector manager replied to me by fax. He claimed that they checked their web database and could not trace my e-mail. I asked him for the correct e-mail address that I should use in the future. He checked and replied to me, "Sorry, we do not have an e-mail address. It is better for me to communicate with them by fax."
They did give an e-mail address to my staff who asked for it earlier. It seemed that nobody in M V Land bothered to check the e-mail. If they do not use e-mail, how can they handle so many customers who have to go through them to sort out the requirements imposed by them, such as getting a renovation permit? No wonder their customers (i.e. purchasers of their property) had such a difficult time with them.
Tan Kin Lian
Friday, January 14, 2011
Minimum wage and loss of jobs
I am baffled by the argument put forward by NTUC trade union leaders and their MPs that a minimum wage will cause the low income workers to lose their jobs. I find their reasoning to be convoluted and ridiculous. When the low wage workers lose their jobs, who is going to do the cleaning job and other manual tasks?
If the union leaders are really concerned about protecting jobs, they should press the government to stop the inflow of unskilled foreign workers. The manual work has to be done, and business will have to pay a decent wage to local workers to do these work.
There is the argument that a minimum wage will create a black market using illegal foreign workers to do the work at the expense of local workers. I do not agree. It is easy to prevent such abuse in a small place like Singapore. If the authority is serious, employers will not dare to flout the rules.
Some people said that local workers are unwilling to do the manual work. This is also not true. The local workers, especially the elderly poor, are now doing these work now, but are not getting a decent wage. If the wage is increased and the job is made more dignified, more people will do the work.
Some people fear that a minimum wage will increase the cost of living. This is only partly true. Wage is only one factor. A bigger component are the salaries paid to top managers, high rental on properties and profits to shareholders. A higher wage bill will put pressure on the other components and will not raise the consumer prices by the same extent.
There is also the uncertainty. The MPs argued that nobody knows what will happen when a minimum wage is introduced. I also find this reasoning to be baffling.They only need to look at the experience of other countries. The minimum wage policy is not perfect, but it usually does more good than harm. That is why nearly all countries in the world adopt it. Only in Singapore, do we have capable leaders who think in a convoluted way.
Tan Kin Lian
If the union leaders are really concerned about protecting jobs, they should press the government to stop the inflow of unskilled foreign workers. The manual work has to be done, and business will have to pay a decent wage to local workers to do these work.
There is the argument that a minimum wage will create a black market using illegal foreign workers to do the work at the expense of local workers. I do not agree. It is easy to prevent such abuse in a small place like Singapore. If the authority is serious, employers will not dare to flout the rules.
Some people said that local workers are unwilling to do the manual work. This is also not true. The local workers, especially the elderly poor, are now doing these work now, but are not getting a decent wage. If the wage is increased and the job is made more dignified, more people will do the work.
Some people fear that a minimum wage will increase the cost of living. This is only partly true. Wage is only one factor. A bigger component are the salaries paid to top managers, high rental on properties and profits to shareholders. A higher wage bill will put pressure on the other components and will not raise the consumer prices by the same extent.
There is also the uncertainty. The MPs argued that nobody knows what will happen when a minimum wage is introduced. I also find this reasoning to be baffling.They only need to look at the experience of other countries. The minimum wage policy is not perfect, but it usually does more good than harm. That is why nearly all countries in the world adopt it. Only in Singapore, do we have capable leaders who think in a convoluted way.
Tan Kin Lian
Work for less than $4 an hour
Mark Woon wrote in the Straits Times that fast food outlets, like McDonalds, pay students less than $4 an hour. At this rate, the students have to work many hours to earn enough to pay for their meals. Some students do not have allowance from their parents and depend on part time work to earn money to meet the high cost of living in Singapore.
I continue to be baffled by the reluctance of our policy makers and trade union leaders to impose a minimum wage in Singapore. I am sure that the businesses can afford a minimum wage of $6 an hour. While this increase their business cost, they should reduce the high salaries paid to their top managers and reject the exorbitant rentals on their business premises.
It is a question of finding the right balance. By exploiting workers (including students) with low wages, the bigger portion of the earnings are taken away by other parties.
Tan Kin Lian
I continue to be baffled by the reluctance of our policy makers and trade union leaders to impose a minimum wage in Singapore. I am sure that the businesses can afford a minimum wage of $6 an hour. While this increase their business cost, they should reduce the high salaries paid to their top managers and reject the exorbitant rentals on their business premises.
It is a question of finding the right balance. By exploiting workers (including students) with low wages, the bigger portion of the earnings are taken away by other parties.
Tan Kin Lian
The Powers of the Gardai in A Criminal Investigation in Ireland | BusinessAndLegal.ie
The powers of the Gardai in relation to investigating crime in Ireland are quite extensive. These powers include the power to stop you and make reasonable inquiries, the power to stop and search and seize evidence, to enter and search your premises and of course the powers of detention and arrest.
Krisflyer - another complexity
I recceived a statement from SIA showing that I have x Krisflyer miles and y Elite miles. I searched their website for the difference between these two types of miles, but I could not find it. I search for the telephone number to call, and I could not find it. This is another example of the complexity that we have to deal with. There was only one past occasion that I redeemed my air miles (previously, I allowed them to expire) and I had a lot of trouble navigating their complex website. I still have trouble now, and need to call their hotline for assistance.
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