I WOULD first like to congratulate The Straits Times on its Insight report, 'Singapore's Dirty Secret' (ST, July 28). Indeed, it was a shocking and disturbing revelation.
The crux of the matter is clear: As outlined in the article, wages of cleaners and labourers in Singapore have fallen in absolute terms over the past 10 years. Considering inflation, and increases in the cost of living, I cannot fathom how these incomes have actually fallen in real terms.
Explanations abound as to how this has happened. Globalisation and the influx of foreign workers are often cited. But the time for explanations is over. The time for action is now.
It is unconscionable for us as a government and people to have low-salary workers subsist on such meagre salaries.
In looking for solutions, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Lim Swee Say wants Singapore to focus on raising productivity, and suggests that as productivity goes up, wages will also rise - without eroding business competitiveness.
I beg to differ, and feel such thinking is out of date and inadequate for those on the lowest rungs of society.
The Government has long resisted instituting a minimum wage. Like most Singaporeans, I have understood the basic premise of such a position.
However, we must admit we cannot allow such a trend in the lowest wages to continue. If, in the past 10 years, wages have actually fallen, what will we see in the next 10 years?
Clearly, as The Straits Times article suggests, increasing competition has led to companies drastically cutting costs. As Mr Lim implies, we should compel these companies to look for cost savings elsewhere, and not take the easy route of cutting or freezing these low wages.
Let us draw the line on preventing exploitation and take the right and moral step of ensuring that low-income earners can at least be sure of a minimum wage that keeps up with inflation.
Globalisation compels us to think out of the box. Let us start by reconsidering how we should take care of such low-income earners. Existing policies have failed them.
Whether these low-income earners are Singaporeans or not is a separate issue. But they should at least earn the same minimum wage.
