Share losses

The other salesman said he understood that the company had to 'share its losses with its staff'.

He added: "It's all part and parcel of the company ball game."

Both salesman hoped their commissions would eventually be reinstated.

Mr Wil Yong, the general manager of Kruise Auto, an independent car distributor, felt it was 'not wrong' for Kia to cut commissions in hard times.

Mr Yong, who has about 10 salesmen under him, said: "No company wants to cut its salesmen's commission. It just seems like the car companies are losing a lot of money because of the COE increase. So salesmen must understand the company's position.

"Sometimes, we (Kruise Auto) have to give discounts for cars, and this affects our profit margin."

"In such cases, we have to compromise a little on the salesman's commission too."

One customer, who gave his name only as Mr Ng, said he bought a Kia from one of the salesmen affected.

He said he felt very sorry that the sales staff had to sacrifice part of their commission.

Sales staff from Borneo Motors, Audi, Kah Motor, Komoco Motors and Performance Motors told The New Paper on Sunday that their commissions and allowances have not been affected by the recent COE hike.

This article was first published in The New Paper.