Firm stand against illegal strike an assurance to investors: Teo Ser Luck
By S Ramesh | Posted: 29 November 2012 1936 hrs
SINGAPORE: The government's strong stand against the illegal strike staged by 171 SMRT bus drivers from China will give companies and investors here and potential investors the assurance about the country's stable labour relations.
Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck said this in an interview with Channel NewsAsia.
And political watchers question if the labour movement is doing enough to reach out to foreign workers to join the unions.
The SMRT bus drivers strike this week should not and must not happen, and it's a matter to be taken seriously.
And Mr Teo stressed that Singapore's tripartism between the government, employer and unions has a strong bearing among investors.
"When they have lack of confidence, you have less companies investing in Singapore and less jobs as well. So we have to take these things very seriously, then the whole ecosystem can function well," he said.
Observers add that the incident has also raised questions as to how Singapore manages its industrial relations in the light of the changing demographics of the workforce.
Assistant Professor Eugene Tan, Nominated MP, said: "When you look at the SMRT incident, it reflects a failure in industrial relations. The issue has been brewing for a while and obviously it would seem that the workers didn't have sufficient channel for their grievances to be addressed and they have taken the rather drastic action of staging an illegal strike. In a way the illegal strike has worked. It has brought their grievances out publicly.
"It raises very valid questions about whether SMRT could have done better in handling their foreign-born drivers. It raises the question of whether the National Transport Workers' Union made the effort to try to reach out to these workers, never mind if they are not unionised because there is an interest in workers working in the transport sector.
"It also raises the question whether NTUC, as well as its member unions, should make the effort to reach out to foreign workers, many of whom are not unionised.
"Ultimately, even if this strike is now over, it wouldn't do good for SMRT if the drivers are unhappy. It would be reflected in the service quality, it will also affect SMRT's prospects in terms of hiring other service leaders. The repercussions on SMRT are significant, it goes right down to how SMRT manages and treats its employees."
There's also a need for SMRT to do more to address the concerns of the workers and closely examine its own processes.
Mr Teo said: "Put the actions in place, put the systems in place and ensure that we can prevent such things from happening again. Because once it happens, it can happen again, and we need to prevent it and have a full proof, very strong and stringent management control put in place and ensure relations will be solid and stable in future.
"It need not have to resort in a strike, it need not have to result in an illegal gathering of sorts to go against the management and leadership. There are always many cases where management is willing to listen to workers and employers. We can always get around the situation through mediation or extensive discussion and if all means have been tried you can always approach MOM to seek help."
As for hiring only locals for essential services like public transport, Mr Teo said this is not always possible for service businesses.
Mr Teo said: "Some of these jobs when I talk to the service businesses is that they would always like to offer it to Singaporeans first and most of the time when they try to do it and try to bring the salary up, the experience tells them that the job environment and the job nature may not be the most favoured by Singaporeans. So they find it difficult."
He said it's about keeping a balance between making sure there are job opportunities for Singaporeans and that jobs left unfilled do not impact companies' ability to function.
This is something that both the Trade and Industry and Manpower Ministries are constantly looking at.
Mr Teo added: "This is the part we need to keep a balance between making sure that Singaporeans will always have their job opportunities as well as making sure that no jobs are left unfilled to the extent that the companies could not function. This is the balance point where MOM, MTI are all working together to look at the different industry needs and making sure that our businesses can function."
- CNA/de
- wong chee tat :)
Friday, November 30, 2012
Small sachets are big help for clean water in developing world
Small sachets are big help for clean water in developing world
Updated 04:06 PM Nov 29, 2012
SINGAPORE - Mr Greg Allgood tears open a small sachet and dumps the powder into a large plastic container filled with brown, murky water. After about five minutes of stirring, clumps of sludge form and sink to the bottom as the water starts to clear.
"You let it settle, pour it through a cotton cloth and then you wait 20 minutes and it's ready to drink," said Mr Allgood, the United States-based director of Procter & Gamble Co's not-for-profit programme to provide clean water in developing nations and disaster zones.
"We reverse engineered a municipal water treatment plant, so something that costs tens of millions of dollars we can make for three and a half cents."
P&G, a consumer products giant, works with international and local humanitarian groups such as Care, World Vision and Save the Children to get the sachets to areas where dirty water is a leading cause of illness and death.
One sachet purifies 10 litres of water, enough for five people for one day, and it does not matter that the container and straining cloth are not clean. Shipping, duties and distribution, education and training by the groups on the ground take the final cost to about US$0.10 per packet.
The dirt in Mr Allgood's demonstration came from his garden, where his dog likes to romp. Iron sulphate is the coagulant that pulls together soil, heavy metals and parasites. Chlorine - a precise 80 granules per sachet - kills viruses and bacteria, including those that cause cholera.
"When the water is really dirty, there aren't a lot of low-cost technologies that work very well," Allgood, who has a PhD in toxicology and is P&G's point person in the Clinton Global Initiative, told Reuters in an interview before the formal opening of a new production plant in Singapore today.
"It seems strange to us but I hear it so many times - people see this and they say 'Oh my God, I was drinking dirty water'."
About 40 million sachets will be made this year at a plant in Pakistan and 100 million in Singapore, which is also P&G's global disaster relief hub. The goal is to make 200 million a year by 2020, equal to 2 billion litres of clean water.
Many of the sachets are sent to development projects in Africa and emerging Asian countries but were also handed out to people hit by floods and other disasters in Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Haiti, Mr Allgood said.
Clean water is also vital to people with HIV/AIDS, he added, as their damaged immune systems make them very vulnerable to life-threatening diarrhoea and other infections.
"It goes well with Scotch," Mr Allgood joked, handing over a glass of clear, clean water that had been dangerous to drink 30 minutes earlier and now had only a slight taste of chlorine.
In Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010, he said, the sachets were part of relief supplies and he visited tents for cholera victims, showing aid workers how the powder works.
"I grabbed a bucket out of the place where the effluent was from where they washed the clinic. I went and treated it and told the World Vision folks we had to drink it," he said. "They looked at me like I was crazy. But we did drink it." REUTERS
- wong chee tat :)
Updated 04:06 PM Nov 29, 2012
SINGAPORE - Mr Greg Allgood tears open a small sachet and dumps the powder into a large plastic container filled with brown, murky water. After about five minutes of stirring, clumps of sludge form and sink to the bottom as the water starts to clear.
"You let it settle, pour it through a cotton cloth and then you wait 20 minutes and it's ready to drink," said Mr Allgood, the United States-based director of Procter & Gamble Co's not-for-profit programme to provide clean water in developing nations and disaster zones.
"We reverse engineered a municipal water treatment plant, so something that costs tens of millions of dollars we can make for three and a half cents."
P&G, a consumer products giant, works with international and local humanitarian groups such as Care, World Vision and Save the Children to get the sachets to areas where dirty water is a leading cause of illness and death.
One sachet purifies 10 litres of water, enough for five people for one day, and it does not matter that the container and straining cloth are not clean. Shipping, duties and distribution, education and training by the groups on the ground take the final cost to about US$0.10 per packet.
The dirt in Mr Allgood's demonstration came from his garden, where his dog likes to romp. Iron sulphate is the coagulant that pulls together soil, heavy metals and parasites. Chlorine - a precise 80 granules per sachet - kills viruses and bacteria, including those that cause cholera.
"When the water is really dirty, there aren't a lot of low-cost technologies that work very well," Allgood, who has a PhD in toxicology and is P&G's point person in the Clinton Global Initiative, told Reuters in an interview before the formal opening of a new production plant in Singapore today.
"It seems strange to us but I hear it so many times - people see this and they say 'Oh my God, I was drinking dirty water'."
About 40 million sachets will be made this year at a plant in Pakistan and 100 million in Singapore, which is also P&G's global disaster relief hub. The goal is to make 200 million a year by 2020, equal to 2 billion litres of clean water.
Many of the sachets are sent to development projects in Africa and emerging Asian countries but were also handed out to people hit by floods and other disasters in Pakistan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Haiti, Mr Allgood said.
Clean water is also vital to people with HIV/AIDS, he added, as their damaged immune systems make them very vulnerable to life-threatening diarrhoea and other infections.
"It goes well with Scotch," Mr Allgood joked, handing over a glass of clear, clean water that had been dangerous to drink 30 minutes earlier and now had only a slight taste of chlorine.
In Haiti after the devastating earthquake of 2010, he said, the sachets were part of relief supplies and he visited tents for cholera victims, showing aid workers how the powder works.
"I grabbed a bucket out of the place where the effluent was from where they washed the clinic. I went and treated it and told the World Vision folks we had to drink it," he said. "They looked at me like I was crazy. But we did drink it." REUTERS
- wong chee tat :)
Spam and Scam
One of my friend got this message from whatsapp:
"WhatsApp is going to cost us money soon. The only way that it will stay free is if you are a frequent user i.e. you have at least 10 people you are chatting with. To become a frequent user send this message to 10 people who receive it (2 ticks) and your WhatsApp logo should turn Red to indicate a frequent user."
Whatsapp replied that is a hoax. Details
- wong chee tat :)
"WhatsApp is going to cost us money soon. The only way that it will stay free is if you are a frequent user i.e. you have at least 10 people you are chatting with. To become a frequent user send this message to 10 people who receive it (2 ticks) and your WhatsApp logo should turn Red to indicate a frequent user."
Whatsapp replied that is a hoax. Details
- wong chee tat :)
Four SMRT bus drivers to be charged for role in illegal strike
Four SMRT bus drivers to be charged for role in illegal strike
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 29 November 2012 1657 hrs
SINGAPORE: Four SMRT bus drivers from China were arrested between Wednesday and Thursday for their role in an illegal strike at Woodlands Dormitory on Monday and Tuesday.
They will be charged in court at 5pm on Thursday, Police said in a statement.
- CNA/de
- wong chee tat :)
By Imelda Saad | Posted: 29 November 2012 1657 hrs
SINGAPORE: Four SMRT bus drivers from China were arrested between Wednesday and Thursday for their role in an illegal strike at Woodlands Dormitory on Monday and Tuesday.
They will be charged in court at 5pm on Thursday, Police said in a statement.
- CNA/de
- wong chee tat :)
4 SMRT bus drivers charged with instigating illegal strike
4 SMRT bus drivers charged with instigating illegal strike
By Sharon See | Posted: 29 November 2012 1841 hrs
SINGAPORE: Four SMRT bus drivers from China were charged on Thursday with instigating an illegal strike involving fellow drivers at the Woodlands dormitory on 26 and 27 November.
The four are: He Jun Ling, 32; Gao Yue Qiang, 32; Liu Xiangying, 33; and Wang Xianjie, 39.
They are accused of engaging in a conspiracy to instigate the drivers to take part in the strike.
20 SMRT bus drivers were brought to the police headquarters for investigations on Wednesday.
Authorities could not confirm if more drivers would be charged over the next few days as the police are still investigating the case.
If convicted, each of them may be fined up to S$2,000 or jailed 12 months.
They will be remanded for a week at the Central Police Station.
He Jun Ling faces an additional charge of making an online post about the strike.
He is accused of calling his fellow drivers to "take action" in a post he wrote in Chinese on website Baidu.
He allegedly called the drivers to "go on MC together tomorrow, 26, Monday and 27, Tuesday."
He allegedly said that if a few hundred bus drivers did not report for work for a few days, there would be public outcry in Singapore and that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) would then have to start questioning SMRT.
He allegedly said the matter concerns the interest of everybody, and everyone should take part in the action.
Channel NewsAsia asked the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) if more drivers will be charged over the next few days.
In response, an AGC spokesperson said police are still investigating.
171 bus drivers took part in the strike on Monday and 88 of them continued with the strike on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, 20 SMRT bus drivers were called in by police to help with investigations.
"We understand the grievances of SMRT drivers and it's unfortunate that they sought to resolve this matter through organising an illegal strike," said Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo.
"Maintaining industrial harmony is very important to Singapore, particularly because public transport is one of the essential services so we have to take it in a very serious manner," she added.
Minister of State for Manpower Amy Khor also said she welcomed police investigations and that "what has happened has damaged this industrial harmony that we have built up over the years and swift action must be carried out".
Representatives from the Chinese Embassy were seen at the Subordinate Courts on Thursday.
Two officials from the Chinese Embassy also visited affected drivers at the Woodlands dormitory on Thursday evening, spending two hours in the dormitory.
In a statement in Mandarin on its website, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore expressed concern over the arrest of the four drivers.
It said its consular staff had conveyed its concern to the relevant authorities in Singapore and are making arrangements to pay the four arrested a consular visit.
The Embassy also urged all parties to remain calm and objective, and to work together to resolve the matter.
- CNA/ir/jc
- wong chee tat :)
By Sharon See | Posted: 29 November 2012 1841 hrs
SINGAPORE: Four SMRT bus drivers from China were charged on Thursday with instigating an illegal strike involving fellow drivers at the Woodlands dormitory on 26 and 27 November.
The four are: He Jun Ling, 32; Gao Yue Qiang, 32; Liu Xiangying, 33; and Wang Xianjie, 39.
They are accused of engaging in a conspiracy to instigate the drivers to take part in the strike.
20 SMRT bus drivers were brought to the police headquarters for investigations on Wednesday.
Authorities could not confirm if more drivers would be charged over the next few days as the police are still investigating the case.
If convicted, each of them may be fined up to S$2,000 or jailed 12 months.
They will be remanded for a week at the Central Police Station.
He Jun Ling faces an additional charge of making an online post about the strike.
He is accused of calling his fellow drivers to "take action" in a post he wrote in Chinese on website Baidu.
He allegedly called the drivers to "go on MC together tomorrow, 26, Monday and 27, Tuesday."
He allegedly said that if a few hundred bus drivers did not report for work for a few days, there would be public outcry in Singapore and that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) would then have to start questioning SMRT.
He allegedly said the matter concerns the interest of everybody, and everyone should take part in the action.
Channel NewsAsia asked the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) if more drivers will be charged over the next few days.
In response, an AGC spokesperson said police are still investigating.
171 bus drivers took part in the strike on Monday and 88 of them continued with the strike on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, 20 SMRT bus drivers were called in by police to help with investigations.
"We understand the grievances of SMRT drivers and it's unfortunate that they sought to resolve this matter through organising an illegal strike," said Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo.
"Maintaining industrial harmony is very important to Singapore, particularly because public transport is one of the essential services so we have to take it in a very serious manner," she added.
Minister of State for Manpower Amy Khor also said she welcomed police investigations and that "what has happened has damaged this industrial harmony that we have built up over the years and swift action must be carried out".
Representatives from the Chinese Embassy were seen at the Subordinate Courts on Thursday.
Two officials from the Chinese Embassy also visited affected drivers at the Woodlands dormitory on Thursday evening, spending two hours in the dormitory.
In a statement in Mandarin on its website, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore expressed concern over the arrest of the four drivers.
It said its consular staff had conveyed its concern to the relevant authorities in Singapore and are making arrangements to pay the four arrested a consular visit.
The Embassy also urged all parties to remain calm and objective, and to work together to resolve the matter.
- CNA/ir/jc
- wong chee tat :)
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