Conservancy workers at PAP town councils to get pay rise

Conservancy workers at PAP town councils to get pay rise

    By Saifulbahri Ismail
    POSTED: 03 Nov 2013 18:40
  
Conservancy workers at the 15 PAP Town Councils will soon be able to earn more under a progressive wage model salary structure. Under the new salary structure, the salary of cleaners will start from S$1,200 a month, up from an average of S$1,000 currently.

SINGAPORE: Conservancy workers at the 15 PAP Town Councils will soon be able to earn more under a progressive wage model salary structure. Under the new salary structure, the salary of cleaners will start from S$1,200 a month, up from an average of S$1,000 currently.

However, residents may have to pay more for service and conservancy charges.

Coordinating chairman of the PAP Town Councils, Dr Teo Ho Pin, said: "Definitely, when we improve our services to better serve our residents, the cost of maintenance will increase. So, at some point in time we will need to revise the S&C charges.

"But I think our residents understand that quality comes with a price. We want to do this to achieve a few objectives. First, is that we would like to better serve our residents -- so that we can enhance the conservancy standards in all our housing estates, in all the 15 PAP Town Councils.

"Secondly, we want to support the government's effort to increase the salary of the low-wage workers and also to protect the employment benefits of the low-wage workers."

The PAP Town Councils signed a Memorandum of Understanding with 19 conservancy contractors to pay them according to the recommended salary.

As the worker upgrades to be a supervisor, he can earn S$1,600 and above. However, even with the higher salaries, companies said attracting workers is still a challenge.

Dennis Tan, general manager of LS 2 Services, said: "To be honest, estate cleaning... it's a harsh environment. It requires block sweeping, outdoor sweeping. So, I think we still face challenges.

"But with the implementation of progressive wage, we hope that more workers will join our cleaning industry. With more training and improvement of productivity, I hope this industry can be professionalised."

- CNA/ac

- wong chee tat :)