5/12/2012

Should the govt mandate a wage hike for low wage workers?




The above was the topic for discussion in the Talking Point programme of CNA this week. It was interesting to how the different sides presented their for and against arguments to raise pay for low wage workers and how the issue of productivity seemed to be a natural instinctive reaction to the pro govt view. The need to raise productivity was the most important position for the pro govt representative. No productivity, no need to talk about pay hike.

I would like CNA and its programme hosts, Dominic Loh and Daniel Martin, to have a similar programme, this time to discuss raising Ministerial Pay and the issue of productivity thrown in. It will be nice to see if productivity is an issue and a fundamental reason to be used before any pay hike for ministers and for that matter, the President.  Was or should productivitybe an issue or a primary factor in raising Ministerial Pay?

I think CNA’s viewership will be instantly raised if such a topic is being put on air.

10 comments:

  1. The whole idea behind opening up the borders to allow freer labour markets was to expose the local labour force to competition and allow private enterprise more flexibility, greater resources so that they can, collectively, increase the commonwealth for all.

    Mandating pay rises is simply giving UNEARNED REWARDS -- it makes no sense, causes unemployment and is grossly UNFAIR to those who strive to better their circumstance.

    State salaries and perks are completely different matter. The govt taxes people and enterprise and awards outrageous mostly UNEARNED REWARDS to greedy fucks...that's how govts run, and there is little anyone can do about it except spit on your vote every few years.

    And it is natural get angry for this "injustice" because most of us instinctively know that the more productive you are in creating value for your customers or your boss, the more money you earn. And most people work motherfucking hard to do this because if they don't the economic consequences to their lives are hell.

    Then you get some arsehole with a big mouth always talking shit...and he/ she earns several orders of magnitude more than you simply because "parliament says so"...of course you are going to fume with outrage, and want to fuck these cunts with a fistful of greasy chopsticks.

    However sooner or later, you have to get over ==> yourself <== and your understandable anger. The people get the government they desire -- these fuckers are in, they pay themselves obscene amounts, and that dear readers is the reality. As long as they have the AUTHORITY to TAX, they can do what the fuck they like.

    However in the private sector, every dollar out must have a "reason", because that dollar is CAPITAL. Business people are usually very frugal in their thinking when it comes to enterprise. They understand money and capital. What they spend or invest must make sense.

    Wealth is hard to create but easy to destroy.

    In business you have to risk valuable capital in the hope of making a profit. You have to moderated emotions in order to defer consumption, and expose yourself to more stress and risk through credit, you are always battling the competition, the every present risk of lawsuits, theft, fraud etc etc.. and the constant upward pressure on costs and outgoings.

    And then there is the matter of dealing with people: your customers, suppliers and your own staff. People are difficult. They require constant attention and effort. Like it or not, no people, no business.

    Then after a few years of sleepless nights, no time for family...you could very well lose your shirt. Those who've never experienced this should try it before they open their big mouths on TV.

    You want safety and big money? Get an executive position in the govt, and join the rest of the mentally disordered thugs.

    You want self respect and genuinely like solving peoples' problems for a profit, try private enterprise.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. How minimum wage laws cause unemployment

    People most affected: the low skilled, low pay people -- people who depend on a job. You mandate wages above market rate, many of them simply lose their jobs.

    Wage hike for low wage workers means you increase the cost of labour above market rates. Businesses have NO CHOICE but to lay some workers off -- and these will be the most vulnerable people, the least skilled, the least productive.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You are preaching nonsense again. Free competition must be free and on an equal basis. The competition from countries with lower cost of living is not free competition. Further, Sinkies have a lot of yoke hung around their neck and chains on their legs. Don't be stupid can or not?

    As for business taking risk for profit, that is true when one is taking risk with one's own money. Look at the huge funds and banks risking their customers money for high risk, high return and high reward, but not risking a single cent of their own money. And many hide under secrecy or non disclosure until they were or are bankrupt a 100 times before announcing their death.

    Think Wall Street during the subprime crisis and think which organisations here are operating under the same rules and taking the same big risks with no transparency. They may have lost their pants but kept cooking a balance sheet showing huge profits.

    ReplyDelete
  5. "I would like CNA and its programme hosts, Dominic Loh and Daniel Martin, to have a similar programme, this time to discuss raising Ministerial Pay and the issue of productivity thrown in", unquote.

    Preferably, the Prime Minister and Minister Lim Swee Say be in the panel as well, otherwise, there is no justice to the discussion.

    ReplyDelete
  6. OK. You win lah.

    Competing with cuntrees with lower COL is competition -- at least on one level -- the cost of labour. You still have to spend money training then managing those pre-historic fucks or else your products won't be competitive at any selling price. Price competition is only one type of competition. Some people buy on price, most of us weigh the price with the quality, service, other incentives and sometimes the "snob" value.

    WRT to huge funds and Wall Street: most businesses are SME's. They don't have access to big lines of credit or big issues of corporate bonds or share IPO's.

    They struggle to make a sustainable buck. Most SME's don't even survive 10 years. Most of the time, the owners capitalise their venture with private capital -- their own mostly, and perhaps other partners and financial institutions, if they are lucky.

    People leave their safe, lucrative jobs to go into business for themselves. I'll bet you many times these tireless, courageous small business owners wish that they're working for a regular wage, 9-5, weekends off plus paid annual leave and xx% bonus.

    You mandate the cost of labour higher than the market price, well-funded big business has yet another edge over the SME's.

    Then one day you wake up and you find your cuntree is owned in entirety by one or two gargantun corporations, and they are power-crazy assholes. Gone is your friendly neighborhood thambi selling hard to get magazines. Now you have no choice but to buy from MPH, which is a subsidiary of Temasek. Everything owned by the government. Essentially you have a centrally controlled, authoritarian corporatist state.

    Matilah Singapura.

    ReplyDelete
  7. What, you thinking about winning and losing in a blog? : )

    We can post contradictory viewpoints but ultimately we have to tell the whole truths, not contrived or distorted truths. With the level of literacy in our population, the jokers who still think they can say black is white is asking to have shit thrown on their faces.

    And to think that so many jokers are still fixing up statistics to con the people and think they can get away with them. My god, either they are daft or they think the Sinkies are really daft.

    ReplyDelete
  8. No one is obliged to tell the truth, unless there is a sort of contractual obligation involved.

    If you have an "authority", chances are they will do whatever is necessary to achieve their ends with whatever means they can use -- including fudging figures or distortions or even outright lies. Authorities are obliged to be truthful, but often they just blatantly don't give a fuck and just bullshit.

    So what are you going to do? How will you "win" for yourself?

    Got intelligence?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Intelligence got lah, but not talented enough to wear all white lah.
    However, Redbean got plenty of gut, not a bad thing surely.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The software helps in customizing the contact lists required for broadcasting. It significantly reduces repetitive steps and increases the speed of delivery of documents. Availing this scheme is very easy, and in not much time you can have the cash in your hand.

    ReplyDelete