Gintai lost his job as a train driver

One of our regular bloggers that stopped posting after his long story of his conversation with Shanmugam posted in his blog has lost his job as a train driver with SMRT. He worked 18 years in the company and is still fit to drive maybe for another 10 years. Was he dismissed, sacked, asked to resign, asked to leave, or whatever term you called it, he lost his job. He is a full blooded Sinkie.
 
This is what Gintai said of his experience as a train driver,
 
‘For almost 18 years, I live, sleep and breath within the train system. I worked almost every day including off days unless I was on courses or on leave. I can’t even recall when was the last time I reported sick. I work with all kinds of odd hours with bizarre reporting timings and rotating shifts with rotating off days. Almost everyday, I had to remember my train timings, places (depots, stations and different platforms etc) to take the trains and worry about my train schedules. If I miss taking the train, the handing over driver will need to continue driving the train. With few misses within a short time-span, it’s out you go. That is one example of many where I was always pre-occupied with trains – even in my sleep; over the last 18 years. I had to force myself to sleep if I were to wake up at 4am the next morning to prepare for work sleep or no sleep! The train must be launched from the depot! No one will understand what I’m trying to say here except the 400 over train drivers in the system whose job is to move millions of passengers regardless of rain or shine, flooding or ponding, lightning or thunder!’
 
And this is what his India Indian friend had to say about his abrupt departure.
 
‘My FT Indian friend Manish had this to say, “… India maybe 3rd world country but it seems that Singapore is poorer than India in all respects now. If they can’t take care of a person who served 18 yrs loyally, then it’s curtain down for them where human values are concerned. You take care my friend.” PS: Reproduced with permission.’
It is so regrettable that an experienced train driver with so many years of dedicated service and loyalty will have to be let off. Nevermind, they will train another foreigner to take over his job if they cannot find another Sinkie to do so. Welcome to the unemployed PMET club.
 
Gintai should give his friend Shanmugam a call. Maybe he will be able to fix him with a better job now that the govt is talking about Fair Consideration Framework to consider Singaporeans first in job offers. Looks like Gintai did not benefitted from FCF.
I feel sorry for Gintai. Hope he will get a job soon. If not he can join Gilbert Goh and speak up in Hong Lim Park for the unemployed PMETs. This group of Sinkies is growing in strength daily. And thank God the govt is working very hard to help them and get them a job.