So the troublemaking Chinamen have been sent packing. After their audacious strike, they were duly bundled into a detention centre, questioned and the true deviants were sieved out. The public was alarmed at their bold move. It was exciting but we all knew, also stupid. The gahmen never deals with those who don't toe the line - the locals know this well. Maybe their crime was ignorance. The media certainly portrayed them as unruly and ultimately undeserving of pity. Quickly the matter was tidied up and justice (for the hearts and minds of politicians and unnerved public) was meted out. Bye bye bus drivers.
But wait, here's the kicker. Here's what most people observing the drama weren't told. The striking workers didn't simply decide over the weekend to go on strike and disrupt lives. They didn't suddenly band together in disdain of their employers. It wasn't a rash act. Their action came after a few months' negotiation, talks and requests made to the SMRT, or so it seems. I was pointed Vincent Wijeysingha's Facebook post on the issue and he explained the situation quite differently from what we heard or read in the press. It extols of various efforts the bus drivers made to explain their situation and seek redress; how various gahmen bodies seemed to ignore these and other foreign worker gripes; how the public is presented with the incomplete picture by official who seems to only in the side of Big Brother. The drivers were once told “You can resign and go to SBS" by their employer.
The NTUC couldn't do squat and the Transport Workers Union professed their uselessness. These guys who came thousands of miles to drive all day, for 6 days or more in a row, to live in a dorm, to earn less than $1300 a month sending Singaporeans to and fro, were now helpless. And in trouble.
I was at odds after reading the post. Trust and fairness has always been the cornerstone of out gahmen. Now I am a little shaken. If a large government-linked corporation can wield an iron fist to those who seek to be heard, then it has failed as a progressive employer. Everyone in SMRT should be ashamed. Their HR dept should quit. It was later mentioned that "SMRT has deep seated issues" by some official. You bet.
I googled "SMRT employer HR awards" and it turns out the 2010 Aviva Best HR team award went to our infamous transport operator. Guess it the team doesn't handle lowly paid bus drivers with the same talent.
2 comments:
LETTER OF APOLOGY
I, Vincent Wijeysingha, wrote and posted the article entitled “‘You can resign and go to SBS,’ the drivers were told” on my Facebook account on 2 December 2012 (the “Article”). The Article’s focus was on the recent illegal strike by the Chinese bus drivers of SMRT Corporation Ltd, which took place on 26 and 27 November 2012. In the Article, I made the following allegations (the “Allegations”) against Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, the Acting Minister for Manpower and the Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development, Singapore (the “Minister”):
(1) The Minister was either dishonest or deceptive when he said that he was not aware of the particular complaint by the Chinese bus drivers which led to the strike.
(2) The Minister was being untruthful, dishonest and/or at the very least disingenuous, in his assurance to the public that there are legitimate processes in place for the settlement of labour disputes, and his said claim reflects the fact that he is systematically dishonest, as he knew that no legitimate processes existed for the Chinese bus drivers to avail themselves of and/or settle their labour concerns and disputes.
(3) The Minister’s lack of honesty and integrity resulted from the fact that he has been bought by monetary and material inducements.
I accept that the Allegations above are wholly untrue and false. They are made without basis, and are defamatory of the Minister. I withdraw wholly the Allegations, and apologise unreservedly to the Minister. I undertake not to repeat the same or similar Allegations, or cause such same or similar Allegations to be published, in the future.
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