The problem with the Gahmen and politicians in Singapore is hor, they always like to use sibei powderful and chim England to explain very simple things. Make until Singaporeans from supposed to understand, until we all don’t understand.
Recently in Parliament, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic has showed that the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) is better than Minimum Wage.
But hor, the way he explained is so chim until lao niang read liao got a lot of question mark. So, lao niang very kind, decided to do him a favour by helping him to do a Singlish version – easier to understand.
PWM gives the affected sector time to heart inside prepare first
Instead of suddenly drop the bomb and tell the affected sector: “Eh, next month we must increase the salaries of all the cleaners hor”
This PWM requires the tripartite partners such as the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the tow kays, the union to sit down togetherly and discuss first. How much to increase, when to increase, all these is got discuss beforehand one. Then maybe also need to sweet talk a bit to the tow kays and service buyers, make them soft heart and agree to the salary increment.
Is like you want to go out and happy hour with your friends, but your wife like got a bit PMS. You also don’t want to start a World War 3 at home with your wife right? So you sweet talk, buy flowers, help to do some housework first before you break the news to your wife and ask her for permission.
Imagine if you never sweet talk to your wife and ask her can go out happy hour? Your wife will probably ask you to go jiak sai (eat shit) or make you kneel down on the abacus.
So the same logic lor. Must sweet talk a bit, nice nice to the tow kays and service buyers, give them time to heart inside prepare themselves for the increment first.
This kind of cham siong is what minimum wage don’t have.
PWM gives service buyers confidence that pay cleaners more = lagi better service
Human nature is like that one what. When you pay more money, of course you expect better service? Imagine you go siam diu then you spend a lot of money buy flower garlands, but end up the siam bu who come to you the face macam kena lorry bang, you will happy meh? OF COURSE NOT!
So same for this PWM, which is an outcome-based contracting. When service buyers are expected to pay more, they also want their floor lah, carpet lah, whatever that needs to be cleaned will be sparkly clean.
Therefore, this PWM will make that happen because it requires the cleaners to upgrade their skills and learn how to use those dua leng kong transformer-like machines to increase their productivity and be able to clean better than before.
But minimum wage jiu don’t have such thing hor. Pay $10 is like that, pay $100 also ma like that. So why should tow kay pay the cleaners more leh? Pay minimum can liao mah.
PWM help to uplift lower-wage workers
Not only this PWM will help low-wage workers to increase their salaries, but it will also help them to learn more skills too. This will then give them an edge over other people who do not know how to operate those dua leng kong machines.
Especially during this kind of COVID-19 pandemic, where everyone will want to be giam kana as much as they can. But then if these low-wage workers can show that they got more skills and can value-add better, if you tow kay you also will prefer to employ them, tio bo?
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