Dear Chao Kuan Companies, still want to hire foreign workers siboh? Sorry hor not so easy liao!

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Singapore’s foreign workers problem has been a long-standing one which resulted in a “them-vs-us” mentality amongst many Singaporeans. Understandably, the concerns and pressure from the competition from these foreign workers are making a lot of Singaporeans sibei kan jiong and giving them a lot of stress until at night cannot sleep.

Hence during the National Rally speech on Sunday (29 Aug), PM Lee also took the chance to address some of these concerns and how the Gahmen is intending to solve this problem.

In case you were too busy dining out as a first-class vaccinated citizen, here’s what the Gahmen is going to do to protect our local workers.

Protecting local workers

Companies must ensure that foreign workers who come into Singapore to work on Employment Pass (EP) are of high quality. Means hor they must have relevant experiences and qualifications, cannot anyhowly smoke and then suka-suka let them in.

Gahmen will also continue to tighten criteria for EPs and S Passes so that companies only can bring in work pass holders into industries where they are needed the most.

For sectors like the financial and IT sectors where there are a lot of work pass holders, Gahmen will work with regulators and government agencies like Tripartite Alliance for Fair & Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) to catch those chao kuan companies which favours their own people and discriminate against Singaporeans.

Remember last month we wrote about labour MP Patrick Tay went to Parliament to ask the Gahmen to do something to protect locals from being unfairly discriminated by chao kuan companies, best is to orh-gong them? During his parliament speech, he also got ask Gahmen to give TAFEP more power to protect the local PMEs.

Then during the National Day Rally speech, PM Lee shared that the Gahmen finally decided to adopt Patrick Tay’s suggestion. Because they also want to ensure all employees are being fairly treated at their workplace. So, a new Tribunal will specially be legislated to deal with workplace discrimination wor. Not just for nationality issues, but all other kinds of discrimination covered by TAFEP, one stone skill many birds.

Steady lah Patrick ge ge!

Hopefully lah, this will help to reduce the tensions and anti-foreigner sentiments when Singaporeans are working with their foreign colleagues, especially for the financial and IT sectors. Because bo bian leh, these 2 are growing sectors leh. And Singapore needs people with these work pass holders with these skills here. And the idea is for these people to teach and groom as many Singaporeans as possible and for Singaporeans to take on senior positions. After their mission is accomplished liao, we can then send them balik kampong.

Singapore must always stay open

While Singapore deals with all these foreign workers problem, PM Lee also reminds Singaporeans that a lot of these foreign workers got contribute to Singapore one leh. As a global and regional hub, Singapore also cannot say suka-suka 搞自闭 (shut ourselves in). By doing that hor we are really digging our own graves sia.

And let’s also not forget that Singapore began as a nation of immigrants.

If we really want to be so calculative so giam gana, actually we all have 0.3426283525252% of foreigner blood in us leh. Some of our ah gong ah ma also 飘洋过海雾锁南洋 came from other countries one wor?

And say real one, 逃得了一时,逃不了一世 you know? Means hor we can defend them from entering Singapore to compete with us for once, but who can guarantee we can do so forever ah? Now with this COVID-19, everyone can work remotely, also no need for them to be physically here to fight them lah.

So hor, let’s not be so small-minded and so gei gao.


If you’d like to contribute your story to us, drop us an email at editors@sureboh.sg and we’ll review it. We read each submission that comes to us within two weeks of receiving it.

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If you’d like to contribute your story to us, drop us an email at editors@sureboh.sg and we’ll review it. We read each submission that comes to us within two weeks of receiving it.

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