Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Minimum wage needed for those doing dirty, difficult jobs

In “Foreign worker curbs ‘to reduce income disparity’” (Jan 19), Minister Grace Fu said plumbers in Australia are highly paid.

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp
Danny Chua Hock Chye

In “Foreign worker curbs ‘to reduce income disparity’” (Jan 19), Minister Grace Fu said plumbers in Australia are highly paid.

Even cleaners in Norway, which is a high-tax, high-pension country, are paid S$5,000 a month. We do not expect our cleaners to be paid that, but they should get at least a minimum wage to ensure a reasonable standard of living.

Foreign worker curbs may reduce income inequality, but this may not be true without minimum wages for cleaners, security guards and others, especially in countries where foreign workers are used for dirty, difficult jobs that locals shun. And we should ensure that employers do not circumvent income requirements for work passes by deducting so-called expenses for training, lodging, transport, food, et cetera.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.