Security officers are vital partners of the Home Team
Private security officers can look forward to significantly higher wages in the coming years. This comes after proposals put forth by a tripartite committee on the security wage ladder were accepted by the Government on Friday (Nov 12). With this update, the basic monthly wage for security officers who are the lowest-ranked on the ladder […]
Finding an alternate path in the security sector
“Quiet, composed and a little shy”, is how I would describe Security Supervisor (SS), Mr Mohamad Isa, 50. He had spent the last 20 years in the hospitality sector, doing F&B. In 2017, he switched paths to security because of his age and the physical exertion that it took, as F&B required him to be […]
Cleaning Aunty Mdm Chan: “I feel valued and appreciated for my work!”
It’s hard to imagine working in the same company for more than five years, let alone 10. But Mdm Chan, 57, tells me that she has been working as a cleaner at an audit firm for 12 whooping years. “What made you stay on for so long?” I was curious. You see, most of the […]
Shouldering costs so our lower wage workers can be paid more
Recently, it was announced that the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) for cleaners, security guards and lift and escalator technicians would see a greater increase, effectively boosting the salaries of all these workers. That’s great news but it also means that we, as consumers, must also play our part. What it takes to implement wage increases […]
Government accepts higher wages proposed for Cleaners by Tripartite Cluster
Cleaners can look forward to higher wages over six years from 2023, after proposals by the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners (TCC) were accepted by the Government on Monday (Jun 7). Over the years, the base pay of cleaners has risen gradually under the PWM. It now stands at S$1,236. Come July, it will rise to […]
Better work environment and protection for the Private Security Officers
Security officers perform a crucial function of keeping people and property safe but unfortunately, they often bear the brunt of the abuse. In fact, the abuse has gone up. In the latest survey conducted by the Union of Security Employees (USE), close to 4 in 10 Security Officers (42.3%) face abuse at the workplace. This […]
Higher PWM basic wage for cleaners; 3% year-on-year increase till 2022
Cleaners used to be one of the lowest-paid jobs in Singapore with no prospects to earn more. All that changed with the Progressive Wage Model. Introduced in 2012, Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model is a skill and productivity-based approach to redesigning jobs and restructuring wages in a sustainable way. It is mandatory in the cleaning industry […]
Minimum Wage vs Progressive Wage Model: A Closer Look
The first countries to pass minimum wage laws were Australia in 1907 and the United States Congress in 1938. Fast forward to 2021, poverty remains a significant problem in these countries. Yet, we still have politicians pushing for something that does not work. Minimum Wage and its potential trade-offs in Singapore Loss of employment When […]
Meet the 54-year-old Landscape Maintenance Worker who turns his passion into a profession
You know you’re #adulting when you develop a hobby for all things plant and gardening. For Mr Chan, it has become his full-time hobby as a landscape maintenance worker. Before discovering his passion, Chan Tuck Hon, 54, worked in the transport industry for 16 years where he spent 10 hours a day seated. Life as […]
It takes more than a minimum wage to stand in solidarity with our brothers
It is in the interest of a cohesive society to lift the wages of workers at the bottom of the ladder. So said Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Singapore Perspectives 2021. In the last 10 years, lower-income Singaporeans at the 20th percentile of the income ladder have seen their real incomes increase by about […]