My company is full of F.T! Common jobs also need F.T???
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what no need to worry about sexual harassment? you living in your own world is it? sexual harassment, hey look here, I am harassed every now and then here in Singapore, so what are you talking?Originally posted by the_fallen:what's LPPL?
Please go and get your facts right before coming here to discuss.
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From: the_fallen
Member
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 803
True, but try looking from their point of view too.
They at times have communication barrier with us Singaporeans too, thus they have to work double hard to catch up with us.
If they are living in Singapore while they are working, how much can they save anyway? Don't they have to pay their rental too?
Don't they need to buy meals everyday to eat?
How much can they send back after cutting away the expenses?
For them (for what I know) they (example China friends) come Singapore study, and work part time, they can save money no doubt, but once a year they go back, it cost a bomb, and thus their savings for the past 1 yr, gone in just a trip usually between CNY.
Over doing it, perhaps, that's the way things are, and I'm supporting it.
I rather they come in, or we will suffer even more.
If they don't come in, our Taxes will SKY ROCKET till I don't even want to imagine.
Whatever tax the govt collected, partially goes to giving the elders as part of their benefits. More discounts here and there etc..
Do you want to pay more tax?
If you don't want, than learn to accept the FT.
Cost of living is high no doubt, this is the price that we have to pay for being in a 1st World Country where it's save to walk around without having to worry about sexual harassment when you walk in the streets. (Try walking in western countries - feedback from my female friends who flew there)
You don't need to worry about snatch thief also.
Unless it's during Holiday celebration in crowded area than different thing.
There's no perfect country, we have to learn to give and take.
_________
Hey, the_fallen, please come down to earth don't talk rod here. You are living in your own world. If you can't empathise and you live in your own world without putting yourself in other people's shoes, shut up. Get your facts right before coming here to pinpoint at people. -
I agree that the wages have to be lowered to compete with cheaper labours elsewhere but the wages must also be realistic so that the bare cost of living can be met. How can a Singaporean sustain the cost of living in Singapore with forerign workersÂ’ wages? Prices of every other essential things are going up. Especially leasing of HDB flats.Originally posted by TooFree:It depends on the type of industry you are referring to, unless you specifically referring to certain industry. In most technological-driven industry, acquiring cheaper labour cost benefits the company in the long run. The trade-off is only the routinise task faced by the production workers and may have adverse impact on their performance in the long run.
Safety matters and quality of workers cannot be lump together if the company has a good safety culture in place and abide by law and regulation in practice.
Last but not the least have it occured to you that if the most qualified workers in a developed society are willingly to do the job for a minimum sum then there is no need for company to relocate their manufacturing plant to China or India.
Safety is definitely compromised when certain risky jobs are outsourced. I remembered a recent mishap where a worker pruning a tree fell and died. The basket at the end of the crane boom was tilted because of the crane operatorÂ’s carelessness.
This worker need not die if the employer has issued safety belt to him and ensure that he used it. I also wonder if the crane operator is certified to operate the crane.
Some cheapskate employers donÂ’t invest in safety equipment, safety shoes or even issue disposible gloves to the workers.
Of cause there are other factors such as time pressure or reduced headcounts which contributed to industrial accidents. All for what? Their bottom line is save costs, increase profits, no budget for the wellbeing of the staff. -
i believe there are foreign Talent and there are foreigners lookin for jobs.Originally posted by joola74:I am one of a real life targets of F.T problem.My office are full of F.T...
And these jobs, which our local can do as better as the F.T.Taking example, our I.T department.
Of the 15 I.T personels, only one is a local true born Singaporean.The rest either is from Malaysia or China.What i don't understand is, don't tell me I.T assistant also need foreign 'Talent'???What kind of talent can an I.T assistant provide for our country?Then you can see our H.R most of them from other countries.Then our cleaners... and those production workers.
If you guys got go shopping buy bread, i think i don't need to explain much because all of them are F.T workers.I mean those bread shop, Kopi shop,
market selling fruits, now we can see more of them as F.T here.
I only see that the I.T assistant girl daily job is to assist the I.T administrator job and he is from Malaysia too.Haha, and i think his job also can be done by our local I.T dip holders.And not forgetting our technicans, engineers...
almost more than 90% are F.T.And to my surprise almost more than half of them are getting PR already and are ready to get their red i.c sooner or later.I really need to ask our government, why are there so many F.T in Singapore getting the jobs which our locals can do???
They are not consider top professional jobs but common jobs which doesnt fit what the government keep telling us, we need Foriegn 'Talents' to keep us afloat!!!Anyone here got any others F.T experience do share in this thread!!!Thanks for reading....!!! -
Originally posted by the_fallen:
lets b realistic here... who cares how much they save? who cares what they eat? we, or rather i, care about how much i earn, what i eat! we didnt vote THEM to make our lives more difficult, we voted them to make our lives easier!
True, but try looking from their point of view too.
They at times have communication barrier with us Singaporeans too, thus they have to work double hard to catch up with us.
If they are living in Singapore while they are working, how much can they save anyway? Don't they have to pay their rental too?
Don't they need to buy meals everyday to eat?
How much can they send back after cutting away the expenses?
For them (for what I know) they (example China friends) come Singapore study, and work part time, they can save money no doubt, but once a year they go back, it cost a bomb, and thus their savings for the past 1 yr, gone in just a trip usually between CNY.Originally posted by the_fallen:
O RLY?
Over doing it, perhaps, that's the way things are, and I'm supporting it.
I rather they come in, or we will suffer even more.
If they don't come in, our Taxes will SKY ROCKET till I don't even want to imagine.
Whatever tax the govt collected, partially goes to giving the elders as part of their benefits. More discounts here and there etc..
Do you want to pay more tax?
If you don't want, than learn to accept the FT.
taxes will rise?
are they not already rising? (hint GST)
part of the taxes go to elders as part of their benifits? more discount? where does the rest go?
y not subsidise even more? hospital bills especially. elders are prone to illnesses and injuries, and mediwhatever cant even cover the entire cost.
The money we earn is for us to spend and enjoy.Originally posted by the_fallen:
yup, there every country is far from perfect, but
Cost of living is high no doubt, this is the price that we have to pay for being in a 1st World Country where it's save to walk around without having to worry about sexual harassment when you walk in the streets. (Try walking in western countries - feedback from my female friends who flew there)
You don't need to worry about snatch thief also.
Unless it's during Holiday celebration in crowded area than different thing.
There's no perfect country, we have to learn to give and take.
1St world country? (we are far from this, no wait... are you talking about the cost of living? if u are, we are pretty near here)
no sexual harassment?
no need to worry about snatch theives?
u've got to be joking!Originally posted by the_fallen:
so what happened to those who upgraded? they got a job that lets them have 3 meals?
THis is what will happen to us when we don't act now!
They are the typical example of Sit and Wait for Doomsday.
They refuse to change, to upgrade, and learn new things to earn a living, instead they accept the fact that Singapore is too progressing too fast, they can't catch up.
But hey, if we were to think back, how many times has govt hinted and gave us promotions and post advertisments to encourage us to upgrade?
Did we heed their advice?
Majority of us didn't, thus who can we blame?
Sit and Wait? if u cant find a job, what else can u do except sit and wait? are upgrading courses free? if u are cash strapped, and having 3 meals is almost becoming a problem, would upgrading be the 1st thing on your mind?Originally posted by the_fallen:
the govt can dont encourage freeloaders, but pls, have laws or regulations that protect the rights of the workers, instead of favoring the employers!
If govt encourage freeloaders than Singapore will go bankrupt in no time.Originally posted by the_fallen:
healthy lifestyle? lol
Health, thousands of times, govt encourage us to lead a healthy life style, but how many of us really heed their advice?
In fact it should be we taking charge of our own health, govt don't even need to care nor help us, nor are they even obliged to help us in any way, since it's none of their business in the first place.
If we derserve to be help, than look around our surroundings, how many people are smoking despite govt keep increasing the cost of it?
How many really make it an effort to go exercise and keep a healthy life-style.
Don't give me the excuse of hectic work-life.
It's just a matter of we want to, or we must exercise.
how much time do we have to exercise?
govt not obliged to help us? den govt 4 wat 1? help themselves? or employers?
none of their business? if it was, they wouldnt even bother telling people to have a healthy lifestyle right?
the amount of people smoking despite rising costs? if the government really wanted to stop smoking, they could ban it, like what they did to chewing gum. is chewing gum detrimental to health in the 1st place? and you know y some people smoke? look cool? i think not, more like get out from their cubicle and relieve stress.Originally posted by the_fallen:
really? looking in the negative side will cause 1 to improve, as he/she will find faults and try to make them disappear.
It's just a mindset, there's always 2 sides to looking at every issue, just that I choose to look at the positive side.
As I myself see no gain in looking at the negative side, we don't earn anything, neither will our problems go away, thus when we look positive at least our life can be better.
while looking on the positive side, he/she will be content and even if he/she does'nt become complacent, he.she can only sustain his/her results, cos he/she cant find areas to improve on.
lolppl -
I think the dual issues of this regime's FT policy and globalisation are, while intrinsically linked to some extent, two seperate entities.
As someone has indicated in another thread on wage index, this regime's FT policy cannot be explained by the market forces of globalisation alone when what you've is an open policy of wooing foreigners on two fronts - the skilled ones whose expertise cannot be compensated for by the limited supply of such professionals locally and the unskilled ones willing to do a job at a price cheaper than the locals. Honestly, it's not the issue of the skilled professionals which many Singaporeans find hard to come to terms with (afterall, there're capable Singaporeans working in other parts of the world too). It is ultimately the latter that's the source of much gripe amongst locals here for it explains why the poorer educated locals (who, in turn, have more limited job options) remain the most marginalised in the process.
If anything, " globalisation " is nothing more than a smokescreen used to justify the inadequate safeguards this regime has in place for those marginalised Singaporeans who are feeling the effects of such engineered "globalisation" policies... -
Whining will not reverse globalisation. If foreigners are can do the same job and are willing to do so at lower pay, the job will go to them.
For the hypocrites who talk about protecting jobs for locals, let me ask you: "Will you be willing to pay more to the restaurant owner who employs local workers?" -
Just as idiots will never understand globalisation in its entirety...Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Whining will not reverse globalisation. If foreigners are can do the same job and are willing to do so at lower pay, the job will go to them.
For the hypocrites who talk about protecting jobs for locals, let me ask you: "Will you be willing to pay more to the restaurant owner who employs local workers?" 
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What exactly is globalisation and what does it entail in its entirety?Originally posted by walesa:Just as idiots will never understand globalisation in its entirety...
I think OM put it quite simply and succintly, albeit not entirely sensitive to the greater majority of people. But nonetheless, in my humble opinion, he is right. -
Perhaps, you'd like to go over this or this and ask those folks with gripes on why they find it hard to come to terms with the idea the 17th most expensive city in the world actually commands wages, which on an index after accomodating taxes, that is ranked the 36th most competitive?Originally posted by lordofdarkness:What exactly is globalisation and what does it entail in its entirety?
I think OM put it quite simply and succintly, albeit not entirely sensitive to the greater majority of people. But nonetheless, in my humble opinion, he is right.
If that's exclusively the result of globalisation, perhaps you could try explaining how Switzerland (whose immigration population expressed as a proportion of its total population is approximately half that of Singapore's) actually has 2 of its cities (Geneva is ranked 2nd on the wage index and the 7th most expensive city; Zurich is ranked 1st on the wage index and the 9th most expensive city) ranked as having the highest wage indexes while the gap between Singapore's cost of living and wage index remains disproportionately large?
If everything could be attributed to globalisation without the need for social responsibility, we shouldn't be seeing legislations to provide minimum wage (in many parts of the western world) or outlaw child labour (as is the case with many parts of the developing world), should we? -
SCARED OF FT Ah??
This will become of you:
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering
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Clearly, companies are taking advantage of labour law inadequacies to hire cheaper so-called f.t.s than locals Screw the top dogs who only know how to sit pretty up there looking through rose-tinted glasses and having absolutely no idea wat goes on the ground and yet still dare to demand an increase in salary! Wonder how those guys can sleep at night..........
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Perhaps this is the way you feel.Originally posted by rane:Hey, the_fallen, please come down to earth don't talk rod here. You are living in your own world. If you can't empathise and you live in your own world without putting yourself in other people's shoes, shut up. Get your facts right before coming here to pinpoint at people.
I do understand how it feels like in fact.
Coz I'm also a singaporean myself.
I can only blame myself for not being useful to employers to secure at least a stable job.
I just lost a high paying part time job last month only. Don't I know how it hurts to lose income?
Lol.
I'm young, yet I already got 'early retrencement'
If I can get it so soon, I afraid there will be many others will will get such sudden notice of last min retrencement.
I work there for 2 months, than within just a short notice of 1 hr, i gtg leave the office in 2 hrs time. Is this the life that all of us are going to face too when we all work?
You may be right to a certain extent that I'm living in my own world, but I'm living in a world of being holding myself responsible for things which I can control, and not to complain this and that when we don't gain anything out of complaining.
I choose to be happy rather than to be sad via complaining this and that, only gain from complaining = additional wrinkles on face and grumpy face. -
Simplistic logic again, eh?Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Whining will not reverse globalisation. If foreigners are can do the same job and are willing to do so at lower pay, the job will go to them.
For the hypocrites who talk about protecting jobs for locals, let me ask you: "Will you be willing to pay more to the restaurant owner who employs local workers?"
Ignoring the NS that males (and their sons and grandsons) have to serve, the high cost of retirement here, the high cost of accomodation here and the high cost of education here.
Foreigners are NOT retiring here, they are NOT serving NS (with all the attendant sacrifices) and they will certainly NOT give a hoot if disaster befalls us, whereas our males would (willingly or unwillingly) have to bear arms in case that day comes.
Stop acting like Wee Shu-min. -
Hey, such is the cruelty of the employment market. There is no doubt that things are getting worse for the employees as the employers are getting more and more harsh in the way they treat employees especially for those who are seeking employment.Originally posted by the_fallen:Perhaps this is the way you feel.
I do understand how it feels like in fact.
Coz I'm also a singaporean myself.
I can only blame myself for not being useful to employers to secure at least a stable job.
I just lost a high paying part time job last month only. Don't I know how it hurts to lose income?
Lol.
I'm young, yet I already got 'early retrencement'
If I can get it so soon, I afraid there will be many others will will get such sudden notice of last min retrencement.
I work there for 2 months, than within just a short notice of 1 hr, i gtg leave the office in 2 hrs time. Is this the life that all of us are going to face too when we all work?
You may be right to a certain extent that I'm living in my own world, but I'm living in a world of being holding myself responsible for things which I can control, and not to complain this and that when we don't gain anything out of complaining.
I choose to be happy rather than to be sad via complaining this and that, only gain from complaining = additional wrinkles on face and grumpy face.
Yes, I do understand companies are careful to get the right people to work for them, but do they need to treat candidates and job seekers like criminals? Let's face it, companies and employers - not all people are lucky to work for many years in the companies. So why don't you companies and employers be human enough to be understanding while you exercise your wisdom to identify who are the real job hoppers. Be fair to us who are not job hoppers who are looking for employment.
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Originally posted by citymax:quite true leh..their salary normally is a benchmark for all locals..
We are all equal, butOriginally posted by Trump_Card:Ministers?
Some are more equal than others. -
Originally posted by walesa:
I'm not on the offensive here. In fact, I believe that it is disheartening for the general population to feel the pinch of our rising costs while seeing our real wage stagnate or even fall.
Perhaps, you'd like to go over this or this and ask those folks with gripes on why they find it hard to come to terms with the idea the 17th most expensive city in the world actually commands wages, which on an index after accomodating taxes, that is ranked the 36th most competitive?
If that's [b]exclusively the result of globalisation, perhaps you could try explaining how Switzerland (whose immigration population expressed as a proportion of its total population is approximately half that of Singapore's) actually has 2 of its cities (Geneva is ranked 2nd on the wage index and the 7th most expensive city; Zurich is ranked 1st on the wage index and the 9th most expensive city) ranked as having the highest wage indexes while the gap between Singapore's cost of living and wage index remains disproportionately large?
If everything could be attributed to globalisation without the need for social responsibility, we shouldn't be seeing legislations to provide minimum wage (in many parts of the western world) or outlaw child labour (as is the case with many parts of the developing world), should we?[/b]
I mean, if you're trying to be pedantic about it, then yes, globalisation is not the exclusive cause of our troubles. Policy to increase our competitiveness has surely resulted in wage depression.
On your last point, it is true that more can and should be done for those marginalised by the current situation, but at what cost? -
Maybe not, but remember, the world's round. They may now have the advantages, but when everything is equal, the real side of humans will be seen. Bad or good, shall leave to fate.Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Whining will not reverse globalisation. If foreigners are can do the same job and are willing to do so at lower pay, the job will go to them.
For the hypocrites who talk about protecting jobs for locals, let me ask you: "Will you be willing to pay more to the restaurant owner who employs local workers?"
In the 1960's, when Singapore was independent, a lot of foreign companies shifted their production companies to here because labour was cheap and abundant. As time progresses, wages increased, so did technology. We moved from a labour-intensive industry to technology-focused.
Now, in this era, technology is still leading us, but no longer a huge factor. Knowledge has overtaken the economy.
Looking at how wages are lowered but costs are going up, we might be back to a square one if things aren't regulated.
While businesses have a bottom line to consider, so do the citizens living in the country. Squeezing them dry will only serve to worsen the economy if citizens have got no money to spur the economy. -
Globalisation?Originally posted by oxford mushroom:Whining will not reverse globalisation. If foreigners are can do the same job and are willing to do so at lower pay, the job will go to them.
For the hypocrites who talk about protecting jobs for locals, let me ask you: "Will you be willing to pay more to the restaurant owner who employs local workers?"
What has globalisation got to do with jobs going to foreigners and not local?
The mistake was done years ago. In education.
In the begining........
Foreigners originally came it to do construction work.
We need their manual labour.
Then came the expatriats.
We need their expertise.
Then came the "Foreign Talents".
We need their........?
We need them to fill the gaps where our education system failed.
The countries around us are producing skilled workers, where as our education are producing "exam smart" people.
Our aviation industry are employing young Filipinos by the hundreds, and also PRCs, as aircraft technicians.
While the Indians kids were learning IT skills 10 years ago, what were our kids learning?
LPPL (Lam Pah Pah Lan)
Singapore is always doing damage control. -
That's my point to begin with - while globalisation has a part to play, it is by no means exclusive in creating the scenario you see in Singapore. Otherwise, there wouldn't be legislations like minimum wage and the outlawing of child labour in other parts of the world which actually deter productivity in the age of globalisation.Originally posted by lordofdarkness:I'm not on the offensive here. In fact, I believe that it is disheartening for the general population to feel the pinch of our rising costs while seeing our real wage stagnate or even fall.
I mean, if you're trying to be pedantic about it, then yes, globalisation is not the exclusive cause of our troubles. Policy to increase our competitiveness has surely resulted in wage depression.
On your last point, it is true that more can and should be done for those marginalised by the current situation, but at what cost?
More importantly, the issue of globalisation is also subjective depending on whom these FT's are - personally, I haven't come across much gripes against FT's who are skilled (yeah, by that I mean the lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants and people possessing certain professional skills who cannot be adequately provided by the locals) in most of the countries I have been to. Oftentimes, the real gripe (and it ain't exclusive to Singapore as, if you were familiar with the base of support for the far right parties in Europe and elsewhere) is directed at the unskilled foreigners (as discussed by others in this thread, basically referring to jobs which most locals could perform). While there's no denying the influx of unskilled foreigners is inevitable anywhere on the planet, it doesn't excuse some of this regime's senseless policies which accentuate this problem further.
As demonstrated by Switzerland and numerous developed countries out there, policies to increase one's competitiveness need not necessarily come at the expense of depreciation in real wage growth. -
What's new?Originally posted by rane:Hey, such is the cruelty of the employment market. There is no doubt that things are getting worse for the employees as the employers are getting more and more harsh in the way they treat employees especially for those who are seeking employment.
If I were running a multinational corporation requiring a substantial pool of skilled labour, I too would abet this regime in oppressing people marginalised by fascist regulations that are Republican to the extreme. Afterall, there aren't too many countries around with sufficient infrastructure for economic development that could actually offer a substantially larger pool of skilled labour at lower wages, are there? -
When we are discussing about foreign workers' wages, I take it on the presumption that you are referring to the wage of a production worker. How many percentage of Singaporeans can you find in the position of the production workers in a typical manufacturing industry? I cannot be sure of the figure but it might stands only a hand-full of minority.Originally posted by googoomuck:I agree that the wages have to be lowered to compete with cheaper labours elsewhere but the wages must also be realistic so that the bare cost of living can be met. How can a Singaporean sustain the cost of living in Singapore with forerign workersÂ’ wages? Prices of every other essential things are going up. Especially leasing of HDB flats.
Safety is definitely compromised when certain risky jobs are outsourced. I remembered a recent mishap where a worker pruning a tree fell and died. The basket at the end of the crane boom was tilted because of the crane operatorÂ’s carelessness.
This worker need not die if the employer has issued safety belt to him and ensure that he used it. I also wonder if the crane operator is certified to operate the crane.
Some cheapskate employers donÂ’t invest in safety equipment, safety shoes or even issue disposible gloves to the workers.
Of cause there are other factors such as time pressure or reduced headcounts which contributed to industrial accidents. All for what? Their bottom line is save costs, increase profits, no budget for the wellbeing of the staff.
The call for minimum wage to secure Singaporeans holding low-wage jobs so as to sustain the rising cost of living might not carry much weightage compare to attracting MNCs ie. creating jobs here in the first place.
As far as the government is involved, legislation to make sure that employers are following safety protocols should already be in placed. However, I question whether there have been any safety practices inculculated to employers and workers alike prior to the 'risky' jobs they are undertaking. Having said that, I believed the government have already covered most areas of safety regulation and it is entire up to the individual employers' responsibilty to take care of their workers. -
Originally posted by walesa:
Dude, I see your point. But don't you think that any change required to achieve something remotely close to what Switzerland or other more developed Western countries have achieved is going to require painful measures in the short- to medium-term? Which could indeed make life more difficult for those already in a tough situation. What would you do if you were in the situation of the government? Do you think the unskilled would be willing to suck up more pain for longer-term benefits? What would be the reaction from businesses set up in Singapore because of the abundance of overly cheap labour? I don't think I have the stomach to endure the (potential) onslaught of criticisms from both the proletariat and the bourgeoisie. But that's just me.
That's my point to begin with - while globalisation has a part to play, it is by no means [b]exclusive in creating the scenario you see in Singapore. Otherwise, there wouldn't be legislations like minimum wage and the outlawing of child labour in other parts of the world which actually deter productivity in the age of globalisation.
More importantly, the issue of globalisation is also subjective depending on whom these FT's are - personally, I haven't come across much gripes against FT's who are skilled (yeah, by that I mean the lawyers, doctors, engineers, accountants and people possessing certain professional skills who cannot be adequately provided by the locals) in most of the countries I have been to. Oftentimes, the real gripe (and it ain't exclusive to Singapore as, if you were familiar with the base of support for the far right parties in Europe and elsewhere) is directed at the unskilled foreigners (as discussed by others in this thread, basically referring to jobs which most locals could perform). While there's no denying the influx of unskilled foreigners is inevitable anywhere on the planet, it doesn't excuse some of this regime's senseless policies which accentuate this problem further.
As demonstrated by Switzerland and numerous developed countries out there, policies to increase one's competitiveness need not necessarily come at the expense of depreciation in real wage growth.[/b] -
Damn well said! LPPL indeed...Originally posted by mancha:Globalisation?
What has globalisation got to do with jobs going to foreigners and not local?
The mistake was done years ago. In education.
In the begining........
Foreigners originally came it to do construction work.
We need their manual labour.
Then came the expatriats.
We need their expertise.
Then came the "Foreign Talents".
We need their........?
We need them to fill the gaps where our education system failed.
The countries around us are producing skilled workers, where as our education are producing "exam smart" people.
Our aviation industry are employing young Filipinos by the hundreds, and also PRCs, as aircraft technicians.
While the Indians kids were learning IT skills 10 years ago, what were our kids learning?
LPPL (Lam Pah Pah Lan)
Singapore is always doing damage control.
Damage Control, most appropriately describes what our government is MOSTLY about, in whatever they lay hands on... -
Minimum wage does not work. If you impose a minimum wage of $500 a month, that's the maximum that employers will give their workers, so long as there are workers willing to take the job. If you increase the minimum wage way above workers in Malaysia or china, they will move theor businesses there. The results is more unemployment.
Anger at unskilled foreigners? Why not ask the unskilled locals to take the jobs at the pay foreigners are willing to accept? Oh no, they won't want to live the cramped quarters and eat the poor food these foreign workers put up with and STILL have enough money saved to send home. The chinese worker in a recemt Straits Times report was willing to live on $600 a month and support his wife and child on that salary, work weekends and overtime for extra pay. In a recession, he kept his job when locals were retrenched. I am not surprised.