I believe the following article has some relevance to such petty
skirmishes between locals & Chinese Nationals (which makes up
the largest bulk of Foreigners here):
Unskilled foreigners the bane of older S'poreans
Sat, Dec 15, 2007
The Straits Times
WHEN Singaporeans above the age of 40 or retirees seek jobs to feed
their families - any job, be it as a cleaner, dishwasher, stall
assistant or coffeeshop helper - they often meet with this
response:
'You are too old. Are you prepared to accept $800 per month for 10
hours of work and one day off every fortnight?
'Of course, you have to multi-task - wash the dishes, clean toilets
and fans, undertake delivery, etc, for the $800.
'Expect no medical or leave benefits.'
After deducting transport and food which do not come cheap, the
poor retiree who used to earn $2,000 to $3,000 takes home a
much-reduced income.
The employer can afford to be smug because if the older Singaporean
does not want the job, he could always look to abundant younger
China workers willing to do 12-hour shifts and more work, for
less.
How is it that we are allowing cheap, unskilled foreign workers
into Singapore so easily that they are depressing wages and making
life hard for less-educated older Singaporeans?
What can we do in the face of such unfair odds, with all the cards
stacked against us?
Ang Kwang Leng
