SINGAPORE: SMRT's Interim CEO Tan Ek Kia said the
recent pay review for its bus drivers was done to help the company
stay competitive.
His comments come as some drivers had expressed
concern that their take home pay may fall despite the higher basic
salaries.
SMRT drivers had their pay raised from S$1,200 to
S$1,625. Along with the increase, their work week has been revised
from five days to six.
Mr Tan said: "The changes that we have introduced affect different
groups of service leaders, from different points of entry.
"We try to take a holistic view and come up with a programme that
can address the real need for them, for salaries to be upgraded and
at the same time, for us to be able to retain and to attract people
to come and join us. That is the kind of approach we have taken in
this whole review.
"We believe we have actually built-in quite a lot of improvements
in order that we can continue to attract and retain."
-CNA/ac