5 cleaners taking care of over 230 stalls. Really ridiculous

lucif SG

Anyone seen this video about the cleaners in Chinatown Food market? What do you think about this issue?? Do you think the contractor should be hiring more or upgrading for better equipment for better productivity??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avkoVmIiRH0

zulkifli mahmood SG

This cleaning jobs are shun by many Singaporeans, young and old. I have no issues if the cleaning industry in Singapore or the main coffee shop tenants hire more foreign workers for that cleaning jobs.

lucif SG

Even if it is ok for foreign workers for these jobs, does it mean they can work like slaves? It is 5 workers to 230 stalls which is crazy. I have seen how chaotic it was. No place for people to sit because too many tables stacked with plates and too few cleaners to clear the tables.

zulkifli mahmood SG

The local employers are cheapskate employers. Most SMEs in Singapore are cheapskate employers…they make Singaporeans and foreigners alike to work like slaves.

FireIce SG

and then ur food gotta cost more

are u willing to pay?

with the return tray campaign, these workers just need to clean tables

which can be quite fast

so need all to cooperate

lucif SG

But some selfish people just expect the cleaners to do everything.

It is ok for the employers to hire lesser people. But i think the most important thing is how they can speed up productivity with lesser people. Maybe using like the tray returning stations, or larger trolleys perhaps. So the workers can work faster and better without using alot of effort?

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

larger trolley? it's not exactly quite menuavable (spelling?) with a large trolley at CFM.

A more easier approach would be self tray return, since it doesn't cost money, doesn't defray cost to consumers and only a lil more effort and curtosey from the consumers.

Speeding up productivity with lesser people often requires a better system or technology (ie: equipment). Ultimately the goal is improving efficency.

zulkifli mahmood SG

and then ur food gotta cost more

are u willing to pay?

with the return tray campaign, these workers just need to clean tables

which can be quite fast

so need all to cooperate

In food business you make more than 100 per cent profit can even reach to 300 per cent and its hard cash in hand earning daily. See how greedy the food stall owners or the coffee shop owners. That self return tray campaign is not working many of the customer don't bother to place it at the tray area...look at the food court at shopping mall, hawker centres, coffee shops and fast food restaurants...plenty of left over plates on the tables....only a small number of patrons will do that selfless deed...the rest aiyah..don't bother..human nature. Let the stall owners to engage their own stall assistants to clear their own plates and the owner of the eating premises can scold them if they fail to do it..like the old ways.

lucif SG

It is the culture of returning trays. Monkey see monkey do. If everyone return their trays and one guy didnt, he will instinctively do it since everyone is doing it.

It is just like how nowadays people are queuing up to enter the MRT train. A few yrs back no one did. Same thing. It will take awhile for people to do it. Anyway recent studies shows more and more people are returning their trays. It is a good sign.

FireIce SG

all these things take time....

M the name SG

Your ever heard of self-cleaning plate? Anyway I doubt that Singapore will try or have this kind of invention soon : http://theweek.com/article/index/254558/is-this-self-cleaning-plate-the-future-of-eating

karl36 SG

I think its amazing...how can they do so..?

M the name SG

I even saw news that people also have invented plate that can be eaten after meal, just that I cannot find the source in the internet.

BanguIzai SG

When self return tray campaign become more successful, the cheapskate contractors will start reducing to 4, and then 3, and then just maybe 2 cleaners left. Quoting do not need so many cleaners anymore. Those remaining workers will continue to work like slaves.

By then the remaining x cleaners will also be overworked because there will always be uncleared trays and/or the cheapskate contractors will continue to squeeze and the remaining cleaners will be asked to double-up as washers as well lah.

M the name SG

Probably the fastest dishwasher to have ever lived : http://singapore.coconuts.co/2013/12/13/video-probably-fastest-dishwasher-have-ever-lived

ben1406 SG

I would love to know where you get your food and labour cost percentage from. 100 - 300 percent. You must be joking eh..

zulkifli mahmood SG

I cup of coffee/Tea how much? S$1 to S$1.10. You just need hot water, 1 spoon of coffee powder, a tea spoon of condense milk and a spoon of sugar.

Nasi Goreng, some rice, half an egg and a little bit of ingredients for S$3 to $4.

You earn more profit if you have plenty of customers and your foods are delicious and famous. If people don’t like your food and price…then you can’t or have problems covering your rent. In food business you can see your profit within 6 months or even lesser.

I used to help my late mother food stalls during my school days and when I had started working. I have done food business before.

How about you….have you washed your own plate at home or you get your maid or parents to do for you?

zulkifli mahmood SG

That need to be back up by national advertising campaigns over the mass medias like they used to have a successful campaign on the derogating advertising campaigns of "Stop At Two" in the past. Plus penalties to make it more effective. That was how the Singapore Government educate the people over the mass medias. That how Singaporeans are most of the time, they need to be told by the Singapore Government before they actually do it. And the best way to make it more effective is to legislate it like fines for not flushing after using the toilet bowl, no chewing gums, no spitting etcs...lols. Singapore is a city of fines....all the tourists know this.

zulkifli mahmood SG

Get the food stall owners to clear all those plates lah and the coffee shop owners to clear their cups and glasses. They must know how to help and co-operate with one another. If the customers like the hawkers some of them will even send the plates back to your food stalls..isn't that better than to employer cleaners to do the work. Get their children, friends or relatives or someone regardless young or old that need some money to help them at the stall on a daily basis like part time work....the old ways are much more simpler than now which seems like so difficult to solve.

zulkifli mahmood SG

They used to have disposal utensils for the customers and still it wasn’t working efficiently and effectively…aiyah. Just legislate the law to make them clear their own plates that will do it and they may even wash clean their own plates for the food stall owners or the coffee shop owners lols. They will only do it when their money is burn to pay for fines…lols.