WORKERS can look forward to higher wage increments this year,
but labour chief Lim Swee Say cautioned yesterday against reverting
to a rigid wage system when this happens.
He did not speculate on the quantum but said workers could
expect to be rewarded 'fairly', given the strong rebound and tight
labour market.
'But in the process, we have to make sure that we do not make
our wage system rigid,' he said on the sidelines of a conference on
service excellence.
'We must continue to spread our total wage increase into three
baskets: the fixed increase, monthly variable as well as the annual
variable. In this way, we reward workers based on their
contribution and performance, yet at the same time, get ready for
the next rainy day that may happen some time in the future.'
With the economy's rebound, analysts and unionists contacted
previously said workers could expect increases of between 3 per
cent and 5 per cent this year.
Mr Lim noted that with the rebound and strong demand, employees
in some sectors were also having to work harder.
