Why Chinese drivers went on strike in Singapore
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E-mail Xinhua, December 8, 2012
Close to 200 Chinese bus drivers working with Singapore public transport operator SMRT took medical leave at the same time on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27.
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Close to 200 Chinese bus drivers working with Singapore public transport operator SMRT took medical leave at the same time on Nov. 26 and Nov. 27. [File photo] |
The Ministry of Manpower said the action was illegal and five workers were charged, while 29 others had their work permits cancelled before being deported to China.
It is known that Singapore puts in place requirements that make it very difficult to have a strike legally, and imposes severe punishments for those participating in an illegal strike, especially in essential services sectors like transport, water and electricity.
So even if the drivers were not aware of the details of the law, they must have expected their actions to be illegal. Others trying to persuade them after they started the action may be aware of the consequences, too.
Then why did they go on strike anyway?
Some of the drivers working with the company told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that it all started with a change from five work days to six work days for all the workers earlier this year, which meant that the workers will get less in wages for overtime work.
One of the drivers said he could earn only around 1,700 Singapore dollars (1,393 U.S. dollars) a month now, compared with close to 2,000 U.S. dollars earlier.
Singaporean and Malaysian drivers in the city state were not happy with the change and sought help from the union. So the company agreed to raise the salaries for the drivers.
However, the Chinese workers received a pay rise of only 75 Singapore dollars, while the company's Malaysian drivers received pay rises of 275 Singapore dollars, in addition to a difference in bonus.
Even after the pay rise, the Chinese drivers did not earn as much as they did before the change to six workdays.
The drivers said they were also not happy with the poor conditions of the dormitory and the way a written notice was phrased. The notice used the words "excluding Chinese service leaders" in brackets in several places.
The drivers said eight to ten drivers typically live in the same room even though they work on different shifts, including those starting in the early morning and those starting in the afternoon. The first drivers often go to work as early as around 4: 00 a.m, while others come back as late as 1:00 a.m. They have to accept whatever shifts they are assigned to.
Only about ten percent of the Chinese drivers at the company were not represented by labor unions. Few dare to stand for their rights in the event of a labor dispute as they fear that the leaders may be punished.
The drivers are obviously aware of the severe consequences of their action, with no detailed knowledge of Singapore law.
SMRT has explained that the Chinese drivers are on two-year contracts while the Malaysian drivers were given permanent contracts.
The firm insisted that it is giving equitable pay to all the foreign drivers as they had to provide dormitory and transport for the Chinese drivers, but it did not explain why the pay rises are different.
Authorities and SMRT have said that they would encourage the Chinese workers to join labor organizations.
The Chinese drivers said they did not expect their fellow drivers to be jailed because an earlier labor dispute at another bus company was successfully resolved earlier this year.
Singapore has been proud of its labor relations in the past. It has relied on tripartite consultations involving the employers, the workers and the government in trying to settle labor disputes.
The successful labor relations have been considered one of the key factors in catapulting Singapore to a first world economy in only several decades, said Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute, National University of Singapore.
A tripartite consultation mechanism works for local workers, whose last resort is implicitly to quit the job. However, for the foreign drivers, this is exactly what they cannot afford to do given the fees they paid the brokers.
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