The law allows only Singaporeans and permanent residents to work in food stalls, including tze char stalls, at coffee shops. --ST PHOTO: CHEW SENG KIM
THE mainstay of coffee shops here, the 'tze char' (stir-fry) stall, continues to face a dearth of willing Singapore workers.
The law allows only Singaporeans and permanent residents to work in food stalls, including tze char stalls, at coffee shops.
Now, the two main coffee shop groupings, the Foochow Coffee Restaurant and Bar Merchant Association and the Kheng Keow Coffee Merchants Restaurant and Bar-Owners Association, are jointly appealing for this no-foreigners rule to be relaxed.
Together, they have some 600 members who said they are finding it hard to hire locals to man the tze char stalls, which often require more workers than other food stalls.
The associations feel that a different set of rules should apply to them.
Mr Hong Poh Hin, the first vice-chairman of the Foochow Coffee Restaurant & Bar Merchant Association, said his members are arguing that they need to hire foreigners because Singaporeans do not want to take on the job.
Common reasons cited are the long hours, hot working conditions and low pay.
