That was labour chief Lim Swee Say's take when asked if he considered it dismal that, so far, only 60 out of 1,000 unionised companies are giving a one-off payment to help workers cope with inflation.

'Even though we have 1,000 companies, it does not mean that everyone is up for wage negotiations at this point in time,' he told reporters after a dialogue yesterday.

What is more important, he said, is the speed at which the 60 companies have agreed to give the payment - just a month after the National Wages Council's call to do so.

These are also major employers, he added, with some 40,000 workers each receiving between $100 and $1,000.

'We are trying to get as many of them as possible to set the pace for smaller companies to follow,' he said.

The companies giving the payment include food manufacturer Prima Singapore Group and ST Engineering.

CLARISSA OON