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YOUNG AND CHATTY: Malaysian Agnes Han (left), 26, and Chinese national Sun Xiaole, 27, are beer promoters who work at Fu Chan coffee shop in Block 491, Jurong West Avenue 1. Their outgoing nature helps attract business to the eatery. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND LIM
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YOUNG and chatty foreign waitresses have been helping draw customers to some Housing Board coffee shops.
But they have also been raising eyebrows among some local co-workers.
One drinks seller at a coffee shop in Jurong West complained to Minister Lim Boon Heng that she felt threatened by a sweet, young lady from China who sells beer at the same joint.
She was worried that allowing such foreigners to work at coffee shops would undercut her wages. She was already working two jobs to make ends meet.
But the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office saw things differently.
The co-worker was drawing men in droves to the coffee shop, he said. This meant brisk business which, in turn, helped the local drinks lady keep her job.
Recounting this anecdote at a forum yesterday, he said: 'Obviously, if Tiger or Carlsberg asks this mature lady to sell beer, it will not have the same result.'
His broader point was that every person, local or foreign, had their own strengths.
He was speaking to 500 employers, unionists and government officials at the Singapore Tripartism Forum to discuss employment issues.
For nearly two hours, a panel of six, including Acting Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen and labour chief Lim Swee Say, fielded questions. These ranged from worries over the rising costs of living to re-employment of older workers.
To a call from a participant to relax foreign worker quotas, Mr Gan said this issue often results in tensions. Singaporeans prefer fewer foreign workers but bosses need them to augment their workforce. The solution, he said, was to strike a balance between both parties' interests by fine-tuning foreign worker policies.
BALANCING WORKERS' PAY AND STAYING COMPETITIVE: SINGAPORE
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