Roundtable on wages in an age of disruption

Are workers in Singapore getting a fair share of the pie?

Are Singapore workers at the low end underpaid? Will a minimum wage be better than the current Progressive Wage Model and Workfare to raise their pay? Are consumers willing to accept higher prices as a result? Five panellists spar on these issues at a roundtable on wages organised by The Sunday Times on Friday.

Five panellists talk about Singapore's wage model - former labour chief Lim Boon Heng, Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, labour MP Zainal Sapari, and giving the employers' perspective, Mr Kurt Wee and Mr Daniel Thong.
(From left) Moderator and ST Opinion editor Chua Mui Hoong with Mr Daniel Thong, co-founder of cleaning start-up Nimbus; Mr Lim Boon Heng, former labour chief; Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large; Mr Zainal Sapari, NTUC assistant secretary-gener
(From left) Moderator and ST Opinion editor Chua Mui Hoong with Mr Daniel Thong, co-founder of cleaning start-up Nimbus; Mr Lim Boon Heng, former labour chief; Professor Tommy Koh, Ambassador-at-Large; Mr Zainal Sapari, NTUC assistant secretary-general; and Mr Kurt Wee, president of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises at Friday's roundtable. ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
Updated
Sep 04, 2020, 08:00 AM
Published
Dec 02, 2018, 05:00 AM
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

ST: Whenever the issue of minimum wage comes up, I hear responses from government ministers, (using) exactly the same line: "We have no ideological objection to a minimum wage."

So is if there's no ideological objection, why not try it?

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

ST One Digital

 $9.90/month

No contract

ST app access on 1 mobile device

Subscribe now

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on December 02, 2018, with the headline Are workers in Singapore getting a fair share of the pie?. Subscribe

Available for
iPhones and iPads
Available in
Google Play

MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

Back to the top