Call For Minimum Wage

The ruling Singapore government has always resisted implementing a minimum wage, arguing that wage levels should be left to the 'free market'.

This letter writer to the Straits Times asks for a rethink on this issue.

MR MANMOHAN SINGH: 'I refer to Monday's report, 'Gravedigging a dying trade'.

'The report said that gravedigging is a dying trade and that, despite automation, finding replacements is an uphill task.

'The reason for the lack of fresh recruits is not about whether any of the staff had encountered 'any creepy incidents'.

'The bottom line is the low pay.

'The report said that gravediggers are paid $22.50 per day, and earn a maximum of $31.20. At $22.50 per day, with a six-day work week, a worker earns less than $600 per month.

'His take-home pay is even less if one deducts daily travelling expenses and lunch which are likely to eat into a quarter of the pay.

'A security guard easily earns double the salary of a gravedigger. It does not need a rocket scientist to figure out why no one wants to do this job. That is why a developed country like Singapore should implement a minimum wage. That is how Singaporeans can be assured of earning enough to cover daily expenses and enjoy a reasonably comfortable living standard.

'The United States introduced a minimum wage in 1938, and lately, China did so in 2004.'