The following excerpts are taken from The Straits Times dated 14/04/09,Home section Page B2.
[ Two publications in the Philippines --- the Manila Standard Today and the Philippine Star --- on April 4th quoted the country's President as saying she has secured 5,000 positions at the casino resort --- opening next year --- for Filipinos.
She was quoted as saying she had sent a delegation to Singapore last month to explore job opportunities for Filipino nationals here,and added that Labour Secretary Marianito Roque met Resorts World at Sentosa chief executive officer Tan Hee Teck to talk about opportunities for Filipinos.
When asked about the Filipino media reports,Resorts World spokesman Robin Goh would only confirm a meeting had taken place."The Philippine Embassy requested a meeting with Resorts World at Sentosa,which Resorts World hosted.Jobs for Filipinos were discussed during the meeting,in which Resorts World stated our committment to hire Singaporeans first,particularly in this recession."
He added,"Resorts World will offer 10,000 jobs when we open,and we expect the bulk of them to go to Singaporeans."He said the resort currently has 500 employees,of whom 80 per cent are Singaporeans and residents here.The remaining 20 percent hail from countries like Australia,Britain,Malaysia and the United States.
Mr Goh said these foreigners were hired for positions in the casino and the theme park which have not been offered before in Singapore and for which there is no ready pool of experienced Singaporeans. ]
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Anyone remember my Open Letter To Mr Lim Swee Say last year?
Let us recall a few things i pointed out ;
1)When i attempted to apply for training and upgrading opportunities for the IR,through the WDA/E2i,i came away totally bewildered and came to the following conclusions.(For the record,i enquired about a Sales & Marketing position through E2i and was offered "Waitress".)
The Silver Serpents at WDA/E2i are a waste of public funds,and are unable to perform basic tasks such as provide accurate information,keeping their word and basic courtesy.
And now in a separate newspaper report,they are claiming they cannot find enough Singaporeans to train for the IR?
Typical Singapore Civil Service.Blame the Citizens.
What to do?
It's our fault we voted in a government that breeds and tolerates such a Civil Service.
2)I then took the initiative and trawled through the Resorts webpage to look for positions offered.What i saw there surprised me,because the jobs requirements looked like it was designed by a Filipino.Every single position right down to the entry-level positions like Chambermaids required someone "who speaks excellent English".
Back then,i was already wondering if their HR was headed by a Filipino.
Will the Singapore PAP government AND Resorts World step forward to tell us exactly who is heading and shaping the HR policies of Resorts World?
3)Back when Parliament was debating about legalising casinos in Singapore,it was promised that 7 out of 10 jobs would go to Singaporeans.It was also promised that casino jobs pay would be pegged to International Standards.
What has happened now?First the news breaks that the Filipino President stated that she has secured 5000 jobs for Filipinos...then and i quote,"He said the resort currently has 500 employees,of whom 80 per cent are Singaporeans and residents here."
There is a big difference in promising every 7 out of 10 jobs would go to Singaporeans...And the saying 80 percent of the 500 employees are Singaporeans and residents.A foreigner residing in Singapore for the purpose of employment is also a resident.DUH.
And now on to the pay.The figure bandied about at the beginning was $2,500/mth for an entry-level croupier.Now?They are offering $1,200-$1,600/mth.What a big drop!
4)Finally,and i quote ; "Mr Goh said these foreigners were hired for positions in the casino and the theme park which have not been offered before in Singapore and for which there is no ready pool of experienced Singaporeans."
Here we go again,the eternal excuse given by the WDA/Labour Movement,for their failure to anticipate future labour needs and give Singaporeans the opportunities to gain experience in industries.
Back then i already mentioned that this is not a good reason,this to me is a totally unacceptable excuse.I even offered some ideas on possible solutions,some of which have been incorporated into the SPUR program.
The private enterprise SHATEC took up one of the ideas too.They have set up an overseas branch in Macau and send their students over to Macau to learn the casino skills and gain experience.
I had one final bold suggestion which i will repeat here ;
"Throw Singaporeans into the deep end.Let them gain the experience.It doesn't matter if service standards drop for the short term.Let them grow and you will see the fruits of service that comes from the heart,because they believe they are representing their country when they go to work!"
It's a recession anyway.Kopi again anyone? :D
existing thread
fifi told u so