THE $20.5 billion Resilience Package unveiled by the Government last week is more pro-worker than employees may realise for two reasons, said labour chief Lim Swee Say on Thursday.
Firstly, the Jobs Credit scheme to subsidise part of the wage bill of employers, makes Singaporeans more cost-competitive than foreign workers.

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Does the minister know what is NTUC Welcome not NTUC Fairprice?

Does the NTUC Fairprice's Chairman hang up the black-and-white photos of Welcome to remind him and his team of their beginning and their mission?

Where are the budgeted stores for the poor? This is the year, 2009 !

No new sales orders, no spending, no demand, how to save the jobs and to pay the wages?

$300 to save the job.

How to restore the spending confidence in consumers is also important?

No sales and demand, how to keep the jobs?

Up till now the Japanese Govt has failed to restore the confidence in the Japanese people when the property market in Japan collapsed in the 1980s.

This worldwide recession will make the Japanese draw deeper into the "shell" of no confidence.

Humans worldwide did not learn from the Japanese experience and the US pushed the property market until it burst. Greed, Lust and Corruption. Do humans ever learn?

Bankers using money to make money, how much is the margin for them compared with those working hard in factories and transportation, etc, to produce and maket the goods, etc?

These conmen and women in finance after messing up the world is still around trying to con again by making corrections to the systems to stay afloat using this and that bailout plans and strategies. How blind can mankind be?

is it pro employer or pro employee??? typo ah? if pro employee then how abt i dun have to pay cpf? just have my boss pay la.. how come pro employee when i dun see more money in my paycheck?

It’s pro-employee indeed, because helping employer is also helping employee .. . just as hiring foreign talent is pro-Singaporeans as help create more jobs for all . . just as up ERP in city is to help businesses in area become more competitive . . . understand ?

Honourable Minister Lim Swee Say, are you sure that the wage difference between a local and a FT is a mere 12% (which is the value of the "wonderful " Jobs Credit Scheme)??? I believe it is at least a 30-60% difference, so the 12% credit you are giving to the employers:

a) will not stop them from retrenching workers if demand continues to slumps (afterall, why safe 12%, when you can save 885/100%)?

b) retrench locals first because even after taking into the account of the 12% wage subsidy, locals might still be more expensive to keep than foreigners.

Makes sense???

With respect, Minister, no one has asked this question.
Not even any journo at ST, which by the way is not surprising!
SO, here's my question.
As an employer would you rather collect $3600 to retain your one employee or let him go and SAVE ..say $30,000 plus in salary and CPF etc?
Is that not what the majority SME's will think?
Survival..as they want to be in business this time next year. One less person,or even two less persons, will make a big difference in their bottom line. Possibly even to the extent of showing a profit rather than loss!
Yes its a tough call, but no one said life is fair. And who is going to cry for the employer when he fails and who is going to offer him a real helping hand?

Indigestible slag.

The budget this year is wholly pro-employers. Employees are incidental beneficiaries if any. Employers have no obligation to save jobs even with the government handouts. Any Labour chief worth his salt can see the reality. I can only conclude that Lim Swee Say is either dim, or dishonest.

hi, worker's party can help or not?

"But more importantly, it avoids the need to cut employers' contribution to the Central Provident Fund (CPF). This second point, in particular, makes the package 'even more pro-worker than pro-business', he said"

Only gov can cut employers' contribution to CPF. If PAP do it, it will pay heavy price is coming GE. So, this is pro-PAP, not pro-workers.

So long the money is not directly given to the workers, it is at the employers mercy. They can still cut wages etc.

Pro-workers? Think again.