Work for less than $4 an hour

Mark Woon wrote in the Straits Times that fast food outlets, like McDonalds, pay students less than $4 an hour. At this rate, the students have to work many hours to earn enough to  pay for their meals. Some students do not have allowance from their parents and depend on part time work to earn money to meet the high cost of living in Singapore.

I continue to be baffled by the reluctance of our policy makers and trade union leaders to impose a minimum wage in Singapore. I am sure that the businesses can afford a minimum wage of $6 an hour. While this increase their business cost, they should reduce the high salaries paid to their top managers and reject the exorbitant rentals on their business premises.

It is a question of finding the right balance. By exploiting workers (including students) with low wages, the bigger portion of the earnings are taken away by other parties.

Tan Kin Lian