Arofanatics Fish Talk Forums  

Go Back   Arofanatics Fish Talk Forums > The Guildhouse > Chatterbox > Singapore Politics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 03-01-2015, 12:57 PM   #1
therat
Arofanatic
 
therat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 279
Default New citizen criticised Singaporeans @ PAP FB

Yesterday, we wrote about Sambath Kannan who came from India to Singapore to work in a high-paying position but derided Singaporeans and said he pitied them. He was later castigated by other Singaporeans and it was also found that the bank that Mr Sambath works at also hires many Indian nationals in high-paying positions.

Mr Sambath Kannan came from Pondicherry in India and is a Vice President at Deutsche Bank.

Yesterday, he wrote a comment on the People's Action Party Facebook page.

"Let us not wait for others to do everything for us. Let us each do our part and give it all that we can," he quoted prime minister Lee Hsien Loong as saying.

Then he chided Singaporeans.

"Not sure how many young Singaporeans have read and understood these two lines?"

"This doubt comes to my mind , while reading the comments made by some of our Singaporeans for the postings related press release of some ministries," he said.

He lamented about how Singaporeans complain about housing and jobs.

"I am really concerned and at times I pity them," he said of Singaporeans.

He then added, "Those born, had education and experience in other countries migrate to Singapore, utilise the opportunities available, create the opportunities for Singaporeans, they grow , they help Singapore to grow. Some of them consider Singapore as their home."

Mr Sambath was referring to himself. After the backlash against his comment, he has taken down the post and clarified that he is a Singaporean. Mr Sambath is also a new citizen.

But he also criticise Singaporeans.

"But, some of the Singaporeans are yet to realise the opportunities available and yet to realise their own potentials. They waste their time and energy by criticising the government," he said.

This got many Singaporeans riled up.

Other commenters did not take to Mr Sambath's words kindly.

"So, you are a new citizen, Sambath Kannan? You come here, enjoy the fruits of the hard work of native Singaporeans which made Singapore what it is today and you want to pour caustic comments on us?" one commenter said.

"Do you even know how the bottom 20% of Singaporeans live?" another asked.

"Go and find out the REAL lives of the Singaporean commoners (the bottom 20% and the low-middle income groups)," one person said.

"And you will be SHOCKED at the struggles of the bottom 20% and the low-middle-income," another added.

This led Mr Sambath to say, "Please try to understand I am not blaming any body. I feel hurt when the public make negative comments about our ministers or Singapore govt."

Indeed, Mr Sambath earns a good salary in the Deutsche Bank and might not understand the plight of ordinary Singaporeans who earn much lower salaries.

Estimates put Singapore's poverty rate as high as 30 percent. A study by National University of Singapore economist Tilak Abeysinghe showed that 30 percent of Singaporeans do not earn enough and have to spend 105 to 151 percent of their incomes.

30 percent of Singaporeans earn below $2,000 which means that anyone earning a lower salary than this is struggling to make ends meet. Even then, the rest of the middle income Singaporeans would also be earning barely enough to survive.

But this is something Mr Sambath wouldn't be able to understand.

What is more, netizens later discovered that many of Mr Sambath's colleagues at Deutsche Bank are also many Indian nationals who hold positions of vice-presidents and directors, like he does.

This angered even more Singaporeans.

Questions have been asked about why Deutsche Bank hires so many foreigners in their high posts and why the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) hasn't yet taken action against the bank.

It is known that the financial industry in Singapore is being taken over by foreigners and replacing the jobs that Singaporeans use to fill.

The government said that it has introduced the Fair Consideration Framework to let Singaporeans be employed fairly.

But clearly, this has not happened. Moreover, the framework does not protect Singaporeans as employers do not have to interview or consider Singaporeans first nor are there heavy penalties for them even if they flout the framework - which are not even rules.

The government said that it recently investigated a company which retrenched Singaporeans to hire foreign workers but continued to allow the work passes of the foreign workers to be renewed.


================
therat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 01:06 PM   #2
therat
Arofanatic
 
therat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 279
Default

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...kers-1.1315008

Dozens of employees at Canada’s largest bank are losing their jobs to temporary foreign workers, who are in Canada to take over the work of their department.

Canadians blast RBC following 'outrageous' staff dismissal

"They are being brought in from India, and I am wondering how they got work visas," said Dave Moreau, one of the employees affected by the move. "The new people are in our offices and we are training them to do our jobs. That adds insult to injury."
Minister responds

As a result of Go Public’s inquiries, the office of the minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada — the federal office that approved iGATE’s plans to bring in foreign workers — issued a statement late Saturday.

"We have recently learned of allegations that RBC could be replacing Canadian workers by contracting with iGate, which is filling some of the roles with temporary foreign workers. If true, this situation is unacceptable.

"The purpose of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program is to fill acute labour needs when Canadians are not available for the work required. It was never intended as a means to bring in temporary foreign workers in order to replace already-employed Canadian workers.

"I have instructed my department to work with Citizenship and Immigration Canada to determine the next steps."

Moreau, who works in IT systems support, said he is one of 50 employees who facilitate various transactions for RBC Investor Services in Toronto, which serves the bank’s biggest and wealthiest institutional clients.

In February, RBC told Moreau and his colleagues 45 of their jobs with the regulatory and financial applications team would be terminated at the end of April.

"There are a lot of angry people," Moreau told Go Public. "A lot those people are in their late 50s or early 60s. They are not quite ready for retirement yet, but it may be very difficult to employ them."

Moreau will get a severance package, but expects it won’t last long.

"I am going to be broke," he said. "I don’t have enough money to live on. I have some RSPs. I have very little in the pension plan at RBC … I have a wife that works part time at a very low wage."

Another RBC staffer, who didn’t want to be named, said it’s devastating.

"It’s horrible to be in this situation," the employee said. "The bank is doing this while making billions of dollars in record profits and they don’t think about the impact on us. We are like fleas on an elephant."

The foreign workers who are taking over the RBC work in Toronto are employed by a multinational outsourcing firm from India – iGATE Corp. – which has a contract with the bank to provide IT services.

The two companies have been working closely since 2005. There is an "RBC Offshore Development Centre" in the iGATE facility in Bangalore.

RBC spokesperson Rina Cortese told Go Public several foreign workers from iGATE will be working in the bank’s Toronto offices until 2015. By then, she said, most of the work will be transferred abroad, but a few of the foreigners will remain indefinitely.
Displacement against rules

However, it is against federal rules for any company to bring foreign workers into Canada temporarily if it will put citizens out of work.

"The rules are very clear. You cannot displace Canadians to hire people from abroad," said Immigration Minister Jason Kenney.

The federal government recently announced it is tightening rules for its Temporary Foreign Worker program because of criticism over foreigners taking jobs from Canadians.

RBC said the work is being outsourced for cost savings and efficiency.

"External suppliers with the right skills allow us to introduce new efficiencies, continually improve our service at reduced cost and reinvest in initiatives that enhance the client experience," a statement from the bank read. "Agreements with our suppliers include strict controls and ongoing monitoring to ensure full compliance with all regulatory requirements."
Questions unanswered

However, the bank refused to answer repeated questions about the type of work visas the iGATE employees have or how they were approved, given the job losses involved.
Submit your story ideas:

Go Public is an investigative news segment on CBC TV, radio and the web.
We tell your stories and hold the powers that be accountable.
We want to hear from people across the country with stories they want to make public.

Submit your story ideas to Kathy Tomlinson at Go Public

Follow @CBCGoPublic on Twitter

"We do not comment on specific supplier relationships," Cortese said.

Moreau called the situation "a mass exodus. It’s the first time that they’ve taken this many people and terminated their jobs. I would like to know how this happened. If it’s possible I would like to see it stopped."

iGATE, a rapidly growing company with offices around the world, including Mississauga and Toronto, has been in trouble before over foreign worker hirings.

In 2008, the multinational paid $45,000 to settle charges by the U.S. Department of Justice for discriminating against American citizens. iGATE was advertising jobs in the U.S. for foreign workers — effectively saying Americans need not apply.

iGATE said it brings its foreign workforce into Canada under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and under intra-company transfer visas.

However, a Toronto immigration lawyer says there is no loophole in any visa category that allows companies to displace Canadians who are able to do the work.

mi-bc-130405-rbc-terminations-3

This plaque is on an RBC building in iGATE's Bangalore facility. The bank has been outsourcing IT work to iGATE for several years. (CBC)

"It should not happen," Mario Bellisimo told Go Public. "The overarching legal standard is to supplement and to fill labour shortages or to bring job creation and retention, knowledge transfer to Canada, not the opposite."

But iGATE spokesperson Prabhanjan Deshpande said the company is operating within the law: "For any engagement requiring foreign workers, appropriate immigration applications are filed by iGATE and all work authorizations are properly issued under existing law and policy."

Go Public asked whether the company had told federal authorities Canadian jobs would be terminated when iGATE temporary foreign workers were brought in to work at RBC. Go Public did not receive a direct answer.
Foreign workers lack skills

The iGATE employees don’t appear to have any special skills Canadians don’t, the RBC workers told Go Public.

"That’s why we are training them," Moreau said. "The person who is replacing me has asked a lot of questions and doesn’t know a major portion of the type of systems that we are working with."

"If they had the knowledge [to do the jobs] it would be easier to swallow," said the unnamed employee, who predicted client service will suffer.

The workers also said they were not offered jobs with iGATE and were told this "realignment" might expand to affect more of the bank’s 57,500 employees in Canada.

"We were told this is almost like a pilot project," the unnamed employee said.

"I am certain this isn’t an isolated incident," Moreau said. "I know that iGATE has a very aggressive plan to grow their business over the next few years, and that’s going to be at the expense of Canadian citizens who are working."

Kenney said he was not aware of this case, but the onus is on both companies to obey the rules.

"If an employer is playing some kind of a shell game, that is not consistent with the rules," the immigration minister said. "[The Temporary Foreign Worker Program] is not there for employers to make short cuts to displace Canadians — and if they are trying to do that, they should have the book thrown at them."

Jinny Sims, the opposition’s immigration critic, wants to see concrete action. RBC could afford to retrain the Canadian workers if need be, she said.

"This appears to be a blatant abuse of our system," Sims said. "We’ve got so many well- qualified people who don’t have jobs, so surely we have a government that should be tackling the outsourcing issue and looking at how to keep jobs at home."
Uncertain future

RBC said it is trying to find new positions for the people affected.

"Several employees have found positions or are in the final stages of offers for other RBC roles, and a few others have chosen to retire," RBC said. "We continue our efforts to ensure remaining impacted employees obtain suitable roles."

However, employees told Go Public fewer than five of 45 displaced people have found new jobs.

"What they are saying and what we see happening are two different things," said the unnamed employee. "What we see happening is nothing."

Moreau said he’s applied for 14 other jobs within RBC since the announcement. He said he’s been told he is not suitable for two of them, and has yet to hear back about the rest.

"I hate injustice, and I feel as though a lot of people are being hurt," Moreau said. "It’s just not fair to people who have worked for years and years and years and suddenly find themselves out of work for not a really good reason."

==========

This happen to my company now.
flooded with iGate contractor
therat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 01:45 PM   #3
AlvinLeong
Dragon
 
AlvinLeong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,759
Default

NB, everywhere india ah neh at banks/engineering/IT, pinoy/prc/Myanmar engineers, KNN, 还我河山!
AlvinLeong is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 01:50 PM   #4
globalcookie
Dragon
 
globalcookie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,446
Default

Thus I said before. We are like a brothel. Foreigners are clients and we hv pimps.

A country we affectionately called, HOME, but we feels like a foreigner in our own home.

We are SOLD!
globalcookie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 01:56 PM   #5
AlvinLeong
Dragon
 
AlvinLeong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,759
Default

Simi dulan every time read these type of news....

KNN, keep building more and more polytechnics and universities.... then you go inside, KNN so many foreign students.... jobs give foreigners then our current students graduated liao do what?

Knn, india ah neh all working in bank, why? they count $ faster ah?

all IT also india ah neh? Why? their software wouldn't hang ah?

NB, pui!
AlvinLeong is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 02:23 PM   #6
hkh
Arofanatic
 
hkh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 113
Default

Really don't know where PAP is leading us to..........and worst of all, our retirement money also can't get liao.......
hkh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 03:23 PM   #7
Aris
Arofanatic
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 119
Default

I don't blame him as PAP balls very heavy. What can one expect from a newly-minted citizen?
Aris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 03:28 PM   #8
globalcookie
Dragon
 
globalcookie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,446
Default

Only truce is, RID this gov!!! Purge or cull them out. Let e new gov overturn e 69 position. And dig.

Or for a start, deny the 2/3 majority and have e Opposition reopen e 69 white paper.

(6.9 or 69. It's e same. Either way, we are SCREWED!!!)

Last edited by globalcookie; 03-01-2015 at 03:30 PM.
globalcookie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 08:54 PM   #9
Auratus
Arofanatic
 
Auratus's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 134
Default

The direction of this country is under 小李飛刀 and he is also the party chief. He set, direct or approve policies, so don't let that "If we have been wrong, I am sorry", "Let's work together to build a better Singapore", "We care about your future and future of Singapor". Blah, blah, blah with a smiling face, don't be fooled.
Remember how we put Ah Gong in power and trusted him but in the end he sneered at its own citizen, even threaten. So imagine, how it runs in the family.
Politicians never bother about your livelihood but only theirs, so there's no need to pity them with votes.
Auratus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2015, 09:33 PM   #10
hkh
Arofanatic
 
hkh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 113
Default

Nowadays NDP song also no longer stressed that "this is home truly"..........but more like welcoming foreigners with "love at first light".........
hkh is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +9. The time now is 11:21 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2000-2008 Arofanatics.com (Since 30th August 2000)