• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
  • Volunteer
    • Internship with The Online Citizen
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Fancy taking on two jobs for one salary? One PAP MP thinks it’s a great idea

by Augustine Low
02/09/2020
in Opinion
Reading Time: 2 mins read
38

MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Chong Kee Hiong

by Augustine Low

During the first two days of parliamentary speeches, one proposal that stood out came from Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Chong Kee Hiong.

He put forward the idea yesterday that workers should be allowed to take up two jobs for “better job security”.

Employers who currently bar their employees from taking up a second job should change their thinking, he reasoned. Instead, they should encourage workers to learn and apply new skills to pursue an additional vocation.

Chong is not talking about giving workers the opportunity to moonlight for extra income. He is talking about workers taking on dual roles within the organisation, especially one with different business units.

Citing an example, he said the F&B sector was badly hit by the COVID-19 outbreak but supermarkets and online grocers saw good business: “So if a company runs a restaurant and also sells and delivers ingredients, it will be able to ride out this storm better.”

And get this – he adds that employees’ pay should not be affected in this arrangement. While it may mean that one would not get a pay cut but at the same time, it would mean that there is no extra income for doing two jobs within the organisation!

Chong urged the government to incentivise companies and workers to adopt this approach.

Perhaps the MP is speaking from experience because he himself has two jobs. He has a part-time job as an MP while holding a full-time job as Chief Executive Officer of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (Suntec REIT).

But the big difference is that Chong is paid $16,000 for being a part-time MP and another hefty salary for being a corporate CEO.

Curiously enough, Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre (Suntec Singapore) last week announced that 85 of their employees were retrenched because the industry has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Suntec Singapore comes under the portfolio of Suntec REIT, overseen by Chong as the CEO.

Couldn’t Chong have recommended that his great idea be put into practice? Wouldn’t it have averted the retrenchment exercise by Suntec Singapore?

Correction — Post edited to correct quotation of the MP

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
38 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Recent Posts

  • 23 new cases of COVID-19 infection in S’pore; 1 case in the community
  • COVID death toll passes three million as India cases surge
  • Myanmar junta leader set to join ASEAN summit
  • 39 new cases of COVID-19 infection in S’pore; 4 cases in the community
  • Only 1 in 5 surveyed confident of 4G leaders, Blackdot Research study finds
  • Taiwan truck driver charged with negligent homicide over rail crash
  • Myanmar’s ousted MPs form shadow government
  • France says ‘highly probable’ EU won’t renew AstraZeneca orders

Trending posts

WP MP Gerald Giam’s intervention helped solve traffic congestion issue at Hougang Capeview

Only 1 in 5 surveyed confident of 4G leaders, Blackdot Research study finds

Ho Ching shares not 1, not 2, but 7 Facebook posts by Chan Chun Sing in a row within 15 minutes

WP MP Gerald Giam’s intervention helped solve traffic congestion issue at Hougang Capeview

HDB steps up to assist single mom after her social media post on being given unliveable flat goes viral

Public Prosecutors have nothing to fear if they do their job, says Justice Chan Seng Onn as Parti Liyani becomes first to seek compensation against AGC for “frivolous and vexatious” prosecution

39 new cases of COVID-19 infection in S’pore; 4 cases in the community

Blogger Roy Ngerng hits fundraising target in 8 days for damages to be paid to PM Lee over libel suit

Here’s why many Singaporeans aren’t bothered who the ruling party chooses to become PM

Myanmar junta leader set to join ASEAN summit

Load More
September 2020
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930 
« Aug   Oct »
  • About Us
  • Volunteer
  • Donation
  • Subscription
  • Letter submission
  • Contact Us

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2006 - 2021 The Online Citizen

wpDiscuz
38
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x
| Reply