In 2019, workers only received 40 cents for every dollar generated in the country, a 2 cent decrease from their share in 2014. This means that in contrast, capital’s share of wealth has increased from 58 cents to 60 cents per dollar generated. While workers’ incomes may have increased in absolute terms, this is no match for the rising costs. 40% of Singaporeans’ incomes are not keeping up with inflation. For young workers and students soon to enter the workforce, the rising cost of living ranks as the top concern for their mental health. Without cost-of-living adjustments to wages, workers face increasing insecurity and feel like they have no choice but to work more, take on side hustles or forgo a decent standard of living. This is unsustainable and unjust.

Since the economy re-opened after Covid-19 in 2021, workplace injuries and occupational diseases have been on the rise. Workers’ health and lives are put at risk due to poor workplace safety practices and unreasonable rules. Weak labour laws allow employers to overwork their workers and under-staff the workplace, with impunity. Singapore is the fourth most overworked city in the world and the most overworked in the APAC region with workers working an average of 45 hours a week.

Many workers who are abused in Singapore fear speaking up because they can be punished or terminated by their employer, and left without recourse. Although workers can legally join an existing union or form one if it does not currently exist to seek redressal, many workers feel cynical about unions protecting their interests. This is because NTUC (National Trade Union Congress), the umbrella body representing more than 90% of unions in the country is led by members of the ruling party and government, and NTUC’s tripartite system may be seen by many to disadvantage workers’ interests as two of the three tripartite partners are non-workers. Only a handful of unions are independent of government control, and the process of registering independent unions remains onerous and obfuscated.

The one million low-wage migrant workers in Singapore build this city, keep it clean, and look after our children, but they have been stripped of their access to government subsidised healthcare services since 2008. They are not covered under the Progressive Wage Model, and are excluded from most labour unions. These workers do not receive any support measures the government usually provides for cost-of-living adjustments or GST increases. Many of these migrant workers pay income tax, and all pay GST, but they have no rights in return.

Ethnic minorities, women, LGBTQ+ workers, people with disabilities, and workers raised in poverty also face considerable barriers to earning a living and a place in society, compared to others.

In a country with so much wealth, and where the government has the infrastructure in place to strictly regulate businesses, enforce better standards of employment, and prevent and respond to abuse of workers, it is completely practical to implement the necessary policies to protect the basic needs of all workers from employers’ greed.