Image taken from MyPaper, 5 Feb 2009
Dr. Loo Choon Yong says that we are given a five-day work week, but we do not appreciate the 2 days of weekends off to make love and babies. So we should just abolish the five-day week policy and revert back to a six-day week to improve our productivity.
6565, the evolution of ever-increasing workload
Molly, sharp and witty as usual (can I get an autograph please?), contributes an outstanding thought on his comments. My 1st thoughts were similar to Molly. Last time gahmen say we need to change to a five-day week. So everyone has to do what they do in six-days and compress into five. Now we add one more day back, then everyone can have some extra workload and improve weekly output. Let's repeat the cycle again, add more workload, reduce the number of working days until you are used to it, add one more day and more workload, repeat a few times. 6 -> 5 -> 6 -> 5. Taiwan has 5566, we have our own 6565 initiative! Pretty soon, Singaporeans will be the meanest work machines the world has ever known. Woo hoo, no wonder Dr Loo is so rich. This is his secret formula. (Off topic but I couldn't resist it, a google search of his name shows him being among the 40 richest in Singapore)
Baby no enough, how ah?
Back to the topic of failure to make babies. Dr Loo says the five-day week does not help improve baby production. This year is Year of the Ox. Next year is worse, year of the Tiger. Many people don't like Tiger babies. Since bbqchickenwings forecast that baby production will drop even further, bbqchickenwings say we should have a seven-day working week starting on Lunar New Year next year. Cut down on annual leave too. No respite? Got.. There is the year of the Dragon, the peak that our PM Lee is very joyous about. During the year of the Dragon, we can go back to the five-day week and focus on baby production. The government will give cash on delivery.
Are you kidding me? You want me to retrench my workers? Yes I will.
On a more serious note, does going back to a six-day week help in the current economic climate?Yes it does, but it helps employers, no? Now there is slumping global demand for goods and services. Six-day week implemented, but no job to do lei. Lets say I were employing 10 men working five-day week to operate my bbq chicken wing stall, I will applaud this initiative man. Since I don't anticipate a increase in demand for my chicken wings, I will straight away ask 2 men to pack up and go home, the other 8 can tahan the workload of the retrenched workers. Wait, you will lose the Job Credit the government gives lei, my inner soul says. Who cares? I save more money with the retrenchment. Loo Choon Yong, I salute you. You are the source of pride for all employers out there.
With Dr Loo in charge, I am so confident of the top management in Raffles Medical Group. Need to start selling more bbq chicken wings to afford their shares. Sure winner.
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The Straits Times
Feb 4, 2009
Budget 2009 Debate
Reconsider 5-day week?
By Jeremy Au Yong
MORE free time did not result in more babies, so people should go back to work on Saturdays.
Nominated MP Loo Choon Yong on Tuesday threw up the most provocative suggestion during the Budget debate when he questioned the benefits of the five-day work week.
Speaking on the second day of the debate on the Budget Statement, he said the move to a shorter work week by the public sector and then the private sectors in in 2004 could have eroded the Singaporean's work ethic, while not improving the fertility rate in any meaningful way.
The number of live births only inched up to 39,490 in 2007 from 37,485 in 2003.
'We should accept that as a people our procreation talent is not our forte - nothing to crow about,' he said.
'I urge the Government to take steps to determine whether our productivity and competitiveness have been affected by the five-day week and to review the policy, if necessary,' he added.
Dr Loo had unleashed this stunner as he voiced concerns over what he called the 'all life and very little work' attitude of the younger generation.
He pointed to Straits Times reports on how to maximise leave by taking advantage of public holidays that fall near weekends as an indication of an erosion of the work ethics.
'I have nothing against our young Singaporeans having fun and partying. But I hope they will work as hard as they play,' he said.
Declining productivity was also a concern of Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) although he broached the subject from a different angle. He pegged the dipping productivity figures in recent years to an over-reliance on foreign workers.
The Straits Times
Feb 4, 2009
Budget 2009 Debate
Reconsider 5-day week?
By Jeremy Au Yong
MORE free time did not result in more babies, so people should go back to work on Saturdays.
Nominated MP Loo Choon Yong on Tuesday threw up the most provocative suggestion during the Budget debate when he questioned the benefits of the five-day work week.
Speaking on the second day of the debate on the Budget Statement, he said the move to a shorter work week by the public sector and then the private sectors in in 2004 could have eroded the Singaporean's work ethic, while not improving the fertility rate in any meaningful way.
The number of live births only inched up to 39,490 in 2007 from 37,485 in 2003.
'We should accept that as a people our procreation talent is not our forte - nothing to crow about,' he said.
'I urge the Government to take steps to determine whether our productivity and competitiveness have been affected by the five-day week and to review the policy, if necessary,' he added.
Dr Loo had unleashed this stunner as he voiced concerns over what he called the 'all life and very little work' attitude of the younger generation.
He pointed to Straits Times reports on how to maximise leave by taking advantage of public holidays that fall near weekends as an indication of an erosion of the work ethics.
'I have nothing against our young Singaporeans having fun and partying. But I hope they will work as hard as they play,' he said.
Declining productivity was also a concern of Mr Zainudin Nordin (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) although he broached the subject from a different angle. He pegged the dipping productivity figures in recent years to an over-reliance on foreign workers.
What is he trying to say? Govt plans are flawed? I thought they are all well thought out? Is he just trying to make himself stand out? He should just go to the loo....
ReplyDeleteSorry I am not a self regulated net user.
Hi keng,
ReplyDeletethe more disturbing thing is how the gahmen always equate a citizen with economical productivity, they only want to breed elitism.
Maybe they should consider a 5-day week for graduate couples and a 6-day week for non-graduates.