Employers Called On To Provide More Incentives
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Locals are just as keen as their foreign counterparts in filling up jobs in the private sector, despite low salaries and longer working hours.

Some parents said they encouraged their children to work as salespersons even though they were only expected to take home $380 to $400 a month.

"They worked from 9 am until 10 pm, but most of the time, they went home as late as 10.45 pm.

"We picked them up at the office late at night, thinking that they would be fully rewarded at the end of the month," they said, adding that they gave their children $3 a day for food as they needed to pay for their lunch and dinner.

However, when they received their salaries, they were not rewarded for working overtime. They were also deducted for being late in the morning, even if it was only for five minutes.

Since their salaries could be as low as $300, many parents eventually encouraged their children to quit as it was cheaper to keep them at home.

"If you subtract food, which is $90 a month, and transportation, they were actually earning only about $100 a month," they said.

Parents also called for prospective employers to provide locals with incentives such as food, transportation and overtime allowances so they could become more enthusiastic about work.

"In the absence of financial incentives, many local school-leavers will not leave home to work," they said.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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