public service pay

Yet another blurb on civil servant salaries in the news today ... I thought I'd air my views. Needless to say, I am not subjected to any salary increase, I thought I would make that clear first.

April 6, 2007
Public service pay - hot topic in the House on Monday
By Keith Lin

Said Mr Lim, a lawyer: 'No one begrudges the fact that
they should be paid well. But how well is the million-dollar question.'

How well is not really the million dollar question. The question is really how much is well? Civil servants do not exist in a vacuum. If people outside are getting twice as much, then even if they earn a comfortable amount, is this considered being paid well? There is a difference between being paid a lot and being paid well; just as there is a difference between saying a BMW is reasonably priced and saying it is cheap. And of course everything is relative.

When many office holders and top mandarins assume their posts, they are already
mentally prepared that it will be at 'great cost' to their career, wealth and family life, he added. 'If there's something we should promote, it's this sense of sacrifice.'

I really love it when people seem to think that civil service should be a reward unto itself. So just because people find meaning in their work and are passionate about their jobs, whether it be serving the country or social work, is there no need to give them sufficient renumeration for their time, efforts and worth? It's like saying "those poor lawyers have an awful job, always facing moral dilemnas and having to suffer their conscience, we should pay them more because of the emotional hardhip they go through. The nurses don't need to be paid so much. Their work is meaningful and rewarding and they can derive happiness and satisfaction from that; we just need to give them enough to get by.

Jurong GRC MP Madam Halimah Yacob believed most people have 'made up their minds one way or the other'.
But the debate may deepen Singaporeans' understanding of the pay increment, she added. Instead of just focusing on the people at the top, she would like more attention to be given to how the majority of civil servants will be affected by the revision.

Hear hear ... the rest of the civil service isn't paid very well either! In fact, much less so :(