Search the Community

looks like 9 years late and maybe hundred of thousands of Singaporean has being affected. Now a change to help the Singaporean. I wonder what has become of us when it takes such a lengthy amount of time to react. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/mom-to-update-government-framework-that-deters-employers-from-discriminating-against SINGAPORE - The Government rules that ensure that employers do not discriminate against Singaporean workers by hiring foreigners will be updated this year. Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo announced plans to update the Fair Consideration Framework in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Jan 1). "Expect stronger deterrence for discrimination against Singaporeans when hiring, but also stronger support for employers who are committed to giving our people a fair chance," she said, without giving details of the review. In her Facebook post, Ms Teo spelt out the Manpower Ministry's key milestones in 2019, such as adopting a 10-year road map to raise retirement and re-employment ages. She also noted that workplace fatalities have declined consistently since 2015 and sustained a record low rate of 1.2 per 100,000 workers for the past two consecutive years. The Fair Consideration Framework was introduced in August 2014 on the back of a slowdown in the inflow of foreign workers after Singaporeans voiced unhappiness about them taking away good-paying professional, managerial and executive (PME) jobs from locals. Under the rules then, companies with more than 25 employees must advertise professional, managerial and executive posts that pay less than $12,000 a month. The advertisements need to run for at least 14 days before the firms can apply to the Ministry of Manpower for an Employment Pass (EP) for a foreigner. The framework was last updated in July 2018 to cover firms with more than 10 employees and jobs that pay less than $15,000 a month. Under the framework, firms found to be favouring foreigners in hiring are placed on an MOM watchlist and their applications for EPs are scrutinised more closely. Since 2016, the ministry has placed about 600 firms on the watchlist. A total of 2,300 EP applications have been rejected or withheld by MOM, or withdrawn by employers. Some 260 firms were taken off the watchlist after their hiring practices improved. The Fair Consideration Framework was introduced in August 2014 on the back of a slowdown in the inflow of foreign workers after Singaporeans voiced unhappiness about them taking away good-paying professional, managerial and executive (PME) jobs from locals. Under the rules then, companies with more than 25 employees must advertise professional, managerial and executive posts that pay less than $12,000 a month. The advertisements need to run for at least 14 days before the firms can apply to the Ministry of Manpower for an Employment Pass (EP) for a foreigner. The framework was last updated in July 2018 to cover firms with more than 10 employees and jobs that pay less than $15,000 a month. Under the framework, firms found to be favouring foreigners in hiring are placed on an MOM watchlist and their applications for EPs are scrutinised more closely. Since 2016, the ministry has placed about 600 firms on the watchlist. A total of 2,300 EP applications have been rejected or withheld by MOM, or withdrawn by employers. Some 260 firms were taken off the watchlist after their hiring practices improved.

Seriously?

https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-engineers-puzzled-by-mysterious-signals-from-voyager-1-2022-5 NASA said Voyager 1 is sending data that doesn't match the spacecraft's movements. The veteran spacecraft has been exploring our solar system and interstellar space since 1977. It is now 14.5 billion miles away from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object. NASA's Voyager 1 is continuing its journey beyond our solar system, 45 years after it was launched. But now the veteran spacecraft is sending back strange data, puzzling its engineers. NASA said on Wednesday that while the probe is still operating properly, readouts from its attitude articulation and control system — AACS for short — don't seem to match the spacecraft's movements and orientation, suggesting the craft is confused about its location in space. The AACS is essential for Voyager to send NASA data about its surrounding interstellar environment as it keeps the craft's antenna pointing right at our planet. "A mystery like this is sort of par for the course at this stage of the Voyager mission," Suzanne Dodd, a project manager for Voyager 1 and 2 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "The spacecraft are both almost 45 years old, which is far beyond what the mission planners anticipated." NASA said Voyager 1's twin, the Voyager 2 probe, is behaving normally. Launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets in our solar system, Voyager 1 has remained operational long past expectations and continues to send information about its journeys back to Earth. The trailblazing craft left our solar system and entered interstellar space in 2012. It is now 14.5 billion miles away from Earth, making it the most distant human-made object. NASA said that from what its engineers can tell, Voyager 1's AACS is sending randomly generated data that does not "reflect what's actually happening onboard." But even if system data suggests otherwise, the spacecraft's antenna seems to be properly aligned — it is receiving and executing commands from NASA and sending data back to Earth. It said that so far the system issue hasn't triggered the aging spacecraft to go into "safe mode," during which it carries out only essential operations. "Until the nature of the issue is better understood, the team cannot anticipate whether this might affect how long the spacecraft can collect and transmit science data," NASA said. Dodd and her team hope to figure out what's prompting the robot emissary from Earth to send junky data. "There are some big challenges for the engineering team," Dodd said. A major one: It takes light 20 hours and 33 minutes to get to Voyager's current interstellar location, so a round-trip message between the space agency and Voyager takes two days. "But I think if there's a way to solve this issue with the AACS, our team will find it," Dodd added.

Hi, Anyone using such system at home? Care to share the benefits, be it health improvement, or other issues? I am researching on this, no idea what's all about after listened to the radio. Thanks all.

Dear Folks, Out of curosity, I attended a brief seminar by T3B recently. Has anyone used this system before? How effective is it as a stocks trading tool? Do share your experiences. Thanks.

hi, anyone knows where to buy the above and how much? those made of stainless steel or alumimnum? to be fitted into HDB.

Hi, I am looking for other shops selling Harman Kardon Aura wireless speaker either Black or White colour. Was informed that Gain City has this speaker and cost around S$670/- Any brother/sister here got lobang for this speaker. Happen to listen on the wireless speaker and the sound quality was fantastic .... The clarity of the sound is so much solid than most brands.

i chance upon this HKS DDR (Direct Deposit Removal) on a mag recently and it say until got dragon got tiger like tat. it claims tat it has more cleaning properties compared to the usual market bands and is supposed to restore much of the engine performance after using. price wise i believe should be ard 30-40/bottle (220ml+ i think) i also taken alook at the old STP fuel system cleaner and it's supposed to haf the same properties wif HKS DDR. but ard $19 per bottle. juz curious if anyone of u had use the above items b4? or other brands? do they really work or juz snake oil? my car is 4 yrs++ wif 88,000km. lets discuss!

Hi guys, Recently I replaced the front speakers to aftermarket and added an sub to the original Mazda Bose System. The result was sure better off than the original bose system. Now I am considering adding on an amp to power the new front speaker but was told by the workshop that as the built in was a bose amp, it requires an amp with built in processor which is rather costly. If using normal 4 channel amp to power the fronts, the result coulbe be worst than current stage. Anyone who have converted their Mazda Bose System could share your valuable experience and set up here?

My sprog is in Primary 5, for the first time so far - last night I was truly disappointed in the school system. By and large, I find the schools are doing a pretty decent job - so far the education has been going pretty well, I haven't always agreed with what they teach. But hey, I don't need to - they have been doing it rather well. Last night, chatting with the kid - it is the first time I have been seriously upset at what they are doing. Just had the "Chinese Composition" exam for first semester, and we were chit chatting about what she wrote. Apparently they were given picture prompts - about a boy bullying his grandma, running into the road and almost getting run over. Well ok, putting aside the rather ham fisted and heavy handed moralising - we talked about what she said next... I suggested a story line of... Seeing the boy in danger, Superman came flying out of the sky, and stopped the car just in time, lifting it up to protect the boy. But then, when he found out what had happened, he said "Nah - you don't deserve to be rescued" where upon he dropped the car onto the boy, turning him into ketchup. Crotch spawn informed me that if she wrote that, she would be marked down for "going out of context" - WTF????? Out of context? No wonder the kids are so boring - they have to tell a predictable and "moral" story - In my day, we were encouraged to try and shock / surprise the teacher. Not write stories to some freaking boring formula!!! Blardy hell - how to move forward like that?

Hi bros, Anyone into KTV system for home, I would like to install one but i new to this. Thank you.

My COE car dun have aux input, which is a no no in the modern times as I cannot play music from gadgets such as phones and ipods, etc. Hence completed a simple upgrade to improve the flexibility of the existing sound system and make full use of the speakers and tweeters which are pretty decent and good enough for me. I share my humble and cheapo DIY project with fellow bros. Appreciate suggestions if can improve the "setup", make it neater or more presentable. Hahahaha

Dear Valued MyCarForum User, This email is to inform you that on the Saturday, 24th of August 2019, 9AM(GMT+8), we will be implementing a System Upgrade. We anticipate this to take about 24 hours, and we seek your kind understanding should there be any service disruptions. Services Unavailable During this period, users will find that the forum function will be unavailable from 9AM. Services are expected to resume at 9AM on the Sunday, 25th of August 2019. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. If you have any queries, feel free to contact [email protected] Thank you for your continuous support! Warmest regards, MyCarForum Support Team

A National Environment Agency (NEA) official has raised the possibility that Singapore residents may in future be asked to "pay as you throw", as part of efforts to monitor and limit rubbish dumped by households. This could involve bin chutes that use radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to track how much waste any one household produces, he said at a major sustainability conference on Tuesday. "We are working on a trial to track the number of times a household opens a rubbish chute hatch, with each opening accepting only a fixed volume of waste," said Mr Cheang Kok Chung, director of the NEA's department for environmental protection policy and international relations. "(There is a) glaring lack of a 'pay as you throw' element in the (waste disposal) fee," Mr Cheang said, adding that Singapore's ubiquitous rubbish chutes made it very difficult to implement a "pay as you throw" system using prepaid waste bags. He was speaking at a presentation during the 2019 Sustainable Innovation Expo in Nairobi, Kenya. The Expo is being held on the sidelines of the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly meeting. Each HDB household currently pays $8.25 a month for waste regardless of the amount thrown away. With this new scheme, some might end up paying less. Said Mr Cheang: "Hopefully (the trial) works and the next time we can report that we are a bit closer to the 'user-pay principle' tax." If there are monitoring systems like RFID tags, people might be motivated to throw less rubbish indiscriminately, which would mean less rubbish landing up in Semakau, Singapore's only landfill. According to the latest figures, about 200,000 tonnes of solid waste and all incineration ash are sent to the landfill annually. At this rate, Semakau will be filled to the brim by 2035. It was envisaged earlier that the landfill, when it first opened in 1999, would last until 2046. Singapore currently has the technology to use RFID tags on bins. According to reports in 2016, recycling collection crews could scan RFID tags on recycling bins upon collection for recyclables to be tracked in a system. It is not impossible to implement such a project. The "pay as you throw" principle has worked in other countries. In South Korea, for example, households can buy designated bags to dispose of their trash, or take it to centralised RFID food waste and rubbish bins. There, the trash will be weighed and the household billed accordingly. The NEA told The Straits Times yesterday that there are currently no plans to introduce pay-as-you-throw RFID waste disposal systems in Singapore. "Building on lessons from past trials and other countries' experience, the National Environment Agency is constantly exploring ways to incentivise households to reduce the amount of waste disposed of," an NEA spokesman said. "There is no current plan to implement a pay-as-you-throw RFID waste disposal system," the spokesman added.

Subaru EyeSight vs Honda Sensing Sources: https://blog.carsforsale.com/subaru-eyesight-vs-honda-sensing-tech-tip-tuesday/ You can’t buy an autonomous car yet, but automotive safety technologies like Subaru EyeSight and Honda Sensing foreshadow a future of self-driving cars. This article will compare Subaru EyeSight and Honda Sensing, two similar crash avoidance technologies that are revolutionizing automotive safety. Primary FeaturesSubaru Eyesight is in its second generation since it was first introduced at the 2012 New York Auto Show. All 2015 Subaru cars with EyeSight earned superior frontal crash test ratings by the IIHS. This driver assist technology is now optional in the following 2015 Subaru models: XV Crosstrek, Legacy, Forester, Impreza and Outback. Here is a look at the primary features Subaru EyeSight offers. Adaptive Cruise ControlOf the features Subaru EyeSight uses, adaptive cruise control is the show stopper that reflects a future of self-driving cars. Other car makers have attempted this technology with minimal success, but Subaru nails it. Do you hate constantly setting and resetting cruise control because of surrounding traffic? EyeSight is similar to conventional cruise control features, but it will automatically adjust the speed if you come behind a slower vehicle. If the slower vehicle leaves your lane, the car will return to its original speed. Even in stop and go traffic, EyeSight will automatically follow a car in front of you at one of three distance settings. If the car in front of you stops, EyeSight will come to a smooth stop as well. Simply press a button when the car in front proceeds and the Subaru will return to the original cruise control speed when possible. Blind Spot DetectionNew to the second generation of Subaru EyeSight, blind spot detection senses cars coming into a vehicles blind spot. If a vehicle is in your blind spot and you engage your blinker, Subaru EyeSight will display a flashing light on a side view mirror until the car leaves the blind spot. Pre-Collision BrakingIt happens to even the best drivers. You’re calmly cruising in your car and before you know it you’re only a few feet from the vehicle ahead of you. Pre-collision braking will detect when you are getting too close to a vehicle. The car first produces an audible beeping, followed by automatic braking. Imagine you’re driving toward a stopped vehicle that you are completely unaware of. Even if you have your foot on the gas the entire time, the car will automatically brake for you to either avoid or lessen the severity of the collision. If you are applying the brake too lightly, the system will apply stronger brake automatically to help you avoid the collision. Pre-Collision Throttle Management Suppose a driver in front of you at a stop sign begins to accelerate. You begin to accelerate in anticipation, but the lead car slams the brakes. The system will see the danger, provide an audible beeping and decrease the throttle to give the driver more time to react. This is also beneficial in parked situations. Have you ever put the car in gear, cranked your head 180° to back up your car and been shocked when you slam the obstacle in front of your car? Pre-collision throttle management helps you avoid these costly mishaps. Lane Departure and Sway WarningWe all do our best to avoid momentary distractions while driving, but even the attention of the best drivers will occasionally slip. EyeSight will use the lines of the road to detect your car’s position. EyeSight will give you an audible warning if the car begins to drift into another lane without blinking. The alert will help the driver correct the car’s course quickly. If the vehicle drifts back and forth in the lane, EyeSight will trigger an audible lane sway warning to alert the distracted or drowsy driver. This warning does not steer the car, but will afford the driver extra time to avoid costly and dangerous accidents. Lane Keep AssistNew in 2016, Subaru offers Lane Keep Assist, a system that will automatically steer and correct a vehicle drifting from its lane. This has the potential to dramatically reduce accidents caused by drowsiness or distractions. When your turn signal is activated, Lane Keep Assist will NOT correct the vehicle, allowing you to freely transition between lanes. Primary FeaturesThe Honda Sensing is an avoidance safety technology that has only recently been introduced to U.S. automobiles. The umbrella term, Honda Sensing, covers a suite of six safety features to be included on select Honda vehicles like the 2015 CR-V Touring. The 2015 CR-V received a superior front crash prevention rating from the IIHS. Let’s take a look at some of what Honda Sensing brings to the table. Collision Mitigation Braking System™Thanks to a small camera stored behind the front Honda logo, drivers with Honda Sensing in their vehicles will have braking assistance to avoid frontal crashes. Honda Sensing will detect objects in front of the vehicle and attempt to slow the vehicle and give the driver an audible and visual warning. Unlike Subaru EyeSight, the Honda Sensing will not bring the vehicle to a complete stop. It is only designed to reduce impact or give the driver extra time to manually stop the vehicle. Lane Keeping Assist System Should the driver accidentally leave his or her lane, the Honda will not only give an audible and visual warning, it will assist steering and bring the vehicle back into the center of the lane. Although not recommended, with Lane Keeping Assist activated you could hypothetically let go of the steering wheel and stay on the road. (Insert Carrie Underwood joke) Adaptive Cruise ControlHonda makes setting cruise control a little less annoying in traffic by automatically adjusting your vehicle’s speed based on the speed of traffic. Honda Sensing’s adaptive cruise control feature is unable to completely stop the vehicle, but it boasts four following distance settings, one more than the Subaru EyeSight. Honda LaneWatch™ Image courtesy of ExtremeTech.com Make confident and safe passenger-side lane changes with Honda LaneWatch. This feature is essentially an attractive, tech-savvy version of old blind spot mirrors. When the driver activates the right turn signal, a view of the passenger-side lane will appear on the display screen in the Honda. This camera view displays nearly four times what you can see using the mirror alone. Although this tool is not intended to be a replacement for checking your blind spot, it is certainly comforting to clearly see the entire area your vehicle is about to fill. Comparison Subaru EyeSight has been turning heads in the U.S. for much longer than the Honda Sensing. The ability of Subaru EyeSight cars to come to a complete stop with adaptive cruise control and to avoid a collision is incredibly impressive, setting Subaru above its competition. Despite this, Honda LaneWatch is a progressive, practical tool that EyeSight can’t compete with yet. We eagerly anticipate more ground-breaking safety advancements from both companies over the next decade. Crash avoidance systems and other automotive safety technologies are preventing accidents, and ultimately saving lives. Subaru EyeSight is easy to find, as it’s optional in the 2015 XV Crosstrek, Legacy, Forester, Impreza and Outback. Honda Sensing isn’t as prevalent, but it’s popularity and availability are increasing in new Honda vehicles.

Anyone tried Redline SI-1 Fuel System Cleaner? Any effect on FC, performance, etc?

MYCARFORUM POINTS SYSTEM Let's discuss how this forum points system should be revamped and enhanced to meet future needs. Allow me to start. 1. All point earned are reset annually to ZERO. This way, does not matter if you are old bird or new bird, the quality of posts in a year earns the points. 2. Anonymous 'dislikes' are not allowed. This served the forum well when initially implemented but in this day and age, dun hide if you want to take maximum points. Maybe you want to take, you have to give 50%? 3. Bullying laws are being drafted, those unsubstantiated buddy attacks deter new members from posting and attracting new like-minded folks. This forum, already manipulated by the 'team seniors' with thousands of points is not going to progress if not reinventing itself. :-)

SINGAPORE - A stretch of yellow-barreled rails over 20m in length was recently installed along the road shoulder of the slip road leading to the start of the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) towards Woodlands. The rails resemble the rolling barrier system, a road safety feature, seen in several countries including Malaysia, Australia and the United States. Singapore Road Safety Council chairman Bernard Tay told The Straits Times the new guardrails are better at absorbing the impact from a vehicle crash. "It behaves like a shock absorber," said Mr Tay. "Unlike conventional metal barriers, this system absorbs the (crash) impact and deflects it, making it safer for the driver and reduces the likelihood of a vehicle crashing through the barrier." ST understands the system is new here. It is being tested by the Land Transport Authority which will soon be giving details about it. A close inspection of the "barrels" with reflective markers reveal they were manufactured by a South Korean company called Evolution in Traffic Innovation (ETI) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXVUAR5kjOA So how does the rolling barrier system work? When a vehicle hits the guardrail, the rotating barrels convert the shockwaves to rotational energy. The railway-type rails in the system also absorb the shockwaves while simultaneously guiding the accident vehicle away from the impact zone. In theory, this helps prevent unwanted rear-end collisions. The size and speed of a vehicle may affect the performance of the safety barrier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdPmlriLSkQ The latest road safety technology, however, does not come cheap. The cost of installing 1m of the Roller System is reported to range between US$300 (S$414) and US$400 (S$553). But the cost of maintaining the guardrails apparently will be low as only damaged parts need to be replaced following a crash. In Mr Tay's view, the price is a small one to pay. "It's a good thing that LTA is making an effort to put in new innovation," he said. "Hopefully it (the rolling barrier system) saves more lives and reduces the injury to motorists."

Interesting, I wonder if it will work or cause more issues https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/system-to-give-buses-priority-at-traffic-lights-on-6-month-trial Public buses are less likely to get stuck in traffic in future, with a new system that can prompt traffic lights to change in the buses' favour. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced yesterday that it is carrying out a six-month trial of the Smart Bus Priority System, starting today. During the trial, which ends next April, services 98 and 99 buses are fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) trackers, which transmit the buses' real-time locations to a back-end assessment system. As a bus with the GPS tracker approaches a traffic junction, the system will communicate with the traffic lights and prioritise its movement, if required, by either extending the green-light duration or shortening the red-light duration. For instance, if a bus that has been delayed by a traffic jam approaches a green light that is about to turn red, the traffic light will stay green longer to allow the bus to pass. This will also benefit other vehicles travelling alongside the bus. After the bus passes the junction, the timing of the traffic light will revert to normal. The LTA said the system, which has a similar concept to one already in place in Australia, is aimed at providing faster and more reliable bus journeys for commuters. It added that a total of 56 buses which currently ply the routes of services 98 and 99 will have GPS trackers. Services 98 and 99 ply Jurong East Avenue 1 and Jurong West Avenue 1 between Jurong Town Hall Road and Jurong West Street 42/52. They were chosen for the trial because both routes have multiple traffic-light junctions, which will enable the LTA to better evaluate the effectiveness of the system. At the end of the trial period, data collected will be analysed to determine whether the system can effectively complement existing bus priority measures - such as bus lanes, B-signals for buses at junctions and bus priority boxes - to improve bus journey times and reliability.

Hi all I 'll need some advice on which is good for applying on new car? Budget $1500 Cheers!

Hi guys, Would any kind members know off or came across any audioshop that does BOSE sound systems for cars?

http://news.xin.msn.com/en/singapore/spore...ransport-system If they only want profit. There is no way we can learn from them. Hong Kong and Taipei transport system are under subsidy if I not wrong.

Business Times - 19 Oct 2007 Family support system for old folks at risk Middle-aged people stretched financially, sociologist warns SINGAPORE'S emphasis on family members as a pillar of support for older people is in danger of collapse, an academic here warned yesterday. Angelique Chan, a sociologist at the National University of Singapore, said: 'I think the whole emphasis on families supporting older adults ... the system is going to break. 'You're already seeing the cracks. You've got middle-aged people who are just stretched to the limit financially and emotionally caring for their younger aged children and their older parents. 'It's very hard to care for older parents - there's a lot of psychological issues involved caring for someone who used to take care of you, and health care is much more expensive now.' She made the remarks during a question-and-answer session at the Singapore Economic Policy Conference held at Four Seasons Hotel yesterday. According to her, the state will have to do 'a lot more' to address the social impact of population ageing. Her presentation to an audience that included members of the Central Provident Fund Board, public and private sector economists and other academics painted a bleak picture of Singapore's demographic trends. 'Singapore's demographic window of opportunity will close in the next 10 to 15 years,' she said. The country's total fertility rate - a measure of the average number of children born for every woman in the population over her lifetime - has fallen sharply, from six in 1965 to 1.26 in 2006, she said. In fact, 'since 1975, the population has not been replacing itself.' Her team's research suggests that without migration the population will start shrinking from around 2020, and so will the labour force. Worse still, many demographers now believe that 'once the total fertility rate goes below 1.5 it is near impossible to raise it back up to the replacement rate' of about 2.1, she said. She thinks it unlikely the population will be able to replace itself. With the rate of non-marriage and divorce on the rise, 'it just doesn't look so good,' she said. 'Immigration is the only way.' No developed country has a fertility rate that reaches or exceeds the replacement rate, she said. Among developed countries, France has the highest fertility rate, at 1.8. In South Korea and Hong Kong, the fertility rates are even lower than in Singapore, at 1.19 and 0.94 respectively. With her colleagues, she is studying the reasons why Singaporeans are reluctant to have children. 'What we found was that young adults in Singapore still have a very idealistic impression of parenting and marriage,' she said. 'They've got really high expectations about the kind of parenting they have to provide, but they're saying no to the traditional social support systems that used to help in this process.'

personally, I don't know what the hoo-hah is about ... my company has been doing this for eons ... and this year, even medical fees also "not encouraged" to claim in order to qualify for the extra bonuses. SIA to change appraisal system for cabin crew From April, Singapore Airlines (SIA) cabin crew will no longer have their incentive points docked when they take sick leave for common ailments such as coughs and colds. The change, which comes about a year after staff complained that the current system discourages those who are genuinely ill from resting at home, is part of a broader overhaul of the appraisal system, The Straits Times has found out. An SIA spokesman confirmed that the current system, which also takes into account areas such as customer feedback, as well as cabin crew's knowledge of operational and regulatory matters, will be "restructured". She did not provide details but said the changes aim to "more accurately reflect their (cabin crew) work performance". Under the current system, each cabin crew member starts with 10 incentive points a year, which are progressively deducted and all lost once 12 casual medical certificates (MCs) are accumulated. An MC is recorded as casual if it is submitted for common ailments. The MC component makes up 4 to 6 per cent of the annual appraisal. While cabin crew have been unhappy about the system for many years, their grouses resurfaced in February last year after a stewardess was found dead in her hotel room in San Francisco. She had allegedly told her colleagues that she was not feeling well. The cause of death has not been made public. At the time, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) stepped in to say that paid sick and hospitalisation leave is "a basic protection" under the Employment Act and a core benefit in collective agreements. An MOM spokesman said then that employers should avoid penalising an employee solely based on consumption of sick leave. Employers should adopt appraisal or performance management systems which are fair and objective, and which take into consideration the employee's ability, performance and contributions, MOM said then. SIA's decision to restructure its appraisal system for cabin crew is a good move, said human resource expert David Leong from PeopleWorldwide Consulting. "What is deemed casual MC is really a situation of mistrust between the human resource department, staff and the doctor involved," he said. "Companies which do not outrightly say so but look less favourably on staff who take MC... see people as arid and mechanical assets. Such practices will not endear employees to the organisations." While there will always be staff who take advantage of sick leave, there are better ways to monitor and discipline them without having to penalise all employees, other experts said. Mr Alan Tan, president of the Singapore Airlines Staff Union - SIA's biggest union, which represents cabin crew - said: "We have been in talks with management to address the unhappiness and concern among staff and look forward to the changes that will be made to the appraisal system."