bangkit.net

Since the bus accident near Taiping two days ago, everyone seems to be blaming the bus driver. Worst still, after the horror crash which claimed 20
lives, the bosses are still adamant in not taking proper care of their workers. The Pan Malaysia Bus Operators Association chairman Datuk Ashfar Ali doesn’t want to give bus drivers basic salaries, because then, they will probably go to sleep and refuse to drive. ( Pg 9 , NST Aug 15, 2007 )

So is he implying that the rest of us who have a guaranteed basic salary, all go to sleep, and refuse to do our respective jobs, just because we know we have a pay cheque at the end of the month?

By that logic, shouldn’t everyone be paid by the task delivered? Lets see, only pay doctors a sum for every patient seen, teachers by every class they teach, toilet cleaners by each toilet cleaned, and our MPs by each promise they deliver to every electorate. Won’t that be fair ?

Then all of us will deliver, do our work, and earn every penny by the minute and task.

But that is not the way it works, Datuk Ashfar. Every human being deserves to be treated with respect and dignity, all equally. There cannot be different rules for different categories of workers. Everyone should and rightly must be given guaranteed basic salary, and that too, at a minimum wage above poverty line.

Because the bus driver, like the rest of us, is human. He deserves to have his basic rights taken care of, with the security of a monthly wage, so that he also can support a family, buy a house, a car and raise a family. Just like the rest of us.

Our monthly wages come from both, as a reward for our contribution to society, as well as a means to fulfilling our basic daily needs. It cannot be paid as per every task done. That is a slave-like, non-holistic thinking that looks at workers just as task performers. It is an unjust exploitation of workers.

Bus drivers provide the essential service of public transportation across this country. Can you imagine no bus drivers working, and no buses for anyone to travel? If we care for safety of our loved ones, we should care for the well being of bus drivers.

Pay bus drivers basic salaries. Give them EPF and SOCSO. You cannot pay bus drivers only as per trip. Don’t treat people like monkeys, giving it a banana every time it goes up a tree.

Any fear that bus drivers will then sleep in is unfounded. As in all other jobs, proper monitoring and supervision will ensure bus routes are run. And with a little more interest in people’s well-being from bus operators, rather than just profit, perhaps the maintenance and safety of buses will be given priority.