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Forum: When a woman warned her daughter not to become a trashman like me

I am heartened that Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model has raised the pay scales of low-wage workers and offers them numerous upskilling opportunities (

I am heartened that Singapore’s Progressive Wage Model has raised the pay scales of low-wage workers and offers them numerous upskilling opportunities ( , Feb 1). In tandem with the Progressive Wage Model, our mindsets towards blue-collar workers also have to be a lot more progressive. I remember an incident that happened when I worked part-time at a restaurant. During one of my routine trash runs, a woman who was walking by told her young daughter beside her to study harder so she would not become a trashman like me. Cultivating more progressive mindsets towards blue-collar workers starts with how parents educate their children about these workers. They should not be thought of as people with poor educational backgrounds, but people who do important work to ensure that the most basic tasks essential to the functioning of our society are carried out. Such tasks include work done by security guards who keep us safe from potential threats and maintenance workers who ensure our surroundings are spick and span. It is about time we changed the deeply entrenched mindsets about blue-collar workers, view them as an important part of society, and fully respect them for their immense contributions.