http://www.philstar.com/business/201...branch-opening
MANILA, Philippines - As popular fast food chain Jollibee prepares to open its first branch in Singapore this Tuesday, a campaign by some residents sparked online to "boycott" the restaurant for its alleged hiring preference of Filipinos over Singaporean nationals.
Popular blog TR Emeritus dubbed the "voice of Singaporeans for Singapore" encouraged nationals not to support the Philippines-based business in a
post last February 12.
"Unlike other multi-national fast food restaurants like McDonald’s and KFC which hire mainly Singaporeans and even the disabled and elderly, Jollibee Singapore intends to hire their fellow Pinoys to fill up jobs in their latest Singapore venture," it said.
The site cited a Facebook post by Jollibee Singapore calling on "Jollibee fans" to enter careers at the company's Singapore branch.
"The hiring note was addressed to “Jollibee fans” and undoubtedly, it would mean largely Filipinos since most Singaporeans have not tasted Jollibee’s food and are not familiar with Jollibee," TR Emeritus wrote in a follow-up
post on February 14.
The boycott, apparently, is also meant to "send a message that foreign businesses which hire foreigners first are not welcome in Singapore," as the blog post said, adding that job opportunities based in the country should prioritize Singaporeans.
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The site's writers also blamed their government for allowing foreign companies looking for cheap foreign labor to enter the Singaporean market.
"The influx of foreign labor have resulted only in more sufferings and incapacitation of physical and social infrastructures," TR Emeritus said.
The article gathered about 86 comments as of Monday mostly in agreement with the blog's statements, with some even expressing disregard against Filipinos staying in the country.
A Facebook page entitled "Boycott Jollibee Singapore" was also created following the blog post on the same day, and now with over 2,300 supporters on the social network.
"Singaporeans it is time we take a stand against foreigners bullying us," the page's administrators wrote last February 12.
The official
Jollibee Singapore Facebook page, meanwhile, has about 2,500 supporters and features a countdown to the restaurant's first branch in Lucky Plaza along Orchard Road.
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM), however, has explicit policies forbidding the dominance of foreign workers in any business in the island.
"MOM has been taking steps to moderate the inflow and raise the quality of foreign manpower in Singapore. The aim is to shift from labour-driven to productivity-driven growth, and ensure that Singaporeans remain at the core of our workforce," as written in the introduction to Singapore's Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Calls to 'boycott' Jollibee loom over SG branch opening
Ironic end.
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