I’m not sure about you, but the tray return system in new hawker centre doesn’t have me as a fan.
Oftentimes, I would rather make two trips to carry all my food + a bowl of chilli sauce than to pay extra for the tray, which of course, would still be returned to me should I return it.
The deposit is usually at $0.50 or $1, and would be added into the cost of the meal.
And from what I see, I’m not alone: it’s common to see people making multiple trips just to “siam” the extra work of returning the tray.
But that’s just me. For the hawkers, they’ve nothing to lose – patrons ask for it, they give. Patrons didn’t ask, they don’t give.
Simple as that. No additional cost or work for them.
But this “saga” arises because one hawker centre apparently doesn’t work that way.
Jurong West Hawker Centre, The Hawker Centre That Rewards You For Returning Your Tray
As a patron, the only difference in this hawker centre is that patrons won’t need to give any deposit when they take a tray: and if they return the tray, they’ll receive a “bonus” of $0.20.
So what’s the saga all about? Free money and people are not happy?
It’s because the hawkers are the ones who would be absorbing the cost of the $0.20 “bonus”.
In the tenancy agreement, these are the “Tray Return System” clauses:
- Tenant shall participate in the Tray Return with Incentive System implemented by the Landlord at the Hawker Centre. Trays will be issued to the Tenant before the start of each business day and as and when required by the Tenant.
- The Tenant shall pay $0.20 / tray issued to the tray cleaning contractor at the point of issuance
- The Tenant must issue a tray to each customer for the purchase of food or bulk drinks
Now you know where the problem is: a patron take one tray, hawker loses $0.20.
But why?
According to the management, it was “implemented to achieve two objectives — to collectively encourage customers to return their used trays and thereby creating a cleaner and more comfortable environment; and to increase productivity within the hawker centre and provide more affordable food options for the community.”
I read it more than ten times I still feel that it doesn’t address the core issue.
But moving on…shit finally hits the fan recently
Hawkers Buay Tahan, Started Petition
12 hawkers decided to make their voices heard by sending a signed petition (not the online version hor, the physical version with real signatures) to Koufu, the company that runs the hawker centre through its social enterprise subsidiary Hawker Management.
According to the petition, they are not happy that Jurong West Hawker Centre is the only hawker centre in Singapore to have this system of charging the hawkers for the trays. They are already paying $1,100 monthly for the collection and washing, and the initiative has caused numerous arguments between stall owners and customers.
I can already imagine how an argument would start:
Patron: Can give me a tray?
Hawker: Can don’t? I’ll lose $0.20 leh. Your food only $2.80, I won’t make money liao
Patron: You don’t CB
According to the report, a hawker could spend up to $900 a month just on this tray cost.
Hawker Management Meeting with Tenants in the Next Few Days to Discuss Concerns
The petition was sent in August 2018, and yesterday, it’s reported that Hawker Management would be “conducting meetings with tenants of the Jurong West Hawker Centre over the next few days to gather tenants’ feedback and views on all outstanding concerns.”
They added, “Hawker Management remains committed to working closely with tenants to reach an amicable solution.”
Jurong West Hawker Centre, the Hawker Centre That’s Not Near Jurong East MRT Station
In case you live in the east and would like to experience a $0.20 bonus, just take note that Jurong West Hawker Centre isn’t located near Jurong East MRT Station.
Instead, it’s located nearer to Pioneer MRT Station.
Opened in October last year, it has 34 stalls and has a cashless payment system.
Stay tuned because we’re quite certain there would be a conclusion in the next few days.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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