MEDIACORP TELLS 70YR OLD VETERAN ACTRESS TO TAKE TWO-THIRDS PAY CUT

Dear A.S.S. Editor

I am totally disgusted at how Mediacorp treats its veteran actor when negotiating for a new contract. Granted, the person is 70 years old, and her sell by date for the company has possibly been long gone. But if this how you negotiate, then this shows how much value you put in your older staff, whether they are well known actors or just normal behind the cameras staff.

In a media interview, veteran Chinese actress Jin Yinji said she was shown no respect during contract talks in January last year. She already had three dramas on her plate then, but the company not only wanted her to take a pay cut of two-thirds or more but also hurt her self-esteem. She said “You can talk to me nicely, you don’t have to say, ‘If I have to hire you to act, I might as well hire a $50-an-hour bit player.'” This shows how much respect the company had for their own staff.

Jin had been with Mediacorp for 30 years was voted one of the company’s Top 20 Most Popular Artistes more than once. She felt she could still do her job. Also, producers were using her, and she did not understand why she had to take a pay cut. Jin has said she has since let the incident go, and has put the unhappy episode behind her.

Lim YB

A.S.S. Contributor