| Update on Tipper Case; MOM Prosecutes Four Employers |
| Thursday, 19 March 2009 10:37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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MOM will also prosecute Loke, Lee, Sockalingam Uthayanan of UPNB Engineering Pte Ltd and Han Meng Siew of Ensure Engineering Pte Ltd for their involvement in the illegal deployment of foreign workers hired by Tipper to other companies (Please see Annex for chronology of events). The four employers face the following charges for infringements under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA):
MOM Advisory MOM has stepped up ground operations to detect and bring to book employers who have committed offences such as illegal employment, providing unacceptable accommodation and failing to pay salaries. MOM has put in place early intervention measures to identify employers who may be facing financial difficulties, while our employment inspectors also carry out daily inspections at workplaces and workers' quarters islandwide. Employers who no longer have any work for their workers must be prepared to continue paying their salaries, or cancel the work permits and send the workers home. Workers who face salary arrears should report them to MOM as soon as possible, as delays can lead to the accumulation of larger arrears. "The accused employers deliberately brought in workers for which there was no prospect of regular work, failed to provide for their proper maintenance through non-payment of salaries for months and housed them in unacceptable accommodation. We will keep up our operations on the ground against such errant employers, and ensure that they face the full consequences of their actions under the law," said Aw Kum Cheong, Divisional Director of the Foreign Manpower Management Division.Penalties for errant employers Failure to pay salaries on time, or to provide acceptable housing, are all serious offences under the EFMA. Those convicted can be fined up to $5,000 or jailed for up to six months or both, for each foreign worker. For illegal employment, a first-time offender faces a fine up to $15,000 or imprisonment of up to one year, or both, for each foreign worker. They will also have to repay the levy evaded. For the second and subsequent conviction, the penalty will be a mandatory jail sentence of 1 to 12 months, in addition to a fine of up to $15,000. Anyone with specific information of such employment offences should immediately report them to MOM at (65) 64385122 or via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
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