No annual leave and no sick leave for one year?!?

kilua SG · 2007-05-21T17:38:42+00:00

outscource lor... like the construction industry working on HDB projects...everybody try to undercut each other to get the contract....in the end all die.co...

kilua SG

http://willythecop.blogspot.com/

My mom is working at the Tuas South Incineration Plant as a cleaner under the contract of a private cleaning company. The company pays her S$700 a month for a 5-days work week. The pay is not high, but at least reasonable.

Now, the cleaning contract has ended for this cleaning company and the contract has been given to another new cleaning company. And so my mom's new boss had a meet-the-people session to tell the cleaners his rules:

1. The pay is reduced to S$500
2. Now it has to be a 5.5 days working week
3. There will be a cut in manpower as there should not be more than 3 people working at an area, regardless how large the area space
4. No annual leave and sick leave for the first year

And there was where my mom and all other old uncles and aunties got a shock... NO ANNUAL LEAVE AND SICK LEAVE FOR THE FIRST YEAR?!? Hello? These are not hyperactive teenagers we're talking about! This new boss is expecting all his 50-60 years old cleaners not to fall sick for one year? How realistic is this?!? And so what if they DO fall sick? Pay cut! Not a difficult guess right?

I'm wondering, how did the National Environment Agency (NEA) chooses their cleaning company to contract out to? Why is there such an obvious cost reduction effort from this new cleaning company? Is it because NEA is not paying them enough?

And is the boss allowed to take away annual and sick leaves for his workers? Is the Ministery of Manpower (MOM) allowing this? If that is true, who is there to protect these old cleaning workers?

So much for a good retirement in Singapore... WTF

Kuali Baba SG

Her annual leave is called 'Saturday evening & Sunday'. Laughing

Fatum SG

so study hard and work hard ... to repay your mother for all her sacrifices .....

Singapore is becoming increasingly darwainian .... don't count on anyone, definitely not the goverment, to do anything about such things .....

R3SsH|n SG

jeez…i tot it was a labour crime to not give stuff annual leave?

allentyb SG

Rolling Eyes

Ito_^ SG

yeah. i think so too.

pierre^^ SG

firstly i sympatise with ur mum

Anyway since ur mum dun mind working cleaner job hor
Wad i would suggest is

Since the industry is full of cleaning jobs aniway
U should highlight this case to the papers
or better still get an interview with TNP

500 salary is an insult, it is slavery
Plus its illegial not to give workers sick leave, hospitalisation leave entitlement
for temp worker , got to read up on this though
I presume in ur case that its is not that ur mum cant go on sick leave, but even she got MC, she wun have paid sick leave

There must be justice for unfair labour

U must report this errant employer

It is not hard to get cleaning job in spore, and u prob can get 800, thats abt the standard pay

Or u can approach NTUC, they do have some job offers on hand, i also presume ur mum is a union member, so it shall nt be difficult

U can choose to keep quiet though

but is that the life u wan, to keep quiet and mousely even when things are unfair?

abnn SG

find other job ...

other check it out with labour law

dragg SG

lowest bidder gets the contract.

Mad Mad Mad

pwnz0r SG

hmm... depending on the terms of the contract, it may not be illegal.

they may be hired on a contract basis, or in the sense that the probation period is 1 year.

i believe they can opt for sick leave or annual leave, but you are just not compensated for the days you don't work.

nothing you can really do about it. union won't be able to help you much, as even all the cleaners in that company form a collective bargaining power, the company would just seek more desperate workers to fill the job. bangladeshi would willing take those jobs. being a cleaner isn't exactly a unique job position, so it is subject to such conditions.

mrsmall SG

Complain in writing to MOM and tell that this kind of companies still engage by the another govt dept. like NEA.
thats all make sure the MOM must cancel the licence of that company.

banzie SG

it is like that one lah.... First year's annual leave can only be used the second year. Usually only 6 months then got sick leave.

You first time work issit?

It is fair enough that thru labour law that you work a full year before you get the annual leave. And the leaves can max be kept for till the next year. Unless the company has different policy. About the first year no unpaid leave is part of labour law too. Your mum can still take leave. Unpaid lor.

Ah Cek SG

as contractor this is quite common. no paid annual and medical leaves.

kwlee SG

my workplace quite near to the plant... hmmm

anyway, yeap, i think she could find better cleaning job else where...

browniebaobao SG

actually contract staff like that got AL and SL de meh? Rolling Eyes

my mum also nv get lor.

holiday she work also no double pay..

if her rest day falls on holiday, she will not be compensated another day also.

got work got money, no work no money.

red_amoeba SG

Please highlight this to our millionaire ministers & ask them to tell us how, in their vision, Singapore can be a city for us all when such slavery occur in their NEA?

If this happens in other countries, the workers would have gone on strike and the government will be facing tough questions to answer.

pwnz0r SG

you really think so? on strike? any real examples?

i pull such 'facts' out of the air too.

there is no real injustice present here, just perceived from a changing job condition.

in the us (followed by other parts of the world), there was a transitional period during late 80s/early 90s where many employees were let off, and replaced by contractual agreements that had no such employee benefits.

Guilmon1987 SG

I doubt is his mother lah… see the blog link.

LazerLordz SG

we need to generate awareness of this out in the blogosphere.

Frogleg888 SG

To save money,most of the companies here Outsourced the cleaning jobs to the contract cleaning company.
Due to stiff competition,those companies trying to outplay each other by cutting cost.
How to cut cost?You may ask.The simplest and direct way is to give workers less pay.(Pay less than Bengahlesh worker).
Those companies sub. out the cleaning job thought they can save cost.But think again,they may not get a satisfied result.The quality of their works also different.
I have seen company change cleaning contractor every year,for what?
I believe MOM is fully aware of contract cleaner welfare problem,but they just cant do anything!
Sigh! Crying or Very sad