TL;DR – Errant employers found to be flouting the law may be prosecuted and fined up to $5,000 for each offence.
Two private security agencies have been charged for deploying their officers beyond the permissible working hour limits under the Employment Act.
Several private security agencies, including Erawan Security Services and Volantra Security, have been found to have deployed their security officers to work back-to-back shifts – between 17 and 20 hours in a day – on multiple occasions between February and March 2021, reported CNA.
According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), private security agencies must not deploy their security officers to work beyond 12 hours in a day, unless the exceptions stated in the Employment Act (EA) are applicable.
Errant employers found to be flouting Employment Act provisions providing for rest days, limits on hours of work, and other conditions of service may be prosecuted and fined up to $5,000 for each offence.
Repeat offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to 12 months, or both.
USE to continue to work with MOM to take action against errant agencies
In a Facebook post, the Union of Security Employees (USE) said it supports MOM’s enforcement actions against agencies that engage in egregious practices, exploiting officers.
Union of Security Employees, the union that will always have the Security Officers’ back!
The USE also encourages anyone with information of illegal practices, including undercutting quotations and low balling, to inform the union so that actions can be taken against them.
Anyone with information on Employment Act infringements should report the matter at www.mom.gov.sg/report-ea-violation.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
