TL;DR – The security firm had made four of its security officers work more than 12 hours a day.
Security company, Peregrine Security, was fined $34,000 for not protecting the welfare of its staff.
According to Straits Times, the said security firm had made four of its security officers work more than 12 hours a day, including one officer who worked round the clock for nine consecutive days between Oct 18 and Oct 26 last year, entailing to 20-hour workdays with only four hours of break.
The errant company, Peregrine, which posted its officers at locations including HomeTeamNS Khatib, Keppel Shipyard and 888 Plaza in Woodlands, had pleaded guilty to four amalgamated charges under the Employment Act.
These involve making the two workers work more than 12 hours each day for 33 days and 44 days, reported Yahoo. Three charges of the same nature involving two other security officers were taken into consideration for sentencing. These officers were made to work more than 12 hours per day for 27 days and two days.
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.
Earlier this month, two private security agencies have been charged for deploying their officers beyond the permissible working hour limits under the Employment Act.
Two security agencies in Singapore charged after making officers work up to 20 hours a day
In response to errant agencies that engage in egregious practices, the Union of Security Employees (USE) said it supports MOM’s enforcement actions against such agencies.
The union 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 are encouraged to report the matter at www.mom.gov.sg/report-ea-violation.
All information will be kept strictly confidential.
