Man fined and jailed for employee exploitation
By Alvina Soh | Posted: 28 December 2011 1432 hrs
SINGAPORE: An operations manager of a cleaning company was jailed three months and fined S$45,000 on Wednesday in what was referred to in Court as "one of the worst case of employee exploitation".
Forty-four-year-old Lee Kwee Heong pleaded guilty to 30 charges under the Employment Act and one charge under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for not paying salaries to 18 cleaners and dishwashers.
The total amount of money he owed his workers was S$31,049.
Investigations revealed that Lee, who worked for NCS Cleaning Systems, did not pay salaries on several occasions in 2010.
The short and bespectacled man also made unauthorised deductions and did not pay those who terminated their contract of service. These amounts ranged from S$700 to S$5,300.
District Judge Low Wee Ping noted the severity of the cases and asked Lee how he "expected his employees to earn a living".
Lee was also found guilty of employing a Chinese national to work as a cleaner without a valid work pass, for almost four months, starting from January last year.
The cleaner, who was to be paid a monthly salary of S$900, eventually filed a salary claim with the Manpower Ministry.
MOM prosecutor Joanne Wee told the Court that Lee was a "repeat offender" who had yet to repay the total outstanding amount of of S$31,000.
Lee, who was also convicted for similar offences in 2008, will be making payment by instalment.
- CNA/fa