Many of us were in tears'
by Tan May Ping
THEY had worked at the same company for eight to 15 years.
But now 21 of them are jobless. On September 12, they resigned from their jobs as assembly operators at Allied Technologies Limited.
The Singapore-listed company, which produces metal components for diverse industries, is relocating its Singapore factory operations to Johor.
The workers said they were told on September 12, a Friday, that they had to start work in the Johor factory the following Monday.
They claimed that when they refused, they were told to resign.
Many did, but now they regret it, and allege they had been 'forced' to quit.
The New Paper could not get Allied Tech's side of the story as the management did not respond to our queries despite more than 10 calls. E-mail queries to the chief executive, executive director and group general manager also went unanswered.
Madam Wong Siang Luan, one of those who quit, said a clerk called the workers into the main office at their work place in Bukit Batok Street 22 and told them about having to work in Johor from Monday.
'None of us wanted to work there. The clerk said if we didn't agree, we would have to sign a resignation form. But we refused,' said Madam Wong in a mixture of Mandarin and Malay.
The women, mostly in their 50s and 60s, then went back to work.
Their supervisor later told them that if they signed the form, they would get at least a month's pay, said Madam Wong.
'He said that if we didn't sign, we would have to go to Johor to work. We didn't know what to do,' she added.
After that, one by one, the women signed the resignation forms.
Each of them was then handed a letter and told not to report to work any more.
'Many of us were in tears, while others were controlling their emotions. We felt forced into signing the paper,' said Madam Wong.
The letter, which Madam Wong showed The New Paper, acknowledged her letter of resignation and said the company 'will compensate the short notice salary in lieu from September 12 2008 to October 11 2008'.
Madam Wong, whose monthly salary was $613, said she is not clear how much she would be getting. As they were usually paid on the 7th of every month, she is waiting to see if she will be paid on 7 Oct.
Another worker, who declined to be named, said she held out initially from signing but caved in when everyone else did so.
No notice
The woman, who has been with the company for almost 10 years, felt that it should have given them time to consider the move.
'They didn't give us any notice, nothing in black and white. We were shocked when we opened the letter, and it said they accepted our resignation. I really regret signing it.'
Madam Wong said: 'No one told us anything until the day itself. They didn't have the decency to tell us earlier or to give us any extra compensation after all these years. We won't even get our year-end bonus.'
She said she and her colleagues are worried that they will not be able to find another job at their age.
'I keep kicking myself for signing the form. I am angry they treated us this way after we worked for them for so many years.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on September 29, 2008.
by Tan May Ping
THEY had worked at the same company for eight to 15 years.
But now 21 of them are jobless. On September 12, they resigned from their jobs as assembly operators at Allied Technologies Limited.
The Singapore-listed company, which produces metal components for diverse industries, is relocating its Singapore factory operations to Johor.
The workers said they were told on September 12, a Friday, that they had to start work in the Johor factory the following Monday.
They claimed that when they refused, they were told to resign.
Many did, but now they regret it, and allege they had been 'forced' to quit.
The New Paper could not get Allied Tech's side of the story as the management did not respond to our queries despite more than 10 calls. E-mail queries to the chief executive, executive director and group general manager also went unanswered.
Madam Wong Siang Luan, one of those who quit, said a clerk called the workers into the main office at their work place in Bukit Batok Street 22 and told them about having to work in Johor from Monday.
'None of us wanted to work there. The clerk said if we didn't agree, we would have to sign a resignation form. But we refused,' said Madam Wong in a mixture of Mandarin and Malay.
The women, mostly in their 50s and 60s, then went back to work.
Their supervisor later told them that if they signed the form, they would get at least a month's pay, said Madam Wong.
'He said that if we didn't sign, we would have to go to Johor to work. We didn't know what to do,' she added.
After that, one by one, the women signed the resignation forms.
Each of them was then handed a letter and told not to report to work any more.
'Many of us were in tears, while others were controlling their emotions. We felt forced into signing the paper,' said Madam Wong.
The letter, which Madam Wong showed The New Paper, acknowledged her letter of resignation and said the company 'will compensate the short notice salary in lieu from September 12 2008 to October 11 2008'.
Madam Wong, whose monthly salary was $613, said she is not clear how much she would be getting. As they were usually paid on the 7th of every month, she is waiting to see if she will be paid on 7 Oct.
Another worker, who declined to be named, said she held out initially from signing but caved in when everyone else did so.
No notice
The woman, who has been with the company for almost 10 years, felt that it should have given them time to consider the move.
'They didn't give us any notice, nothing in black and white. We were shocked when we opened the letter, and it said they accepted our resignation. I really regret signing it.'
Madam Wong said: 'No one told us anything until the day itself. They didn't have the decency to tell us earlier or to give us any extra compensation after all these years. We won't even get our year-end bonus.'
She said she and her colleagues are worried that they will not be able to find another job at their age.
'I keep kicking myself for signing the form. I am angry they treated us this way after we worked for them for so many years.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on September 29, 2008.
