"I will never want to work for a local company again."

[lorbuangkok]

Top performer sacked when she was six months pregnant

by Nur Dianah Suhaimi

After just one year of joining her new workplace, sales manager Lau Li Nah was already the top performer.

The then-32-year-old mother of one chalked up the most sales for the office stationery company.
Related link:
» Expecting a baby? Expect to be fired
» I blame my son for making me jobless
» Threatened with lawsuit when she spoke to the papers

This, however, did not stop it from sacking her in 2006 when she was about six months pregnant with her second child.

Her employer, who had some 30 workers, told her to leave immediately.

Ms Lau, now 34, said: 'I was so shocked. He said he was sacking me because I didn't inform him some of his former staff had joined a rival company. That's their choice. What has it got to do with me?'

She was convinced it was because she was pregnant, and the company did not want to bear the cost of her maternity leave.

With a baby due in three months, she was afraid no company would employ her. However, a multinational company (MNC) in the same business took her in. She accepted the job despite the lower pay.

She was earning about $5,000 at the previous job.

Said Ms Lau, who is married to a sales manager: 'Life was tough. Although I was very pregnant by then, I had to walk from office to office and carry heavy catalogues to get new clients.'

She tried to seek redress by reporting her first employer to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

But the latter's hands were tied because her services had been terminated more than three months before her baby was due.

According to the law, pregnant women dismissed without sufficient cause within three months before the birth must still be granted paid maternity leave.

Said Ms Lau: 'I was so disappointed MOM couldn't help me. There are so many loopholes in the law which irresponsible employers can take advantage of.'

She has since been promoted at the MNC. But until today, she is still bitter about being unfairly let go.

'I will never want to work for a local company again. And I don't want to have any more children. The experience has really left me jaded.'

 

[angry_one]

That's why i never work for a SME or GLC.

That's why we need ang mohs and MNCs who have more respect for employee rights. And with them, comes the condition that they can hire whatever nationality they like.

 

[kuntakinte]

That's why i never work for a SME or GLC.

That's why we need ang mohs and MNCs who have more respect for employee rights. And with them, comes the condition that they can hire whatever nationality they like.

Please la.... at the end of the day, you will still sodomize by these ang mohs !! Why have that kind of mentality to WORK FOR OTHERS ??

 

[wodemama]

That's why i never work for a SME or GLC.

That's why we need ang mohs and MNCs who have more respect for employee rights. And with them, comes the condition that they can hire whatever nationality they like.

yea, mncs have more respect but they at the same time very yaya think they superior to us asians.

and bro kuntakinte, true no pt workin for others but den b4 we can start our our business we need capital. so to earn that capital must work 1st ma unless got sponsors.

 

[Geylang]

I think choose the job which most suit you is more important, actually we got not much choice to select which company we like to work with, normally is the company consider us. :o

 

[SammyHulk]

Moral of the story : Love what you do, not the company.

 

[The_Latest_H]

Top performer sacked when she was six months pregnant

by Nur Dianah Suhaimi

After just one year of joining her new workplace, sales manager Lau Li Nah was already the top performer.

The then-32-year-old mother of one chalked up the most sales for the office stationery company.
Related link:
» Expecting a baby? Expect to be fired
» I blame my son for making me jobless
» Threatened with lawsuit when she spoke to the papers

This, however, did not stop it from sacking her in 2006 when she was about six months pregnant with her second child.

Her employer, who had some 30 workers, told her to leave immediately.

Ms Lau, now 34, said: 'I was so shocked. He said he was sacking me because I didn't inform him some of his former staff had joined a rival company. That's their choice. What has it got to do with me?'

She was convinced it was because she was pregnant, and the company did not want to bear the cost of her maternity leave.

With a baby due in three months, she was afraid no company would employ her. However, a multinational company (MNC) in the same business took her in. She accepted the job despite the lower pay.

She was earning about $5,000 at the previous job.

Said Ms Lau, who is married to a sales manager: 'Life was tough. Although I was very pregnant by then, I had to walk from office to office and carry heavy catalogues to get new clients.'

She tried to seek redress by reporting her first employer to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

But the latter's hands were tied because her services had been terminated more than three months before her baby was due.

According to the law, pregnant women dismissed without sufficient cause within three months before the birth must still be granted paid maternity leave.

Said Ms Lau: 'I was so disappointed MOM couldn't help me. There are so many loopholes in the law which irresponsible employers can take advantage of.'

She has since been promoted at the MNC. But until today, she is still bitter about being unfairly let go.

'I will never want to work for a local company again. And I don't want to have any more children. The experience has really left me jaded.'

In many countries, they have or are making such sackings illegal as they feel its complete discrimination. It also puts a lot of couples under pressure, because of such discrimination.

Basically if you want a prime reason on why birth rates are falling all over in developed countries, this incident is a prime example of why. Its a simple phase: discrimination against married women, especially those who are pregnant.

 

[mentos1]

This is a basic example of putting profits over everything else. How to expect the birth rates to increase why couples have so much to worry about. It is not just the cost of rising a child but the cost of rising a child up well. Nowadays parents have to send their children for this and that. Giving them tution is like a basic thing now. With all these and the fear of losing their jobs, how does the government expects people to have more babies at ease.

The child bonus will not help to offset the lost of income from the mum if she is working. It will only be useful to those who are full time housewives. If a bill can be pass to ensure women who are pregnant would not get sacked then it might be a different case.

Because right now, those who can afford to have child, most of them already have. It is time to target those who can but do not wish because of fear.

 

[kiko]

Yeah , got to think about it , we done so much for our co.. once pregency got sack , not worth ... sad. The best is to look for a company that appreciate woman 's effort in the company.

 

[red amoeba]

actually from what I heard, its seems that the gahmen had a study trip to France and Sweden and other European countries to study their pro-family policies with hope of implementing them in Singapore.

However, most of what these countries have will never be able to be implemented due to our culture of pursuit of economic excellence over everything else. its not so much whether its local GLC or small enterprise. In my previous company (GLC) - the dept head ask all preggy women to re-schedule their appointments to Sat (non-working day) so as not to affect their working hours.

It takes the lead from the gahmen to start and after so many years pursuing economic excellence over everything else, i am afraid this mentality is deeply engrained. Furthermore, with abundance availability of foreign labour, its easy for local companies to replace the pregnant ladies with china mei meis or indian workers at a fraction of their costs.

 

[shOUTloud]

Please la.... at the end of the day, you will still sodomize by these ang mohs !! Why have that kind of mentality to WORK FOR OTHERS ??

If you work for yourself (that is, be a entrepreneur), u have zero maternity leave

 

[popdod]

Yeah , got to think about it , we done so much for our co.. once pregency got sack , not worth ... sad.

The best is to look for a company that appreciate woman 's effort in the company.

Faithful to your career and NOT the company.

My frd oso kanna...after 4 mths into the job.
The moment she told her boss she had pregnant, 2 wks later kanna fired.
And surprisingly, the boss also a WOMAN. sigh.

Before that, everything was ok. Praises for her initiative and efficiency.
Only when she informed her boss the news of pregnancy...thatz when ugly
incident turns out.

So much working hard for local companies.


Singaporeans do Singaporeans in.

:o :( :o

 

[chewed]

the crux of the issue here is not whether it's MNC or local companies.

You think foreign companies never pull this trick? Wrong.

The lack of anti-discriminatory work place laws is the cuase of all these problems here.

 

[angry_one]

Says the self-professed entrepreneur lurking in the forum, who's actually a jobless hobo in the closet?? At least I am working for a better future, for myself, and not daydreaming of being a big boss in my closet.

Please la.... at the end of the day, you will still sodomize by these ang mohs !! Why have that kind of mentality to WORK FOR OTHERS ??

 

[kuntakinte]

yea, mncs have more respect but they at the same time very yaya think they superior to us asians.

and bro kuntakinte, true no pt workin for others but den b4 we can start our our business we need capital. so to earn that capital must work 1st ma unless got sponsors.

Yes, but work for the capital and focus on it. Once it is focused, no whining in any forums.

 

[kuntakinte]

Says the self-professed entrepreneur lurking in the forum, who's actually a jobless hobo in the closet?? At least I am working for a better future, for myself, and not daydreaming of being a big boss in my closet.

Quite true la.... being a jobless hobo is no fun, no constant income, no CPF, no overtime claims, no transport claims. But, again, look at the bright side, no need to pay income tax - NO INCOME WHAT !! Sometimes, early lunch, or late lunch, or no lunch - no money for lunch. But, die, die must buy 4D and Toto.

Worst, being uneducated, I do not how to keep proper accounts, and income is also very erratic. Luckily, I have friends who are public accountants, they helped me to file my tax.

You are quite right about my closet, so miserably small !! Just enough space for a PC, a laptop, a fax, a printer, a water cooler from ICE Mountain, 2 chairs, 1 file cabinet, and 1 sofa bed. I requested the building management to have a toilet seat as my chair so that I could shit without leaving my closet. But, the building management turned down my request. I wonder why ??

It is lonely in the closet......

 

[2lanu]

Employer nowsaday are facing a twin bladed sword. Higher line revenue is harder to achieve and lower line cost keep climbing up.

To ask them to bear the baby cost is really asking them to be squeeze in between. Of course if one has hair on the head, no one want to be bald rite?

 

[matrix]

wat is the bloody MOM senior mgmt doing
KNN earning high salaries but neglect low earning s,porean workers
pls pple do not listen to their crap stories anymore

 

[shOUTloud]

the fact is mothers have to be realistic lah. pple are hired to work, not to take care of their babies. sorry man. while I do not condon sacking pple due to their being pregnant, I am aghast at women complaining of not getting promoted despite spending less time at work (cos they have to take care of their baby).

the world does not stop for anyone. it will keep on turning and turning.

 

[ANDYSIAO14]

thats why i dont work for anyone for the past 5 yrs :p
be it about maternity leave whatsoever...they are just one typical no money (but act like stamp $$) local singaporean company !!!$#$#%#^%&