Another sinkie who wants lots of benefits despite just joining the company to milk the maternity benefits.
Dear TRS,
I would like to seek your help regarding about woman right in singapore.
Few weeks ago, I was unceremoniously retrenched by my employer, a SME construction company. I was then 7 weeks pregnant.
Having joined this company on 7July’14 with three month’s probation I was not given any employment contact to sign on. Although I was reassured that I would receive fairness, thing started to turn out bad on Dec’14.
On 22th Dec’14 I found out I was pregnant for 7 weeks and immediately I inform my boss about my pregnancy. My boss reaction was “He can’t afford to hire me”. I was shuttle by his word. I consider conceiving this child a gift to me but this joyous occasion has been tarnished by what it is about to come next.
Finally on 29th Dec’14. My boss told me that my service will end on 31th Dec’14. The reason given to me was that our company financial is going down the slope and he cant afford to continue my service despite i'm been a great help to him. And the company will close down by December.
I was lost. The moment when the announcement was made to me that i'm no longer needed in this company. whereby, this is the point of my life i needed a job the most. Now that I am three months pregnant, it is hard for me to get employed,this unemployment period could stretch to a year. I also have a two-year-old son to take care of, and with the medical costs of my pregnancy, my family is struggling to get by with the sudden loss of my income.
I was happy that as a singaporean citizen i'm able to contibute my part as a citizen to give birth to a new life and i was able to convince and get to take part in SG50. However, thing wasn't as easy as you expected. I tired to seek help from the authority ministry (MOM) but thing does not turn up to my expectation.
I was told by the MOM officer that my case is not likely to be in my favour (to claim my employer regard to my maternity benefit) I see no reason why my case is not in my favour as firstly im corver under employment act and secondly i have work with the company for more then 3 months.
And having say that the government encourage singaporean to give birth but now that i'm pregnant and got unfairness dismissal frm my employer that how MOM assist my case by repeatly asking me to find a job. Please tell me who would take the risk and hire a pregnant woman right now? And also my retenctment reason was my company will be closing down by decemeber due to finiacial issue but up to date the company is still operating and yet MOM does not even carry out any investigation on them..
As a singaporean i felt very dishearted with how MOM protect woman right and the way they handle my case...
Serene
