Singapore firms breaking basic employee rights, beware

Government will increase inspections ten-fold focusing on notoriously non-compliant industries.

From November 2012, the Ministry of Manpower (MoM) and Central Provident Fund (CPF) Board will intensify inspections, with greater attention placed on industries such as food & beverage (F&B), retail, and security and cleaning where non-compliance with the CPF Act and the EA tend to be higher.

"As announced earlier, the number of enforcement inspections will be increased from around 500 to 5,000 each year – a significant ten-fold increase," said MoM and the CPF Board in a joint release.

Areas of focus include payment of CPF contributions, on-time payment of salary, provision of paid annual and medical leave, and adherence to working-hour requirements, amongst others.

"These enhanced enforcement efforts will complement a new 'I Know My Employment Rights, I Do It Right.' campaign which aims to educate workers on their employment rights under the CPF Act and EA, as well as to educate employers about their legal obligations. The campaign will start on 29 Sep 2012 and leverage channels such as print, TV and radio. The public can also find out more about their employment rights at www.mom.gov.sg/workright," they added.