Charges filed against three firms for failing to pay salaries

Five employers face charges for failing to pay workers’ salaries, the Ministry of Manpower announced on Tuesday. Three of them were charged in State Courts that same day. The other two failed to turn up, and the cases were adjourned.

Goodmate Global faces the most charges, with 17 brought against it for the alleged offences. It is a manufacturer of metal doors, window and door frames, grilles and gratings. Food and beverage business 3S Restaurant and WOW Holdings face 7 charges and 5 charges, respectively.

Woon Junyang, the sole director of Infinium Robotics, faces 4 charges, while construction firm Access Builders faces 3 charges.

MOM also announced that 30 charges will be brought against Ching Hwa Ming, a director of JS Environment Enterprise and Nam Hong Engineering for non-payment of salaries. He will be prosecuted on Thursday this week.

 “Employers must pay salaries on time. As in these cases, MOM will take stern action against errant employers for salary non-payment, including prosecuting those who have wilfully refused to comply with Labour Court orders or those who owed large amount of salaries to workers,” said Raymond Tan Choon Guan, MOM Director of Employment Standards Enforcement.

Last month, State Courts convicted Raycom Engineering & Aerospace for failing to pay salaries to employees and sentenced the firm to a total fine of $17,500.

It is an offence for firms not to pay salary for work done within seven days after the last day of the employee’s salary period, according to MOM.

A first-time offender can be fined up to $15,000 or imprisoned up to six months or both. Repeat offenders could be fined up to $30,000 or imprisoned up to one year or both.

“We expect all employers to pay salaries on time. In the last three years, 158 employers have been prosecuted and convicted for salary-related offences, said the director last month.

“MOM will take strong actions against those employers who have no respect for our employment laws.