Four individuals have been fined a total of $112,000 for offences against the Employment Agencies Act
Four individuals have been convicted of operating employment agencies without a license in Singapore. Under the Employment Agencies Act (EAA), any person who operates or abets an unlicensed employment agency is punishable with a fine of up to $80,000 or up to 24 months in jail, or both something that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reiterated in its advisory to employment agencies.
The four, Iris Tan, Kiff Tan, Grace Tan and Teo Swee Ling, Pauline, are all family members who ran separate agencies. They were convicted of multiple offences under the EAA and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Investigations by the MOM revealed that the four individuals had either performed or abetted the conduct of illegal employment agency activities.
Iris Tan and Kiff Tan were convicted after they both facilitated the employment of Work Permit Holders when they no longer held an employment agency licence. In addition, the pair had both overcharged two Work Pass Holders agency fees of $1,172.49 and $7,538.41 respectively.
Iris Tan, operating under the agency Des Ressources was fined $45,000, if defaulted, 107 days’ imprisonment. Kiff Tan, operating under the agency K&E Ressources was fined $32,500, if defaulted 55 days’ imprisonment.
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MOMs investigations found that Grace Tan let Iris Tan use her employment agency’s account to make work permit applications. In addition, she serviced a former client under Teo Swee Ling’s employment agency, performing work without being registered. Grace Tan, operating under the agency International Ressources, was fined $32,500, if defaulted 57 days’ imprisonment. Teo Swee Ling, operating under the agency Paul Network Pte. Ltd, was fined $2500, if defaulted, ten days’ imprisonment.
Following the conviction, all four individuals were permanently debarred from operating in the employment agency industry.
Alongside the warning of operating without a license MOM also sent a reminder to operators that as a layer of protection for Work Pass Holders, employment agencies in Singapore are only allowed to collect one month of a worker’s monthly salary for each year of service.
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Agencies who don’t comply face a fine of up to $5000 and repeat offenders face 6 months jail time.
MOM called for members of the public who are aware of agencies who are overcharging to confidentially report the matter to them.
