When a little kid gets caught stealing, there are two ways in which he usually reacts:
1) By denying he did it at all, even though he’s holding the stolen candy bar in his hands
2) By crying his eyes out and apologising
Despite being fully-grown adults, most of us are actually little kids at heart, because even when it appears like we’ve done something wrong, our only concern is to cover our asses.
F&B Group That ‘Threatened’ to Remove M’sia Workers Claims They Have No Intentions to Fire Workers
As you know, Malaysia recently imposed a lockdown until the end of March, leaving many Malaysians who commute to Singapore daily to work stranded in our countries without accommodation.
Subsequently, Manpower Minister Josephine Teo announced that the government would be giving firms $50 for each Malaysian worker who commutes to Singapore daily so they can find accommodation.
Sounds great, right? Well, one Malaysian worker didn’t exactly receive the support he wanted from his company in spite of this.
On Mar 17, a Twitter user posted a picture of a letter he allegedly received from his employer, Creative Eateries, a major restaurant group.
Well its here pic.twitter.com/GOK4dSMPrs
— Vinod Naidu M. (@sainod) March 17, 2020
In case you can’t see it, here’s what the letter says:
- The person is to “secure accommodation” in Singapore until at least the end of the year and to stop commuting between JB and Singapore daily
- The accommodation must be found by 31 March 2020
- If border control stops the person from travelling to Singapore to work, the company can terminate his or her service immediately and cancel the work permit
- Any day that the person can’t make it to work would be considered as unpaid leave
- The person can resume the daily commute from JB to Singapore when the Covid-19 situation stabilizes and the company has given the approval
The letter ends saying the employee would have to inform HR by 20 March if he or she agrees to stay in Singapore, or else, and I quote, “the company will find your replacement immediately.”
There’s simply no way to defend that, right? Well, the company has responded.
“Time Frame for Decision Making”
When TODAYonline contacted the company, Ms Bernadette Giam, director of corporate affairs and human resources at Creative Eateries, said that they had no intention of firing its workers who decided to remain in Malaysia — despite the clause in the contract.
So, why was the clause even in the contract?
She said that the contract was meant to provide workers with a “time frame for decision making”.
I understand. It’s like when I told my ex to marry me in two days or break up. I wasn’t threatening her, I was just giving her a “time frame for decision making”.
Ms Giam explained that the contract was sent out so they could avoid being in a situation that many other companies and workers are in, referring to the mad scramble to find accommodations for Malaysian staff members.
Hmm.
When questioned by Mothership, the company said it had prepared the letter before the lockdown, and that the letter was “by no means sent as a reaction to the Malaysia Lockdown which was announced late at night on the 16th of March.”
Speaking to TODAYonline, Ms Giam said that employees who commute daily from Malaysia were given two weeks to find suitable accommodation in Singapore so as to “prepare them for such an eventuality”.
This essentially means that the company had foreseen a border closure and asked its employees to find accommodation before the lockdown.
Ms Giam added that the majority of their employees had already made alternative arrangements in Singapore before the lockdown was announced.
Even if this were the case, can one really defend the harsh way in which these workers were told that they could lose their jobs if they couldn’t travel?
Well, Ms Giam stressed that Creative Eateries has not terminated any of its Malaysian workers.
For its workers who are in Malaysia right now, the company will hold their positions open if they intend to return to Singapore, she said.
That’s great, but you have to admit that this statement directly contradicts what was said in the letter.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Manpower said that in light of the lockdown, companies could allow their workers to work remotely and, if that is not possible, require their staff members to take no-pay leave.
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Now, that seems like a much more compassionate solution.
Donation Drive
If you feel bad for the Malaysian workers who’ve been stranded in Singapore, you can donate some essentials to them in a drive that will be held until 22 March.
Many of these workers could not go back across the border in time to gather their belongings and are missing many essential items.
If you’d like to help, please bring your items to these two locations:
1 – 119 Tyrwhitt Rd, Singapore 207547 (Nearest MRT: Lavender)
3.30 pm to 11.30 pm
19 Mar – 22 Mar
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2 – 7 Purvis St, Level 2, Singapore 188586 (Nearest MRT Bugis)
3.30 pm to 11.30 pm
19 Mar – 22 Mar
Let’s help our neighbours out!
