Chuan Jin renews work permits of FTs who replaced Sinkies in marine company

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

The Manpower Ministry (MOM) released a statement on Monday (29 Dec) stating that it had taken firm action against a company, Prime Gold International Pte Ltd.

Prime Gold had been taken to task for discriminatory treatments against its Singaporean employees, in breach of the Fair Consideration Framework (FCF). As such MOM has curbed the company’s work pass privileges for 2 years. This is the first time MOM is imposing such a penalty against a company for breaching the FCF.

With regard to the case, MOM revealed that Prime Gold’s former Singaporean employees, comprising Captains, Chief Officers, Chief Engineers, Greasers and Able-bodied Seamen, approached MOM for assistance in June 2014. These employees felt aggrieved when they were successively retrenched while their positions were filled with new foreign workers.

Prime Gold claimed that the Singaporean employees were retrenched due to job redundancy and that the company was running losses. Prime Gold also pointed out their “unsatisfactory work performance” and their “lack of relevant qualifications” as reasons.

Investigations revealed that Prime Gold retrenched 13 Singaporean workers in phases, only to have their vacancies made open to foreign workers. The rationale of the ex-employees’ poor work performances and inadequate qualifications were not substantiated, as MOM’s investigation revealed.

The company is owned by a foreigner, Zheng Yulin. It is said to be involved in the marine business, transporting cargoes with barges.

Prime Gold can continue to renew work passes of its existing foreign employees

Earlier in TRE’s report (‘PRC owned company replaces 13 S’poreans with FTs‘), it was said that Prime Gold cannot apply for any work passes for its foreign employees the next 2 years, including those whose work pass is up for renewal within the next 2 years.

It appears that this is no longer true. In a ST report yesterday (30 Dec), it confirmed that the company can renew the work passes of its existing foreign workers. This was what MOM told the ST reporter.

Meanwhile, the Singapore Maritime Officers’ Union “strongly supports MOM clamping down on errant employers that are out to exploit Singaporeans”, said its general secretary Mary Liew, a former NMP and current member of NTUC’s central committee.

It’s not known if or how NTUC helped those retrenched Singaporean workers of the company.

Member of Parliament Zainudin Nordin, chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Manpower, also came out to say that the ban is a warning to companies.

“There is always a grey area between justifiable retrenchment and unfair sacking. But this case sends a very clear signal to firms that the MOM will not tolerate those who exploit the loopholes,” he said.

Labour MP Zainal Sapari said the move will assure Singaporean workers that “as long as they have the right skills and experience, they will be considered fairly for jobs, and their complaints will be investigated”. He added, “MOM did the right thing.”


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