Singapore's Minister of Manpower (MOM) said on Thursday that a 30-year-old woman was charged on Tuesday for failing to pay her Myanmar maid for nearly a year. The statement added that she has now been banned from hiring a foreign domestic worker.
In a press release, MOM said that Li Jun faces 13 charges for failing to pay a total of S$5,700 in monthly salaries and rest day pay to her employee from Mar 7, 2016 to Feb 21, 2017.
Reports said that Li's case will be heard on Sep 12. If convicted, the accused could be jailed for up to 12 months on each charge and fined up to S$10,000.
MOM said that a foreign domestic worker has to be paid no later than seven days after the last day of the salary period that cannot exceed a month. It noted that the employers must also keep a monthly salary record and get written acknowledgement of payment from their foreign domestic workers.
According to the ministry, the foreign domestic workers should seek help early and "immediately raise the matter to the employer" if they have not received their salary. If the problem persists, the worker should make a report to MOM or get help from her employment agency.
The authorities urged the members of the public, who know of any foreign domestic worker who has not been paid, to report this to MOM at mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg or call 6438-5122. They assured that all the information will be kept confidential.
