What’s worse than having to work, is not getting paid for it.
We were appalled to hear news of the Singapore Ambulance Association (SAA) and recruitment agency Megamanpower not paying vaccinators and nurses. These vaccinators have been playing an integral role in the fight against Covid-19 and it’s completely unacceptable that their salaries have not been paid! In fact, many of them complained that they had not been paid more than a month’s worth of salaries!
Thankfully, MOM and NTUC stepped in to fight for the rights of these workers. Two men, Mr Eugene Tok Yong Fa and Mr Whey Zhen Hui, both associated with SAA, will be held accountable for not paying these workers their salaries.
The gist of the story
Parkway Shenton healthcare group hired Megamanpower to supply manpower for Covid-19 vaccination services. Both Megamanpower and SAA were working to provide this service to Parkway Shenton.
As a gesture of goodwill, Parkway Shenton has agreed to pay the salaries owed to the 15 workers who filed the claims. This is even though Parkway Shenton has already paid their subcontractors and are not liable for the unpaid salaries. Some of the unpaid workers, who were owed up to $4000 each in unpaid salaries, have confirmed that they were offered goodwill payments by Parkway Shenton.
NTUC met with the workers to give assistance
To better understand the situation and assist these workers, NTUC met up with more than 10 of them. Many of these workers are students.
NTUC also encouraged them to tell their affected colleagues to reach out to TADM@NTUC for assistance.
“NTUC was notified and explored ways where we could help recover the money including a writ of seizure on the subcontractor company. Thankfully Parkway Shenton came forward out of goodwill though they have already paid the contractors the money,” said NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Cham Hui Fong.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng also said in his Facebook post that such behavior will not be accepted. He is thankful that Parkway Shenton has stepped up to pay these workers even though it was to no fault of their own.
Vaccinators have not been paid since May
The vaccinators were told by SAA that their contracts will be terminated, and they will be paid till June 8. However, they have not been paid their salaries for the month of May and for the first week of June.
Now, almost three months later, these vaccinators have still not been paid by SAA.
“Given that SAA has been uncooperative and persisted in not making payments after more than two months of engagement, TADM and the NTUC have worked behind the scenes to assist the 15 affected vaccinators,” an MOM and TADM spokesperson said.
A former vaccinator thinks that it is “unfair” that Parkway has had to pay double to resolve this situation. She hopes that SAA will be held liable for the unpaid salaries.
Indeed, we do hope the authorities will take these errant employers to task for their misdeeds.
Doctors are paying it forward to their healthcare colleagues in their own ways.