The newspaper Today reported on 26 April 2013 that construction company Zhong Jiang (Singapore) International was fined $8,000 for failing to pay salaries on time to ten workers, between last October and December. The salaries that were paid late came up to more than S$44,400, and were for the months of September to November.
The company pleaded guilty to 25 charges, but the prosecution proceeded on only eight charges and the judge fined the company $1,000 for each charge.
The Ministry of Manpower’s investigation into this company was triggered when two workers from China climbed atop a 10-storey crane in protest over their salary grievances. The newspaper reported that the “two men’s claims were false — they were convicted of criminal trespass last month and sentenced to four weeks’ jail each.”
Yet, it appears that if not for the two workers mounting a protest, MOM would be none the wiser about late salary payments at this company.