- Joined
- Apr 14, 2011
- Messages
- 16,892
- Points
- 113
Malaysian PMET retrenched after working for 20 years without severance pay
Hi Gilbert
Thanks for accepting. I read many of your posting about PMET losing their jobs in Singapore. I am not local but I have been a PR for many years in Singapore. With my kids being born here, I treat Singapore more like a home now.
Two years ago, a well know multi-national company retrenched me under the reason of role redundancy. They hired a commercial zone director and base him in Malaysia office, and retrenched me without a single cent of severance package. I have been with the company for almost 2 decades, and held a role of Operation Manager for the final 5 years with them. Both operations were doing well and the company was profitable. I was not the only person affected.
Two other Singaporean were retrenched under the same manner, with zero compensation. To us, the retrenchment was clearly political rather than fair. I contacted MOM, and all I had was a sorry email and explanation that retrenchment benefit was solely at the discretion of employer. Clearly this policy is outdated and unfair to all PMETs, but favour the business of course.
I also went to seek help from MP, and when I spoke to those young men who interviewed me, I could now understand the anger most Singaporeans had with their MPs – that session is a complete waste of time.
I later sent a lawyer letter to my ex-company, they engaged an even bigger lawyer firm D&N to threaten me. In the end, my lawyer advised me to let it go. After 6 months, I finally managed to get a contractual job from overseas. Pay is of course much lower but I am grateful. At the age coming to 50 with 3 family members to feed, being a sole breadwinner, I hope you can understand my anxiety and rage when this case happened to me 2 years ago.
That’s why I could relate to those who lost their jobs and the government policy was nowhere to protect them. Sometime I wonder what are all the income taxes and CPF for, when the nation is not even there to protect the PMETs?
Peter
Hi Gilbert
Thanks for accepting. I read many of your posting about PMET losing their jobs in Singapore. I am not local but I have been a PR for many years in Singapore. With my kids being born here, I treat Singapore more like a home now.
Two years ago, a well know multi-national company retrenched me under the reason of role redundancy. They hired a commercial zone director and base him in Malaysia office, and retrenched me without a single cent of severance package. I have been with the company for almost 2 decades, and held a role of Operation Manager for the final 5 years with them. Both operations were doing well and the company was profitable. I was not the only person affected.
Two other Singaporean were retrenched under the same manner, with zero compensation. To us, the retrenchment was clearly political rather than fair. I contacted MOM, and all I had was a sorry email and explanation that retrenchment benefit was solely at the discretion of employer. Clearly this policy is outdated and unfair to all PMETs, but favour the business of course.
I also went to seek help from MP, and when I spoke to those young men who interviewed me, I could now understand the anger most Singaporeans had with their MPs – that session is a complete waste of time.
I later sent a lawyer letter to my ex-company, they engaged an even bigger lawyer firm D&N to threaten me. In the end, my lawyer advised me to let it go. After 6 months, I finally managed to get a contractual job from overseas. Pay is of course much lower but I am grateful. At the age coming to 50 with 3 family members to feed, being a sole breadwinner, I hope you can understand my anxiety and rage when this case happened to me 2 years ago.
That’s why I could relate to those who lost their jobs and the government policy was nowhere to protect them. Sometime I wonder what are all the income taxes and CPF for, when the nation is not even there to protect the PMETs?
Peter