A GROUP of foreign Bangladeshi workers, who felt that they were shortchanged on their salaries of their rightful pay, went to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with the story that their employers were setting them to work on additional jobs, on top of their regular ones.

Caught out in their lie, the 29 have each landed themselves two-week jail terms on Thursday for giving false information to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan sentenced the 29 Bangladeshi workers, aged between 20 and 32 years old, to two weeks' jail each on Thursday for providing false information to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

While this is not the first case involving foreign workers who provide false information to MOM. This is the first time that MOM has hauled foreign workers to court for making false allegations about their employers with a view to getting on board its Temporary Job Scheme.

This scheme gives workers in disputes or awaiting compensation the right to earn a living while the issue is being ironed out.

The court heard that the workers, employed at marine companies San's Marine Engineering Service, Han's Marine and K7 Engineering, went to MOM last September to complain that their bosses made them work as cleaners, renovation workers and car washers on top of their regular jobs as welders, plumbers and flame cutters.

MOM launched investigations and found their story untrue.

The men then admitted that they had lied so they could get the special pass issued under the Temporary Job Scheme.

Some of them claimed that their employers had not given them sufficient work to earn enough money to send to their families back home. Others in the group complained that too many monthly deductions were being made from their salaries.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.