SINGAPORE - A 30-year-old Singaporean woman, Li Jun, was charged in court on Tuesday (Aug 15) over her failure to pay her maid her monthly salaries and rest-day pay.
The amount totalled about $5,750, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a statement on Thursday. Li faces 13 charges.
Investigations revealed that Li's maid, a Myanmar national, was not paid any salary between March 7, 2016 and Feb 21 this year.
MOM said Li, who has been barred from hiring a maid, had breached the work permit conditions under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Li's case will be heard again in court on Sept 12.
If convicted, she could be fined up to $10,000 and/or jailed for up to 12 months, per charge.
In the same statement, MOM also reminded employers that maids must be paid no later than seven days after the last day of the salary period, which cannot exceed one month.
Employers must also maintain a monthly salary record to their maids, and to obtain written acknowledgement from them, MOM said.
They also should not keep their maid's salary on her behalf, and/or make such an arrangement as a condition for her employment. They should decline any request from their maid to help her save her salaries, MOM added.
Maids who have not been paid should seek help early, either by reporting the matter to MOM or seeking assistance from her employment agency.
If members of the public know of any maid who has not been paid her salaries, they can report the matter to MOM at mom_fmmd@mom.gov.sg or call 6438 5122.
