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Two private security agencies in Singapore have been charged for making their security officers work up to 20 hours a day.

They were among several private security agencies that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) took action against.

MOM said on Oct. 14 that it charged Erawan Security Services and Volantra Security under the Employment Act for deploying their officers beyond the permissible working hour limits.

Security officers from these two companies were made to work back-to-back shifts of between 17 and 20 hours in a day.

These shifts occurred on multiple occasions between February and March 2021.

MOM said that security officers must not be deployed to work beyond 12 hours in a day under the law, unless the exceptions stated in the Employment Act (EA) are applicable.

Other agencies committed breaches

MOM inspected almost 200 private security agencies from April to August to find out if they comply with working hours and overtime limits.

Some 36 per cent of agencies committed breaches, but most were minor.

In total, action will be taken against 15 private security agencies for deploying their security officers beyond the permissible working hour limits.

Penalties

Errant employers may be prosecuted and fined up to S$5,000 for each offence for flouting Employment Act provisions providing for rest days, limits on hours of work and other conditions of service.

Repeat offenders can be fined up to S$10,000 or jailed up to 12 months, or both.

Those with information on Employment Act infringements should report the matter at www.mom.gov.sg/report-ea-violation.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

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Top photo via Getty