Coronavirus: S'pore bans 4 work pass holders, suspends privileges of 6 employers over LOA breach

FOUR work pass holders and six employers have breached the leave of absence (LOA) requirements put in place in light of the coronavirus situation here, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on Sunday.

The ministry has accordingly revoked the work passes of four work pass holders and suspended the work pass privileges of six employers.

The work pass holders were repatriated within 24 hours and banned permanently from working in Singapore. The six employers had their work pass privileges suspended for two years.

The MOM had earlier said that all work pass holders with recent travel history to mainland China have to serve a mandatory 14-day LOA upon their arrival here.

Between Feb 4 and Feb 8, the four work pass holders were caught working at their workplaces during their LOA period.

Acting on information received, the ministry found two Singapore permanent residents also working at their workplaces during the LOA period.

MOM said that it holds the employers responsible for ensuring those who need to take an LOA stay away from the workplace.

Employers and employees have a joint duty to ensure that the employee behaves responsibly during the LOA, said the ministry on Sunday, adding that it would not hesitate to revoke the work passes and withdraw work pass privileges against errant employers or employees.

Since Feb 8, 11.59pm, employers have to obtain the MOM's approval for all work pass holders who have travelled to mainland China within the last 14 days before they can enter or return to Singapore.

To ensure that work pass holders placed on mandatory LOA abide by the requirements, MOM has been carrying out regular random checks through inspections, telephone or video calls.