Seven employers were charged in the Subordinate Courts this week for employment act breaches.

Of this, five were charged for failing to provide their workers with the statutory benefits under the Employment Act (EA). These are Campaign Complete Solutions Pte Ltd, Keow Hong Services Co. (Pte) Ltd, Harvest Marine Service, G W Food Consultants Private Limited and Aromatic House Pte Ltd.

According to the Ministry of Manpower, their breaches include failing to or under-providing their employees with annual leave, rest day, overtime pay, rest day pay and other infringements such as requiring their employees to work excessive hours and making unauthorised deductions of salaries.

The other two employers - TCF Cleaning Force and Changi Nasi-Kandar Restaurant Pte Ltd - were charged for not paying salaries to their workers. Aromatic House Pte Ltd, which has been charged for other breaches, is also charged for salary default.

Meanwhile, a cleaning company, Lian Cheng Contracting Pte Ltd, and its Director Cher Peng Ho, was convicted this week for failing to provide annual leave for four employees over a period of two to four years, as well as for unauthorised deductions from the salaries of three employees between January to April 2008.

Each pleaded guilty to 15 charges and were fined $8,500 and $5,500 respectively, with another 16 charges taken into consideration during sentencing.

Mr Quek Jen Juan, MOM's Deputy Director of the Labour Relations & Workplaces Division said: "The Employment Act stipulates minimum employment standards to protect the interests of rank-and-file workers. These errant employers had deprived their vulnerable, low wage workers of their rightful statutory benefits.

Employers must fulfil their legal obligations and ensure they adopt fair employment standards. We will keep up our enforcement efforts to curb abuses, particularly in sectors where there are more vulnerable workers."