RedDot responds to accusations of underpaying staff, says was "unfamiliar with laws"

Singapore craft brewery RedDot BrewHouse has responded to accusations of it underpaying staff during the construction of its first overseas outlet in Melbourne, Australia.

In a statement, RedDot said: "RedDot BrewHouse is a home grown brand and this is the first time that we have expanded our operations outside of Singapore.

"As a consequence, the management was unfamiliar with the laws and regulations of our host country, Australia. This resulted in certain lapses and we regret the misunderstanding and inconvenience caused to all stakeholders."

The management also thanked The Australian Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) for their assistance in resolving the lapses.

RedDot added that it is "now better equipped to guide the operations and management" of its sister company's operations in Australia.

On Feb 17, AsiaOne reported that RedDot had allegedly underpaid a Filipino welder over $20,000 for his work on their new brewery.

Official documents had also shown that the employee was invited to work in Australia by RedDot, and promised visa sponsorship for a period of four years.

However, RedDot ended up employing him for less than four months, and also did not proceed with visa sponsorship for him.

FWO said the employee had signed a contract for a $55,000 yearly salary, but that was slashed to $36,000 without the worker's knowledge.

The Sydney Morning Herald had also reported that RedDot owner Ng Kah Hoe had said that it was too expensive to hire workers in Australia and accused the worker for "disappointing and slow" work.

ssandrea@sph.com.sg