SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said on Wednesday (Jul 19) that its inspection at Chicken Pie Kitchen and Don Signature Crab in Jalan Besar earlier this week was “conducted appropriately”, citing footage recorded on a body-worn camera.
MOM’s statement comes after the shop posted on Facebook about an incident on Monday evening, alleging that people claiming to be from the ministry “barged into” the shop and insisted on seeing employees’ personal identification cards.
According to the post, the MOM officers went into different areas of the restaurant’s premises, including the cashier area “without permission”. It added that the officers also entered the pastry room and kitchen where food was being prepared, without wearing masks or spit guards required for food handlers working in such settings.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, MOM said its officers were wearing MOM warrant cards, and had identified themselves and explained the purpose of the inspection to staff.
“They had politely requested for identification from the company’s staff as part of the inspection,” said an MOM spokesperson. “Our officers were respectful and calm throughout the inspection.
“They were mindful to minimise disruptions to the company’s operations and not affect the two diners who were present during the inspection.”
The ministry said two foreigners found working in the restaurant might have committed an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. They were asked to stop work immediately.
MOM has since began investigations into the company for potential employment-related offences.
Mr Kelvin Leong, director of the restaurant, told CNA on Wednesday afternoon that he has not been told what the breach might be, only that investigations were ongoing.
He said that after looking through the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, he has not been able to identify what offence his workers may have committed.
Although he was not at the shop during the inspection, he watched the incident play out over the closed-circuit television system.
He added that the staff were unsure if the people who entered the shop were really MOM officers and were afraid that they were scammers who wanted to steal personal data, since they took photos of the employees’ identification cards.
One staff member told CNA that she thought it was a routine check, but things changed when they asked about the identities of the MOM officers.
“The mood changed, they became very aggressive,” said the staff member who declined to be named.
Mr Leong, who questioned the timing of the inspection, said he spoke to friends in the food and beverage industry who found the inspection “highly unusual”.
“Normally they do it during office hours, so that if there are any queries or anything, there can be correspondence back with somebody (in MOM),” he said.
But the officers only provided the information to staff after 5.30pm, after office hours.
MOM said: “If any company or member of public is in doubt of the identity of an MOM officer, they may verify the identity of the individual through our hotline at 6438 5122 from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Mondays to Fridays and 8.30am to 1.00 pm on Saturdays.”
The ministry said its officers provided the contact number of a supervisor to one of the company’s directors.
“The director spoke to the MOM supervisor and was assured by our officer that these were indeed MOM officers, and he did not raise further objections after the exchange.”
But Mr Leong said on Facebook that he was unable to verify online whether the number provided to him was legitimate.