260 employers contravened limit of overtime work between 2008 and 2011

260 employers were found to have contravened the limit of overtime work between 2008 and last year. 

Giving this update in Parliament, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said 56 employers were issued compositions fines by the Ministry. 

Another 21 were prosecuted in court for more serious breaches. 

The remaining were issued warnings or advisories. 

Employees covered under the Employment Act, are not allowed to work for more than 12 hours a day , including overtime, with a limit of 72 hours of overtime in a month. 

Between 2008 and 2011, an average of 310 employers applied for exemption each year, of which some 270 were approved.

Mr Tan said overtime pay forms an integral part of wages for many low wage workers like those in the security sector.

But long working hours may be neither desirable nor sustainable in the long run. 

Mr Tan said his ministry is addressing this under the review of the Employment Act. 

"In terms of looking at specifically the overtime requirements and so on, as part of the Employment Act review, where we are in the process of working with the unions and the employers on this. And this will be an issue where we will have to discuss with the various partners involved, but what is quite clear is that we do need to set in place the appropriate parameters which we do have right now, and specifically with some industries which we do know there is a more slightly more chronic issue of overtime requirements such as the security industry, we will work with the different partners to see how we can adjust this from a structural perspective."