Mustafa

[Fcw75]

Bought a pair of Pioneer 3 way 6 x 9 speakers there for $40 to replace the Vios rear speakers. Good price, export set though.

 

Install at audio shop for $20.

 

The car audio stuff there quite good price. No warranty though but so far so good, bought a simple headunit too.

[Ysc3]

now you know how come they can employ so many s-pass FT.

 

Mustafa Centre hit by MOM probe after ex-employees accuse HR department of unfair treatment

 

Investigations have been launched into the allegedly shady employment practices conducted within Mustafa Centre.

Several former workers of the retail giant have gone on record with The Online Citizen to claim that their ex-employers had ordered them to return part of their salaries back to the company. It’s part of a “cash back” practice that has no determined reason or benefit, said Abdul Haq Siddique, a former Senior Sales Executive at Mustafa Centre’s jewelry department.

This is how it allegedly worked, according to the TOC report.

• When the foreign workers receive their salary, the company’s human resourced department would order them to return a portion of their salaries as a form of “cash back”.
• The amount to be returned to the HR manager or his assistant ranged between $600 to $1000 for Abdul.
• Apparently, only the salaries of the family members of Mustafa Centre owners are exempted from the “cash back” practice.
• The practice only stopped in October 2017 after a bitter legal suit erupted within the Mustafa family.

“No one knows where the money goes to,” Abdul told TOC.

The former Mustafa Centre workers are now speaking out after the management suddenly stated that S-Pass employees will no longer have their passes renewed.

“On 28 May this year, the S-Pass holders working for the Mustafa company were told that their passes will not be renewed, as their manpower costs for S-Pass holders have increased due to the cessation of cash back collections.”

According to Abdul, roughly 100 S-Pass employees at Mustafa Centre are facing the same situation.

MOM launches investigations

MOM has confirmed to The New Paper that Mohamed Mustafa & Samsuddin Company Pte Ltd — the firm that owns Mustafa Centre — is currently being investigated in the wake of several complaints lodged against it. The probe on the company involves infringements to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Though their work permits have expired, TOC reported that Abdul and other former employees of Mustafa Centre have been granted Special Passes to assist in MOM’s investigations.

The troubles with MOM would no doubt add to the distress currently being faced by Mustafa Centre founder Mustaq Ahmad, whose family is being sued by his step-siblings for alleged oppressive conduct, TNP reported.

 

Edited August 6, 2018 by Ysc3

[Victor68]

i don't know, i went there once and the last. crowded and  nothing special. if walk for fun, many sub urban malls better. maybe i work near few big shopping malls, so very tired of walking malls, prefer nature. 

[Vratenza]

Not surprised given the number of FT employees they have on their premise. 

 

Just surprise that it took so long for any whistle-blower to baodoh... 

 

 

now you know how come they can employ so many s-pass FT.

 

Mustafa Centre hit by MOM probe after ex-employees accuse HR department of unfair treatment

 

Investigations have been launched into the allegedly shady employment practices conducted within Mustafa Centre.

Several former workers of the retail giant have gone on record with The Online Citizen to claim that their ex-employers had ordered them to return part of their salaries back to the company. It’s part of a “cash back” practice that has no determined reason or benefit, said Abdul Haq Siddique, a former Senior Sales Executive at Mustafa Centre’s jewelry department.

This is how it allegedly worked, according to the TOC report.

• When the foreign workers receive their salary, the company’s human resourced department would order them to return a portion of their salaries as a form of “cash back”.
• The amount to be returned to the HR manager or his assistant ranged between $600 to $1000 for Abdul.
• Apparently, only the salaries of the family members of Mustafa Centre owners are exempted from the “cash back” practice.
• The practice only stopped in October 2017 after a bitter legal suit erupted within the Mustafa family.

“No one knows where the money goes to,” Abdul told TOC.

The former Mustafa Centre workers are now speaking out after the management suddenly stated that S-Pass employees will no longer have their passes renewed.

“On 28 May this year, the S-Pass holders working for the Mustafa company were told that their passes will not be renewed, as their manpower costs for S-Pass holders have increased due to the cessation of cash back collections.”

According to Abdul, roughly 100 S-Pass employees at Mustafa Centre are facing the same situation.

MOM launches investigations

MOM has confirmed to The New Paper that Mohamed Mustafa & Samsuddin Company Pte Ltd — the firm that owns Mustafa Centre — is currently being investigated in the wake of several complaints lodged against it. The probe on the company involves infringements to the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.

Though their work permits have expired, TOC reported that Abdul and other former employees of Mustafa Centre have been granted Special Passes to assist in MOM’s investigations.

The troubles with MOM would no doubt add to the distress currently being faced by Mustafa Centre founder Mustaq Ahmad, whose family is being sued by his step-siblings for alleged oppressive conduct, TNP reported.

 

 

[Wt_know]

cash back is like car OT to get higher loan

it’s legendary and ah gong dont know? muahahahaha ...

Edited August 6, 2018 by Wt_know

[Mcf777]

many restaurant also doing that. 

not a big secret. MOM should know.

 

Waitress having S-pass and next step is to get PR status.

 

father, mother, auntie, uncle, friends, relatives names all under the restaurant payroll. but not working. all getting CPF contributing. Just to get the headcount to employ foreigners.

[Staff69]

Not surprised given the number of FT employees they have on their premise.

 

Just surprise that it took so long for any whistle-blower to baodoh...

 

cos they dont want go back india

[Ysc3]

many restaurant also doing that. 

not a big secret. MOM should know.

 

Waitress having S-pass and next step is to get PR status.

 

father, mother, auntie, uncle, friends, relatives names all under the restaurant payroll. but not working. all getting CPF contributing. Just to get the headcount to employ foreigners.

when my wife got her PR, her ex-employer also asked her to to be on her pay-list ... and she will contribute CPF to my wife's a/c but my wife don't have to work.

 

i just said no.

[Victor68]

If ordinary folks know what happen, it is very difficult to believe MOM does not. only excuse is, they cannot find evident.

 

so they let things be and everyone is happy. if they contract out this job, i am sure there will be plenty of prosecutions like those illegal parking haha

[Wt_know]

open 1 eye, close 1 eye

if press them hard ... 8/10 biz can close shop liao

because all these jobs there are no local want to do

and biz owner cannot pay FT $2.5k for the lowly job

[Theoldjaffa]

open 1 eye, close 1 eye

if press them hard ... 8/10 biz can close shop liao

because all these jobs there are no local want to do

and biz owner cannot pay FT $2.5k for the lowly job

Agree. Running a business in SG, especially F&B and retail, one of the main issues is getting workers.

 

Seems to me that Mustafa is doing "workarounds", bumping up the salaries on paper for their employees so that they qualify for S-Pass, and getting them to return the difference in cash back to the company to reflect their true pay and maybe using the cash back to pay the levy.

 

Just like how overtrade works when selling cars.

 

I wouldn't call it an evil or unfair practice.

[Vratenza]

That's where demand and supply modelling comes in. 

 

Look at Oz, their service wait staff, their nanny, their blue collars are paid really really well. You can see pride in the job when the waiter/waitress serve you or talk about their jobs. 

 

In Singapore, our overpaid incumbent just like the easy way out of importing cheap labours to fill the low paying jobs while continuing to depress our pay while paying themselves to the sky and beyond. 

 

So it's not a matter of close one eye so that the businesses can survive. We talk about restructuring the economy, this is the type of restructuring we should be looking at if the a business is built upon cheap labour, forever it will be dependant on cheap labour. 

 

Of course I am talking in broad strokes. I myself is business owner having to scratch head over staff salaries, recruitment, retention and bottomline. 

 

open 1 eye, close 1 eye
if press them hard ... 8/10 biz can close shop liao
because all these jobs there are no local want to do
and biz owner cannot pay FT $2.5k for the lowly job

 

[Vratenza]

To add on. 

 

To be fair,  this S-pass policy serves as a blunt tool to control the level and type of foreign talents that are brought in by the businesses.

 

It is originally meant for the business to decide how much they feel the Ft staff they intend to bring in should be paid and then add on the associated S-pass levy so that they have to think again if they rather pay a Singaporean the same total amount to do the job. 

 

Obviously alot of these businesses like the Mustafa abuses it with the cashback and what not to lower their running cost instead. 

 

 

[Wt_know]

agree with your point on s-pass policy to be blunt to force biz owner to re-think to hire FT

however, it is not about cannot lower their running cost

it is cannot get worker ... local and pr simply wont do the job even paid $2.2k (s-pass qualification)

in order to qualify s-pass ... must "inflate" salary

unless 1 x FT do 2 person jobs so that 1 can earn the "real" salary

that's the business transformation need to happen

 

just to share with you for a simple job

need 1 safety supervisor = FT

need 1 climb up the ladder = FW

need 1 hold the ladder = FW

a simple job to climb up ladder to change/install something need 3 person hor ... don't play play

 

To add on. 

 

To be fair,  this S-pass policy serves as a blunt tool to control the level and type of foreign talents that are brought in by the businesses.

 

It is originally meant for the business to decide how much they feel the Ft staff they intend to bring in should be paid and then add on the associated S-pass levy so that they have to think again if they rather pay a Singaporean the same total amount to do the job. 

 

Obviously alot of these businesses like the Mustafa abuses it with the cashback and what not to lower their running cost instead. 

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Wt_know

[BanCoe]

cash back is like car OT to get higher loan

itâs legendary and ah gong dont know? muahahahaha ...

Happened also many years back during the last property boom especially those sky high condo’s near MBS - initial buyers records show sky high prices and the herd follow blindly and bought ( not knowing that the developer was in cahoots with the initial first few buyers ) just to create heat in prices and not knowing that developer has a cash back system for the initial few, even paying off the extra cost in Stamp Duties ..... everything legit

[Vratenza]

Yes. Business transformation and restructuring needs to happen. A sustainable economy cannot be supported base on rampant abuse and loopholes of existing policies. 

 

It is not happening because of the lack of enforcement and lack of conviction by the govt. If they really want to clamp down, no one will doubt they can do it quickly and efficiently. 

 

Look at their laughable policy to allow lorries to be allowed to transport workers. Just because they stick a sticker stating the maximum number of workers allowed means it is safe for the workers? And they are enforcing seat belt for rear passengers in taxis and private cars.... (not that I don't disagree) . Just a disjoint in their rationality... With business cost as top priority. 

 

Yes, I have been in the thick of providing medical care for those in the construction industry. The 2 work permits and 1 S-pass to change a light bulb still see them electrocuting themselves, pinching their fingers, falling off the ladder. 

 

 

agree with your point on s-pass policy to be blunt to force biz owner to re-think to hire FT

however, it is not about cannot lower their running cost

it is cannot get worker ... local and pr simply wont do the job even paid $2.2k (s-pass qualification)

in order to qualify s-pass ... must "inflate" salary

unless 1 x FT do 2 person jobs so that 1 can earn the "real" salary

that's the business transformation need to happen

 

just to share with you for a simple job

need 1 safety supervisor = FT

need 1 climb up the ladder = FW

need 1 hold the ladder = FW

a simple job to climb up ladder to change/install something need 3 person hor ... don't play play

 

Edited August 7, 2018 by Vratenza

[Wt_know]

he pecah lobang because his s-pass was not renewed

it's not that he was not happy that he need to return $600 as cash back

Edited August 7, 2018 by Wt_know

[Mustank]

he pecah lobang because his s-pass was not renewed

it's not that he was not happy that he need to return $600 as cash back