Settlement reached for APRO security officers who went through 'forced demotion'

SINGAPORE: An "amicable settlement" has been reached on behalf of the security officers who were demoted by APRO, following talks between the security agency and the Union of Security Employees (USE). 

The terms of the settlement are confidential and came about after "fruitful conciliation negotiations", said USE and APRO in a joint news release on Wednesday (Feb 22).

Both the union and security company said the negotiations took into account the fair treatment of affected officers and APRO's business operations.

"The terms are in addition to the S$2 million of non-obligatory annual wage supplement that APRO had previously distributed to all its officers in December 2022," said the release.

CNA has contacted USE and APRO about the terms of the settlement and what the changes are for the employees.

The case came to light earlier this month in a statement by National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) secretary-general Ng Chee Meng. 

While he did not name the company, he said that a security agency had demoted about 300 officers and backed down after a union intervened – only to extend their working hours in a continued bid to "reset" their wages and employment terms.

CNA later confirmed the company involved to be APRO. 

In the joint release on Wednesday, USE and APRO said that the affected officers were demoted after a salary and rank restructuring exercise that started on Dec 1, 2022.

APRO deputy managing director Li Xiaowen told CNA earlier this month that the contracts offered to demoted officers still mostly came with a higher salary because the increases under the progressive wage model would offset the effect of the demotion.

"The reason why we chose this time to do it is because we wanted to mitigate any potential negative salary impact," Mr Li said previously.

USE executive secretary Steve Tan said the union is happy that the conciliation efforts through the Ministry of Manpower have resulted in a positive outcome.

"We understand APRO’s intent to right size its workforce and recognise the management’s efforts to do so fairly," added Mr Tan.

"USE will work closely with APRO to reinforce its standing as an employer of choice in the industry, and to address the concerns of its clients and other stakeholders arising from recent media reports.”

APRO said that it is focused on ensuring that all its officers understand why the recent adjustments were necessary, adding that it will continue to address their concerns.

"APRO’s guiding principle has always been to do right by our employees, even whilst taking the necessary steps to ensure ongoing business sustainability," said Mr Li.

"In fact, we have consistently done more than just right for our employees and often more than is required statutorily.”

He told CNA he was relieved about arriving at a "final settlement on the issue".

"I just want to move forward and get on with business," he added.

BRIEFINGS WITH WORKERS "QUITE CONSTRUCTIVE"

Mr Li said the company will continue working closely with USE. As a first step, the union has been invited to attend APRO's ongoing briefings for the affected officers.

The deputy managing director said the briefings, which are expected to conclude by April, have been "quite constructive".

"It's given ourselves a chance to express clearly our intent, and also our rationale for undertaking this rank restructuring exercise. An opportunity, of course, for the officers to come back with their feedback, comments and their thoughts," he told CNA on Wednesday.

He said he was surprised that the feedback was not all negative.

"Many of them have expressed support for the business having to make these difficult decisions and a general understanding of the market conditions," he added.

Mr Li declined to be quoted on how the situation was handled by the union, but previously told CNA that the NTUC statement came "out of the blue" and "severely mischaracterises the events and the involvement of USE through the whole process".