Metis Little Campus pre-school owes employees salaries
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating Metis Little Campus pre-school for possible breaches of the labour law after the abrupt closure of its Tampines outlet on July 2.
The centre operator shut down the school located within The Tapestry condominium with only a day’s notice given to parents, less than three months after the sudden closure of its Redhill outlet in April.
The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) is assisting 11 former Metis Little Campus employees with claims for unpaid salaries, TADM said in a joint statement with MOM.
Non-payment or late payment of salary is an offence under the Employment Act and Central Provident Fund Act, they added.
TADM will also refer affected employees to NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute should they need help with finding employment, they said.
The authorities did not provide details of the sums owed.
In a letter to parents on July 1, Metis managing director Jacqueline Lau said the school’s bank account was frozen, and she would be filing for bankruptcy.
The Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) said on July 4 that it would bar the beleaguered operator from applying for new centre licences, citing breach of the government agency’s rules.
Pre-schools that intend to cease operations must provide six months’ notice to parents and ECDA to give parents enough time to make alternative arrangements.
On April 8, Metis Preschool closed its One@Redhill centre after informing parents in March.
The school was evicted by the landlord after defaulting on rent payments.
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