A Singaporean media company, TechTV Network, is under investigation by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for allegedly delaying the salaries of its staff.
According to a CNA report on June 25, one employee had not received his monthly wage of S$9,000 since October last year, with his Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions ceasing even earlier in June last year.
In place of his salary, he has only been receiving sporadic handouts of S$1,000 at a time. The backlog of wages the company owes him currently amounts to approximately S$55,000.
Several other employees whom the publication spoke to have described similar experiences. One even lost his S Pass, after TechTV stopped making CPF contributions for its local employees, which impacted the company’s ability to retain foreign workers.
Despite months of ongoing issues, many employees chose to stay on, holding out hope based on assurances from TechTV founder and CEO Debbie Lee. She attributed the delayed salaries to reasons such as banking procedure setbacks and pending deals with unnamed “stakeholders,” which she claimed were necessary to secure the funds needed for payroll.
In emails to staff, Lee also cited the team’s low sales performance as the reason. “You can play a part to support the sales CF (cash flow) so that both yourself and the team can benefit with allocation,” she wrote.
TechTV brands itself as “Asia’s largest and fastest growing 24/7 media distribution platform” in esports.
It previously ran an esports channel, TechStorm, on Starhub and Singtel networks. It launched in 2019 but went off air in late 2024.
At the time of writing, the company is still in operation.
Several of TechTV’s employees have filed salary claims and received help from the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).
Through TADM’s mediation, TechTV signed settlement agreements with five employees, setting out the salaries owed and payment schedules the company is supposed to follow.
However, according to CNA, Lee has already defaulted on payments for at least one employee.
MOM is currently investigating TechTV Network for possible offences under the Employment Act. Employers who fail to pay salaries on time may face imprisonment for up to six months or fines ranging from S$3,000 to S$15,000 for the first offence, while repeat offenders are subject to penalties twice as severe.
In addition, employers failing to make CPF contributions will be fined between S$1,000 and S$5,000, or face imprisonment for up to six months for a first-time offence.
- Read other articles we’ve written on Singaporean startups here.
