Hi Everyone,

I felt a need to share my story with others - not only to seek justice for myself and my unborn baby daughter who is just 35 weeks old, but for every other pregnant woman who may find themselves in the same situation as me in Singapore, now or in the future.

I am currently heavily pregnant and due to give birth in the next 2-3 weeks. On the 13th of April 2020, my previous employer informed all of its Singapore employees that the company would be liquidated.

We were told by the liquidators that we would not be paid for the rest of the month of April from 9 April onward.

I was due to go on 16 weeks of paid maternity leave from the 27th April till 17 August 2020. However, due to being retrenched and the company going into liquidation, there is no guarantee of me getting my maternity pay for 4 months. I have to file a proof of debt with the liquidators and wait for months to see if my appeal is rejected or accepted - and I have been made painfully aware that if a company has insufficient funds, they will not be able to pay me.

In typical circumstances in Singapore, according to MOM regulations and Singapore law, when a pregnant woman's employment is terminated or retrenched, she would still be paid her full maternity leave entitlement by the company (as long as it is not liquidated). In my case, due to the legal system, I might not get any of my maternity leave pay at all from the company.

Whilst this is the law & I have no choice but to accept it, I appeal desperately to the leaders of Singapore, President Halimah Yacob, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,  Minister Josephine Teo of the Ministry of Manpower and Minister of Social and Family Development Desmond Lee, and other Pro-Family Organizations and Women's Rights Organizations to not forget about the pregnant employees in my plight and to make a GOVERNMENT GRANT available for us to apply for 16 weeks of Fully Government-Paid Maternity Leave in such special situations, and not just 8 weeks of government-paid maternity leave as per the currently available Government-Paid Maternity Benefit (GPMB) grant, especially in this period of Covid-19 when retrenchment rates are sky high and businesses are shutting down everywhere.

As stated on MOM's website:

"When an employee is pregnant, it is a sensitive period for her and her family. For many, it is a life-changing experience.

The law recognises that it is wrong to add to the burden and stress of pregnancy. Hence, pregnant employees have certain maternity protections during this period.

Employers should treat pregnant employees fairly, and assess them on their merits and the requirements of the job. If a decision is taken to dismiss an employee, it must be based on relevant and objective performance criteria, and after a thorough inquiry.

Furthermore, a pregnant employee has maternity protection if she has been at her job for at least 3 months.

This means that if a pregnant employee is dismissed without sufficient cause, or is retrenched, the employer is still required to pay her maternity benefits."

I hate to admit that I am currently going through a great amount of mental, physical and financial distress because of the situation I have found myself in. Pregnancy is such a vulnerable time & to experience this in a time of my life that was supposed to exciting and special is something that has stripped all joy of this time for my family and I.

I am not even hoping to receive extra retrenchment benefits, only the 16 weeks of paid maternity leave I desperately needed to support my baby girl during a time when I have just given birth and am not in the physical condition to find a new job.

From the bottom of my heart, I appeal to all the leaders, ministries and organizations in Singapore who fight for the rights of employees - especially for women's rights and pregnant employees, to pay attention to such situations that I am sure has occured, and will occur to more pregnant employees in the near future.

Every woman's maternity leave entitlement should be protected, by the Singapore Government and the Law, in EVERY SITUATION. We should not be forgotten and stripped of our human rights even in the liquidation of a company, and not subjected solely to the mercy and discretion of our employers or whether the company has sufficient funds to pay our entitlements, as per the situation I am currently in.

This is the plea and cry of a desperate mother to-be. I humbly seek your understanding and symphathy. In no way of writing this petition do I have the intention to defame my previous employer. I am simply seeking to appeal for my rights as a pregnant woman & to bring awareness to such situations in hopes that a change can be enabled by the leaders and organizations who have the power to do so.

Thank you all very much for taking your valuable time to read this and please help to share this with others - you can be part of the change to fight for our rights. Thank you once again.