Stickies Bar Employees File Salary Claims Amid Outlet Closures
Popular nightlife operator Stickies Bar has shuttered a string of outlets following news that the business is going into interim judicial management.
The outlets in Aljunied and Keng Cheow Street have ceased operations from 15 Jan. While the Dhoby Ghaut outlet seems to still be open, the status of the Sunset Lane outlet remains unclear.
Former employees have gone public with claims that their outstanding wages and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions are late.
The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have since confirmed that they have received claims from 37 Stickies employees.
Stickies Bar appoints interim judicial manager to manage business
According to The Straits Times (ST), Norman Then, one of the directors of Stickies, said that they have appointed an interim judicial manager on Wednesday (24 Jan).
Judicial management is a means of debt restructuring, where an independent judicial manager comes in to manage the affairs, business, and property of a company under financial distress, per Singapore Legal Advice.
This measure temporarily protects the company from legal proceedings by third parties.
Then shared that they have appointed insolvency practitioner Farooq Mann from Mann & Associates as their interim judicial manager.
This move was to “protect the going concerns of the business and to look out for the best interest of all the creditors, including the staff,” Then told ST.
Outlets in Aljunied & Keng Cheow closed on 15 Jan
Stickies shut its outlets in Aljunied and Keng Cheow Street on 15 Jan, a part-timer explained to ST.
They shared that outlets in Dhoby Ghaut and Sunset Lane were still operating when they spoke to the paper on 22 Jan.
Source: Google Maps
However, on 24 Jan, Then said that the former remains open and did not make clear what happened to the latter.
Channel NewsAsia (CNA) visited the Sunset Lane outlet on 23 Jan, but it was not open.
Employees claim pays & CPF contributions delayed
The closures come amid claims that Stickies employees have been receiving their wages and CPF contributions late.
A tip-off email MS News received alleged that staff did not receive their pay for December 2023, as well as CPF contributions for November and December 2023.
The email stated: “As of 15 Jan, the staff, including a mother on maternity leave without salary, face severe financial distress.”
It added that vendors have not gotten their payments, “except for a few work permit holders who received half their salary on 8 Jan”.
The email further disclosed that many of the bar’s employees have lodged complaints to TADM and CPF.
In a joint statement to CNA, TADM and MOM verified that 37 Stickies Bar employees have approached the alliance for assistance with their salary claims.
The email concluded, saying: “The distress and financial strain on the affected individuals are immeasurable, with families left in dire circumstances.”
MS News has reached out to Stickies Bar for comments.
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