Former director of Twelve Cupcakes fined over underpaid staff
A former director at confectionery chain Twelve Cupcakes is the latest decision maker linked to the firm to be fined over offences involving underpaid staff.
Yvonne Ong Hwee Ming, now 49, who also used to be a teacher, admitted that she had allowed the firm to underpay its workers.
She was fined $20,000 in a district court yesterday after pleading guilty to four charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act involving nearly $20,000. Four other similar charges were considered during sentencing.
Ms Teo was also fined $65,000 in March after pleading guilty to 10 similar charges.
The Singaporean, who committed the offences in 2013 and 2014, is the elder sister of former radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu, 45, who co-founded the company in 2011 with then wife, artiste Jaime Teo Chai-lin, 43.
In May this year, Mr Ong was fined $65,000 for failing to prevent Twelve Cupcakes from underpaying its foreign workers.
He pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Yvonne Ong's charges were linked to two people - a pastry chef and a sales executive.
As a director at Twelve Cupcakes, she was one of the firm's main decision makers and was responsible for the employees' salaries.
In 2012, the company decided to employ foreign workers to expand its business and its directors, including Yvonne Ong, decided on their salary range.
But she later allowed the firm to underpay its workers.
For instance, in 2014, the pastry chef was supposed to receive a fixed monthly salary of $2,300. But over several months that year, the chef received only $1,600 a month.
Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Maximilian Chew said Yvonne Ong ceased her involvement in Twelve Cupcakes on Nov 30, 2014.
She has since made $3,500 in restitution to the pastry chef.
Dan could always continue cooking steaks even whilst in prison. He should therefore thank the government for granting him access to jailbirds - a truly unique clientele most F&B enterprises can only fantasize about. ;)
Daniel Ong Opens Korean-Influenced Steakhouse; Says He “Lost All His Income” Because Of Twelve Cupcakes Case
Just three months after shuttering his casual western dining restaurants, Rookery, Daniel Ong is back with a new F&B concept. The former radio DJ closed his Capital Tower branch last June, while the China Square and Hong Leong Building outlets shut in December. While he declined to reveal the extent of his losses, he tells the past year has been “really tough”: “I lost everything I worked for for six years. [Running a business in the] CBD is tough. Business dropped by 70 per cent [during the Circuit Breaker] and then to 50 per cent, so we bit the bullet and just shut.”
Which is probably why Daniel decided to open his steakhouse Dan’s Steaks in a “neighbourhood place” like Serangoon Gardens. The cosy space, slated to open in mid-April, can seat around 30. “I intend to keep it small simply because I will be the one cooking and serving. I want to keep it tight so that service and food can be great. We will serve 20, 30 steaks a day and we want to keep the quality really high,” shares Daniel.
Those who follow Daniel on Instagram will be familiar with Dan’s Steaks. It started out as a home-based business “as a necessity” during the Circuit Breaker last May before expanding into a commercial kitchen to cope with the increase in orders. Its steaks were sold out daily and some famous fans include actor Allan Wu and former national swimmer Jocelin Yeo. However, with the opening of Phase 2, people began dining out and orders dropped. The biz was no longer viable so he closed it end-September.
“Since we closed, a lot of people have been writing to me asking for Dan’s Steaks. I received on average 10 to 20 DMs (direct messages) a week and I had to tell them that we are not open yet. I’ve been looking for a space but every single time we managed to find a location, URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) said no, so we couldn’t get it. The search has taken us close to three months and we finally got a space,” shares the 45-year-old.
Opening a steakhouse has always been a “lifelong dream” of Daniel’s. However, he had to put the wheels in motion a lot sooner after “losing all [his] income” following the Twelve Cupcakes court case. Daniel and his ex-wife, actress Jaime Teo, both founders of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes, were charged with underpaying foreign workers for more than three years. Jaime was fined $65,000 yesterday (Mar 9), while Daniel’s case is pending.
“Because of the Twelve Cupcakes incident, I lost all my income from my renovation business. Clients pulled out and I basically had no income. I was forced to rethink my life and how I’m gonna put food on the table for my family, and one thing I can do is cook. So Dan’s Steaks itself is a product of necessity and a product of people egging me on and giving me encouragement. Even though there’s a lot of bad press about me, I think I was pushed in this direction to start this concept and hopefully it does well,” shares Daniel.
“To be honest, I am a bit worried [that the court case will affect Dan’s Steak’s business]. But I can only do what I can in my power. Even though this court case is looming over me, it can’t stop me from being creative and from creating. I still need to make a living no matter what, so if people dislike me so much that they don’t want to try the food then that’s fine,” he adds.
“In due time, the truth will come to light. I’ve always been a good boss. If you ask any of the Twelve Cupcakes staff during my tenure, everybody loved what we did. It was a great place to work and there were no complaints. This whole thing is unfortunate. The third party [employment agency] that we got to hire [the foreign employees] did stuff that we weren’t aware about, but we are liable. They say people’s memories are short, I just hope this court case doesn’t go on for too long and hopefully people will see the good.”
Jaime Teo fined $65,000 for Twelve Cupcakes’ failure to pay 7 foreign employees full salaries
SINGAPORE — Former actress Jaime Teo, co-founder of Twelve Cupcakes, was on Tuesday (9 March) fined $65,000 for neglecting to ensure that the confectionary chain paid seven foreign employees their full salaries for more than three years.
The 43-year-old had last month pleaded guilty to 10 out of 24 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for contravening foreign employees’ work pass conditions. The remaining charges were considered in sentencing.
The offences took place between 2013 and 2016. The full salaries of the seven employees were between $2,000 and $2,600.
The underpayment amounted to $98,900. No restitution was made to the employees.
About the case
Teo founded the confectionary chain in 2011 with ex-husband and radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu while they were still married. They divorced in 2016.
At the time, she was the director and main decision maker and controlled the company’s expenses. As they were were signatories to the company’s account, Teo and Ong were responsible for employees' salaries.
In 2012, the duo decided to employ foreign manpower to expand their business and agreed on the salary ranges of these employees. The seven foreigners were issued S-passes.
The company underpaid the employees for three years and two months, with Teo failing to take steps to ensure they received their proper salaries. Teo ceased to be a director on 15 December 2016 when the business was sold to an investor company.
Ministry of Manpower Prosecutor Maximilian Chew had sought an $80,000 fine while defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan sought a $20,000 fine.
Inmitigation, Sunil had told the court that Teo handled product development and marketing. “Specifically, her role was not to deal with human resources or admin or not to deal with operations and not to deal with business development. That was in the realm of three other directors,” he said.
Twelve Cupcakes’ human resources director later employed a third-party employment agency. “Specifically, she (Teo) was not involved in discussion with regard to employment details. She did agree with the decision on what salary ranges should be and she did not have any sort of substantial contact with the third-party agency,” he added.
Ong’s case is still pending before the court.
Earlier this year, Twelve Cupcakes was fined $119,500 in relation to similar offences.
Jaime Teo pleaded guilty liao! Will she be forced to go on a staycation at Changi Hilton?
SINGAPORE: Co-founder of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes Jaime Teo pleaded guilty on Thursday (Feb 4) to underpaying foreign workers a total of almost S$100,000 when she helmed the company with her then-husband Daniel Ong.
Teo, a local celebrity and former Miss Universe Singapore, admitted to 10 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with another 14 charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
Daniel openly shared he had 13 foreign staff out of the 120 plus workers he employed, of which 8 are from the Philippines – and all reflected they were happy to be working with Twelve Cupcakes. A local outlet supervisor would earn about $1,800 to $2,200, while a supervisor from a foreign country would get about $1,400 – that is excluding additional allowance, lodging and the extra MOM levy.
All his workers from China are part-time cleaners and assistant bakers, who get at least $1100 in take-home pay, not including bonus and incentives.
According to Daniel Ong, Twelve Cupcakes pays about $600 in levy per foreign worker, so money-wise; employing a foreign worker can be more expensive than a local staff.
Twelve Cupcakes founders Daniel Ong, Jaime Teo charged with underpaying foreign workers
SINGAPORE — The founders of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes, former radio deejay Daniel Ong and his ex-wife actress Jaime Teo, were on Tuesday (Dec 29) charged with underpaying eight of their foreign employees from 2012 to 2016.
Ong, 45, and Teo, 43, each received 24 counts of contravening rules under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, including charges of failing to pay their foreign employees on time.
The latest development in the ongoing legal troubles faced by the bakery chain and its owners now brings into the picture the two founders, who had not faced any prosecution until now.
The couple, who divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage, set up Twelve Cupcakes in 2011 before selling it in 2017 to Indian tea company Dhunseri Group for S$2.5 million.
Three weeks ago, the bakery chain, under its new owners, pleaded guilty to underpaying eight of its foreign employees a total of S$114,150 from 2017 to 2019.
Ong and Teo had allegedly paid their employees less than their monthly wages ranging from S$2,000 to S$2,600.
Court documents did not specify how much they were underpaid.
Ong appeared in court on Tuesday with his wife Fay Tan. His lawyer, Kalaithasan Karuppaya from Regent Law, said that he had just been briefed on the case and was granted a four-week adjournment.
Teo’s lawyer told the court that she intends to plead guilty to amended charges that would reflect her negligence over the matter.
“Unfortunately, she left this in the hands of others,” lawyer Diana Ngiam of Quahe Woo and Palmer said.
Dhunseri Group’s lawyer earlier told the court that the group underpaid its foreign employees because it was continuing a practice put in place by the founders.
The group had, in some instances, paid its employees the correct amounts to their bank accounts but asked them to return some of their pay.
Former director of Twelve Cupcakes fined over underpaid staff
A former director at confectionery chain Twelve Cupcakes is the latest decision maker linked to the firm to be fined over offences involving underpaid staff.
Yvonne Ong Hwee Ming, now 49, who also used to be a teacher, admitted that she had allowed the firm to underpay its workers.
She was fined $20,000 in a district court yesterday after pleading guilty to four charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act involving nearly $20,000. Four other similar charges were considered during sentencing.
Ms Teo was also fined $65,000 in March after pleading guilty to 10 similar charges.
The Singaporean, who committed the offences in 2013 and 2014, is the elder sister of former radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu, 45, who co-founded the company in 2011 with then wife, artiste Jaime Teo Chai-lin, 43.
In May this year, Mr Ong was fined $65,000 for failing to prevent Twelve Cupcakes from underpaying its foreign workers.
He pleaded guilty to 10 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.
Yvonne Ong's charges were linked to two people - a pastry chef and a sales executive.
As a director at Twelve Cupcakes, she was one of the firm's main decision makers and was responsible for the employees' salaries.
In 2012, the company decided to employ foreign workers to expand its business and its directors, including Yvonne Ong, decided on their salary range.
But she later allowed the firm to underpay its workers.
For instance, in 2014, the pastry chef was supposed to receive a fixed monthly salary of $2,300. But over several months that year, the chef received only $1,600 a month.
Ministry of Manpower prosecutor Maximilian Chew said Yvonne Ong ceased her involvement in Twelve Cupcakes on Nov 30, 2014.
She has since made $3,500 in restitution to the pastry chef.
More at https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/former-director-of-twelve-cupcakes-fined-over-underpaid-staff
KNN this chao bastard tio fined 65K nia, he really got off lightly!!!!!!
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/daniel-ong-fined-underpaying-foreign-workers-twelve-cupcakes-14851278
Damning comments galore.
Ownself praise ownself is good boss, Daniel Ong you lagi best lah!
Dan could always continue cooking steaks even whilst in prison. He should therefore thank the government for granting him access to jailbirds - a truly unique clientele most F&B enterprises can only fantasize about. ;)
Assholes can never deliver great service, period. Great food perhaps, service a definite big no-no.
Daniel Ong Opens Korean-Influenced Steakhouse; Says He “Lost All His Income” Because Of Twelve Cupcakes Case
Just three months after shuttering his casual western dining restaurants, Rookery, Daniel Ong is back with a new F&B concept. The former radio DJ closed his Capital Tower branch last June, while the China Square and Hong Leong Building outlets shut in December. While he declined to reveal the extent of his losses, he tells the past year has been “really tough”: “I lost everything I worked for for six years. [Running a business in the] CBD is tough. Business dropped by 70 per cent [during the Circuit Breaker] and then to 50 per cent, so we bit the bullet and just shut.”
Which is probably why Daniel decided to open his steakhouse Dan’s Steaks in a “neighbourhood place” like Serangoon Gardens. The cosy space, slated to open in mid-April, can seat around 30. “I intend to keep it small simply because I will be the one cooking and serving. I want to keep it tight so that service and food can be great. We will serve 20, 30 steaks a day and we want to keep the quality really high,” shares Daniel.
Those who follow Daniel on Instagram will be familiar with Dan’s Steaks. It started out as a home-based business “as a necessity” during the Circuit Breaker last May before expanding into a commercial kitchen to cope with the increase in orders. Its steaks were sold out daily and some famous fans include actor Allan Wu and former national swimmer Jocelin Yeo. However, with the opening of Phase 2, people began dining out and orders dropped. The biz was no longer viable so he closed it end-September.
“Since we closed, a lot of people have been writing to me asking for Dan’s Steaks. I received on average 10 to 20 DMs (direct messages) a week and I had to tell them that we are not open yet. I’ve been looking for a space but every single time we managed to find a location, URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority) said no, so we couldn’t get it. The search has taken us close to three months and we finally got a space,” shares the 45-year-old.
Opening a steakhouse has always been a “lifelong dream” of Daniel’s. However, he had to put the wheels in motion a lot sooner after “losing all [his] income” following the Twelve Cupcakes court case. Daniel and his ex-wife, actress Jaime Teo, both founders of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes, were charged with underpaying foreign workers for more than three years. Jaime was fined $65,000 yesterday (Mar 9), while Daniel’s case is pending.
“Because of the Twelve Cupcakes incident, I lost all my income from my renovation business. Clients pulled out and I basically had no income. I was forced to rethink my life and how I’m gonna put food on the table for my family, and one thing I can do is cook. So Dan’s Steaks itself is a product of necessity and a product of people egging me on and giving me encouragement. Even though there’s a lot of bad press about me, I think I was pushed in this direction to start this concept and hopefully it does well,” shares Daniel.
“To be honest, I am a bit worried [that the court case will affect Dan’s Steak’s business]. But I can only do what I can in my power. Even though this court case is looming over me, it can’t stop me from being creative and from creating. I still need to make a living no matter what, so if people dislike me so much that they don’t want to try the food then that’s fine,” he adds.
“In due time, the truth will come to light. I’ve always been a good boss. If you ask any of the Twelve Cupcakes staff during my tenure, everybody loved what we did. It was a great place to work and there were no complaints. This whole thing is unfortunate. The third party [employment agency] that we got to hire [the foreign employees] did stuff that we weren’t aware about, but we are liable. They say people’s memories are short, I just hope this court case doesn’t go on for too long and hopefully people will see the good.”
Read more at https://www.8days.sg/eatanddrink/newsandopening/daniel-ong-opens-korean-influenced-steakhouse-says-he-lost-all-14373370
Jaime Teo fined $65,000 for Twelve Cupcakes’ failure to pay 7 foreign employees full salaries
SINGAPORE — Former actress Jaime Teo, co-founder of Twelve Cupcakes, was on Tuesday (9 March) fined $65,000 for neglecting to ensure that the confectionary chain paid seven foreign employees their full salaries for more than three years.
The 43-year-old had last month pleaded guilty to 10 out of 24 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for contravening foreign employees’ work pass conditions. The remaining charges were considered in sentencing.
The offences took place between 2013 and 2016. The full salaries of the seven employees were between $2,000 and $2,600.
The underpayment amounted to $98,900. No restitution was made to the employees.
About the case
Teo founded the confectionary chain in 2011 with ex-husband and radio DJ Daniel Ong Ming Yu while they were still married. They divorced in 2016.
At the time, she was the director and main decision maker and controlled the company’s expenses. As they were were signatories to the company’s account, Teo and Ong were responsible for employees' salaries.
In 2012, the duo decided to employ foreign manpower to expand their business and agreed on the salary ranges of these employees. The seven foreigners were issued S-passes.
The company underpaid the employees for three years and two months, with Teo failing to take steps to ensure they received their proper salaries. Teo ceased to be a director on 15 December 2016 when the business was sold to an investor company.
Ministry of Manpower Prosecutor Maximilian Chew had sought an $80,000 fine while defence lawyer Sunil Sudheesan sought a $20,000 fine.
Inmitigation, Sunil had told the court that Teo handled product development and marketing. “Specifically, her role was not to deal with human resources or admin or not to deal with operations and not to deal with business development. That was in the realm of three other directors,” he said.
Twelve Cupcakes’ human resources director later employed a third-party employment agency. “Specifically, she (Teo) was not involved in discussion with regard to employment details. She did agree with the decision on what salary ranges should be and she did not have any sort of substantial contact with the third-party agency,” he added.
Ong’s case is still pending before the court.
Earlier this year, Twelve Cupcakes was fined $119,500 in relation to similar offences.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/jaime-teo-fined-failure-twelve-cupcakes-foreign-employees-full-salaries-073650961.html
Jaime Teo pleaded guilty liao! Will she be forced to go on a staycation at Changi Hilton?
SINGAPORE: Co-founder of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes Jaime Teo pleaded guilty on Thursday (Feb 4) to underpaying foreign workers a total of almost S$100,000 when she helmed the company with her then-husband Daniel Ong.
Teo, a local celebrity and former Miss Universe Singapore, admitted to 10 charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, with another 14 charges taken into consideration for sentencing.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/twelve-cupcakes-jaime-teo-guilty-underpaying-foreign-workers-14111288
Twelve Cupcakes fined S$119,500 for underpaying foreign employees over 2 years
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/twelve-cupcakes-fined-s119500-underpaying-foreign-employees-over-2-years
Jaime Teo Vs Jamie Yeo - who would you take?
Jaime Teo
https://www.instagram.com/jmeteo/?hl=en
Jamie Yeo
https://www.instagram.com/iamjamieyeo/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJW1Lk5ABGc/
Fun facts about us :
Jaime Teo Chai Lin and Jamie Yeo Yi Lin
1) born same day month year (April 17, 1977)
2) in the same hospital
3) became mothers in the same year
4) have 1 daughter
5) same weight
6) same height
Jaime went for naughty boy, that's why she ended up in court. :P
We were not aware of till 2019.
https://danielfooddiary.com/2013/11/27/cupcakes-trs/
Twelve Cupcakes founders Daniel Ong, Jaime Teo charged with underpaying foreign workers
SINGAPORE — The founders of homegrown bakery chain Twelve Cupcakes, former radio deejay Daniel Ong and his ex-wife actress Jaime Teo, were on Tuesday (Dec 29) charged with underpaying eight of their foreign employees from 2012 to 2016.
Ong, 45, and Teo, 43, each received 24 counts of contravening rules under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, including charges of failing to pay their foreign employees on time.
The latest development in the ongoing legal troubles faced by the bakery chain and its owners now brings into the picture the two founders, who had not faced any prosecution until now.
The couple, who divorced in 2016 after nine years of marriage, set up Twelve Cupcakes in 2011 before selling it in 2017 to Indian tea company Dhunseri Group for S$2.5 million.
Three weeks ago, the bakery chain, under its new owners, pleaded guilty to underpaying eight of its foreign employees a total of S$114,150 from 2017 to 2019.
Ong and Teo had allegedly paid their employees less than their monthly wages ranging from S$2,000 to S$2,600.
Court documents did not specify how much they were underpaid.
Ong appeared in court on Tuesday with his wife Fay Tan. His lawyer, Kalaithasan Karuppaya from Regent Law, said that he had just been briefed on the case and was granted a four-week adjournment.
Teo’s lawyer told the court that she intends to plead guilty to amended charges that would reflect her negligence over the matter.
“Unfortunately, she left this in the hands of others,” lawyer Diana Ngiam of Quahe Woo and Palmer said.
Dhunseri Group’s lawyer earlier told the court that the group underpaid its foreign employees because it was continuing a practice put in place by the founders.
The group had, in some instances, paid its employees the correct amounts to their bank accounts but asked them to return some of their pay.
Read more at https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/twelve-cupcakes-founders-daniel-ong-jaime-teo-charged-underpaying-foreign-workers
Daniel Ong 有一张欠扁的脸.
Diam diam lah Daniel, proffer third rate excuses and jjww so much.......whatever it is you wish to say, go say it to Josexfiend Teo.
A RECAP:
This Daniel Ong ain't no fucking angel that's for sure.