Postman who discarded mail in Ang Mio Kio has special needs
The postman who discarded postal articles in Ang Mo Kio in January has been issued an advisory, the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said in a statement yesterday.
The postman, who has special needs, was found in breach of the Postal Services Act and was subsequently arrested for theft.
IMDA said the postman had expressed remorse for his actions and was fully cooperative during its investigations.
So it decided to issue an advisory to the postman "in view of the facts and circumstances".
A SingPost spokesman told The New Paper that the postman had been working satisfactorily with it for more than three years at the time of the offence.
He had worked without major incident, even during festive season peaks.
SingPost was also not aware of his condition throughout his employment with it.
Given the severity of the offence, SingPost dismissed him. But after being informed of IMDA's findings, SingPost offered the postman re-employment.
TNP understands that he accepted the offer of re-employment, but resigned a few months later of his own accord.
SingPost also said in its statement that it is a firm believer in equal opportunity employment and will continue to offer jobs to suitable candidates who meet the requirements of the roles in which there are vacancies.
SingPost said it will remain deeply committed to its responsibility as Singapore's national postal agency. At the same time, it seeks the public's patience and understanding as it implements changes to improve its processes.
IMDA said in its statementthat it "notes SingPost's commitment and on-going efforts to improve employee engagement and HR practices" and has issued "a stern warning" to SingPost.
In addition to the discarded postal articles in Ang Mio Kio in January, there were two incidents of undelivered and discarded mail by SingPost in April.
In February, SingPost was fined $100,000 by IMDA for failing to meet standards in 2017 and it was hit with a $300,000 fine the following month for lapses in 2018.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now