I REFER to the reply from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), “Pregnant and unfairly dismissed? Appeal to minister” (my paper, Aug 19). I fully agree that the Singapore Employment Act protects pregnant women. NTUC trade unions have also been proactive in assisting pregnant women who have been unfairly dismissed.

I, too, was a victim of unfair dismissal in early 2007. Upon learning about my pregnancy, my sales manager at the time unscrupulously began to plot my
dismissal.

I was eventually forced to sign a resignation letter he had prepared, with only one month’s wages as compensation. This was in spite of my uneventful
pregnancy and my continued ability to meet sales targets.

I turned to MOM and NTUC for advice and, true enough, they stepped in immediately. Unfortunately, I was so traumatised by the situation that I   experienced abdominal pains. For fear of suffering a miscarriage, I decided to give up the fight.

Sadly, just as MOM has said in its reply, there is only so much that either it or NTUC can do to help. They can only order the employer to reinstate or compensate the employee, and full compensation of maternity benefits can only be enforced if the unfair dismissal took place three months prior to delivery.

This is why I urge the authorities to take stronger measures to deter unethical employers.

Pregnant employees suffer more than just the loss of a job or an income when they are unfairly dismissed – they also suffer psychological trauma.

In my case, I left my previous industry and started a new career with a more than 50 per cent pay cut. I was also afraid of getting pregnant again, even though I rejoiced at the birth of my first and only son on Singapore’s National Day: Aug 9, 2007. - Ms Chloe Lim Pei Pei

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