Assisted-living firm fined, changes operating model to comply with law

Social enterprise Red Crowns Senior Living (RCSL) has been fined and made to change its operating model to comply with the law on employment of foreign manpower.

- Judith Tan

In its previous model of assisted co-living, RCSL matched four seniors to an apartment, and they were cared for by two migrant domestic workers (MDWs), who were usually new hires under two of the clients in the unit.

Under the new model, RCSL now hires the maids as migrant workers under its own name.

The change came after the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) concluded its investigations into RCSL and found the assisted-living company to have circumvented the MDW levy requirements.

"It also put legal responsibilities on their elderly clients as the employers of migrant domestic workers, when the clients did not have control over the work and welfare of these domestic workers," MOM said on its Facebook page on April 1. The ministry did not mention the amount of the composition fines for RCSL's offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act.