Security employees union requests Certis to stop asking officers to share their location when they’re not home

SINGAPORE: In a social media post earlier this week, the Union of Security Employees (USE) stated that it had met with Certis management to better understand its medical leave policy and practices, including requests for officers on medical leave to share their live location when they are not at home.

Mothership reported on June 27 that officers with Certis Cisco are required to stay home during their sick leave days and share their location if they are not at home. Failure to do so would mean disciplinary action.

Shirley Loo, the Executive Secretary of USE, wrote, “We have requested for Certis to stop the practice of requesting for officers to share their live location if they are not home. Certis, which is unionised under USE, has agreed to do so, and there will be no location tracking of officers on medical leave,” the USE wrote on Jul 1.

The union added that its clear position is that officers on medical leave should use this time to rest and that the USE does not condone abusing such leaves, as this “undermines trust and affects the well-being of the fellow officers.”

The union further said it would work together with Certis to manage allegations of abuse of medical leave through fair and proper processes.

USE is also in discussions concerning ways to strengthen their internal communications with their officers. This will allow for policies and practices to be clearly explained, as well as for officers’ concerns to be addressed early.

Both parties will also hold regular engagement sessions with Certis officers each month, providing a platform for dialogue and feedback.

“The union remains committed to protecting the rights and welfare of our security officers and ensuring that workplace policies and practices are applied in a fair and transparent manner,” added Ms Loo.

Certis also issued a statement on its LinkedIn page on Wednesday (Jul 2). The company clarified that there has only been a very small number of cases of individuals misusing medical leave, as when some officers took medical certificates (MCs) to travel overseas.

It also explained that its policies had not been designed to be punitive but to address instances of misuse and that its aim was to ensure fairness and maintain operational readiness, given the challenges in recruiting and retaining officers in a tight labour market.

“Certis understands that there have been rumours of employees being terminated solely as a result of non-compliance with these policies. We firmly reject these rumours. Termination of employment is decided upon the severity of an officer’s misconduct, such as proven malingering, and only taken as a last resort after an extensive and fair process,” it added. /TISG

Read also: Certis officer goes beyond call of duty at Changi Terminal 4, helps woman spoon conditioner into travel bottle