By Ian Tan Hanhonn

The Union of Security Employees (USE) and APRO Asian Protection Pte Ltd (APRO) have reached an amicable settlement in the case regarding the “reset” of over 300 security officers’ ranks and wages.

The union and security agency issued a joint statement on 22 February 2023 detailing how both parties reached a fruitful conciliation after considering the fair treatment of the affected officers and APRO’s business operations.

The confidential settlement terms are on top of the $2 million non-obligatory annual wage supplement APRO distributed to all its officers in December last year.

USE Executive Secretary Steve Tan said: ““USE is happy that with APRO, our conciliation efforts through the Ministry of Manpower have resulted in a positive outcome.

“We understand APRO’s intent to right-size its workforce and recognise the management’s efforts to do so fairly.”

Mr Tan said the union will continue to work closely with APRO to strengthen its standing in the industry as an employer of choice.

APRO Deputy Managing Director Li Xiaowen reaffirmed his company’s guiding principle. He added that it has always been APRO’s prerogative to do right by its employees, even when it has to take steps to ensure business sustainability.

He said: “We are now focused on ensuring all our officers clearly understand why the recent adjustments had been necessary and are working with them to address their concerns.

“We will also continue working closely with USE through ongoing dialogue and improved channels of communication to ensure we capture a wider range of perspectives to achieve better outcomes for our employees.”

As a signal of both parties’ commitment to further strengthen their labour-management relations, APRO has invited USE to attend ongoing briefings for the affected officers. The briefings are expected to conclude by April 2023.