Copyright channelnewsasia
SINGAPORE: When liquidators walked into the Twelve Cupcakes office at 5pm on Wednesday (Oct 29), employees were still at their desks, wrapping up what they thought was just another workday. Within an hour, they would learn their jobs were gone. The bakery chain that once symbolised Singapore's homegrown entrepreneurial success had collapsed into provisional liquidation, with no warning to the workers whose livelihoods depended on it. An executive in her 20s who requested anonymity said she and her colleagues only learned about the closure when liquidators arrived at the office. She said she felt lost as there was no prior notice from the management about the closure. "It's not even 24 hours (in advance). It's like one hour before I end work," she said, adding that the management has remained silent so far. The bakery chain announced on its website that it had been placed under provisional liquidation with effect from Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to operations at outlets across Singapore, including Changi City, Sentosa and Star Vista. While there were signs the business was not doing well, the executive said she did not expect a closure to happen so quickly. The executive, who has worked at Twelve Cupcakes for five years, said she hopes the management will at least pay them for this month, as the liquidation occurred two days before payday. The sudden shutdown has drawn sharp criticism from the Food, Drinks and Allied Workers Union, which said the lack of consultation was "completely unacceptable and unfair" to 80 workers now scrambling to find new employment. "While the business owner's final decision may have been a commercial one, its execution was not only irresponsible but also lacked due process," the union said. It has called on the appointed liquidator to collaborate with the union on workers' claims. "SO IRRESPONSIBLE" A baker in his 20s who also requested anonymity said he suspected something was wrong when he received a WhatsApp message from the kitchen-in-charge on Tuesday night instructing kitchen staff not to come to work the next day. The message, seen by CNA, asked staff – including those on leave – to meet at the office at 3pm instead. "It's very, very unfair," he said. "You all big company shouldn't just do this to us. We work for you all. In the end, we get nothing in return." The baker, who only joined the company in early October, has yet to be paid. He expressed confusion over why he was hired if the company was planning to close. "Their actions are so irresponsible. Causing so much trouble for people who just want to put food on the table," he said.
