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SMRT refutes 'fake' post alleging CEO had fired half of night crew; draws ire of netizens instead

SINGAPORE – Beleaguered transport operator SMRT has refuted what it called an "obviously fake" online post alleging that its group chief executive officer (CEO) Desmond Kuek had fired half of its night crew.

SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek visited staff at Jurong Crew Point on Thursday (Nov 16). Photo: SMRT Facebook page

SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek visited staff at Jurong Crew Point on Thursday (Nov 16). Photo: SMRT Facebook page

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SINGAPORE – Beleaguered transport operator SMRT has refuted what it called an "obviously fake" online post alleging that its group chief executive officer (CEO) Desmond Kuek had fired half of its night crew.

SMRT did not identify the source of the post, which has been circulating online and on messaging apps like WhatsApp.

The post claimed that Mr Kuek fired 50 per cent of the company's night crew after he joined the company in October 2012, and that SMRT's previous CEO Saw Phaik Hwa had fired 25 per cent of the night crew.

“This is obviously fake!" the transport operator, which has been under fire in recent months for a chain of breakdowns and lapses, said in a Facebook post at 10pm on Thursday (Nov 16).

It added: "How would SMRT have been able to complete the change out of all the power rails and 188,000 sleepers if staff count had indeed been cut so drastically?”

About 90 minutes later, the transport operator wrote another Facebook post highlighting Mr Kuek's visit and interaction with a SMRT team in Jurong. 

"His visit was part of his continuous efforts to rally our unsung heroes on the ground to continue to stay focused, united and to press on in doing their best despite the challenges they face," SMRT wrote on its Facebook page.

In its earlier post on Thursday night, SMRT also pointed out that under Mr Kuek’s tenure, the Permanent Way team (PWAY) – which is responsible for track and track-side infrastructure – had almost doubled in size from 206 staff in December 2010 to 395 staff at the end of September this year.

During the same period, the company also increased the number of workers on the night shift by 65 per cent, with more permanent night shift staff added to the North-South and East-West Lines.

“The number of personnel carrying out maintenance work is even more when one adds external contract workers who augment the permanent staff on the tracks,” SMRT added.

However, the two late night Facebook posts defending Mr Kuek drew criticisms from netizens, several who said SMRT's tone, such as its use of an exclamation mark, was "unprofessional".

"Why so defensive? If it's true, haul that thread starter to court," Mr Zulkifli Mamat wrote in a comment in response to SMRT's Facebook post at 10pm. 

Others took the opportunity to renew their criticisms of SMRT over the recent lapses, such the collision at Joo Koon MRT station on Wednesday morning that injured 36 commuters.

"So fast to respond to fake news but so slow to solve true problems," Ms Wu Yuxuan wrote in a Facebook comment.

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