Ever wondered why you don’t receive important documents in your mailbox on occasion? Welp, it seems like a disgruntled postman could’ve been tossing them in the trash.
In a series of videos uploaded on Facebook that went viral over the weekend, a man uncovered stacks upon stacks of letters and direct mail discarded in multiple trash bins at Reflections at Keppel Bay last Wednesday. The man who uploaded the videos had apparently spent a couple thousand dollars to print 7,500 flyers with SingPost, but soon realized that all 1,200 units at the condo did not receive them.
The now-fired postman responsible for the ditched documents was also confronted on camera. According to the former SingPost employee, he did so because he felt he was overworked and treated unfairly by his boss. Still, that’s no excuse to dispose stacks of mail.
A YouTube commenter by the username of Casey McKinky kindly translated the exchange.
Cameraman: Your boss did not tell you to deliver this stack? Yes or No?
Postman: No no…but we have to ask- (interrupted)
Cameraman: Okay call your boss.
Postman: I don’t have his number.
Cameraman: Forever cannot find people is it?
Postman: Can find can find…
Cameraman: Someone must be responsible. Be more cooperative. Stop lying. If you lie, admit it.
Postman: Yes yes yes…
Cameraman: If someone asks you to deliver and you misplace it (letters) be more honest and admit. If you don’t admit I will slowly one by one go and dig out. Entire SingPost knows of my problem. I will not let this matter rest. I must know what happened to my papers. To you it is an insignificant piece of paper, but to me it is very important.
Postman: Yes yes I know
Cameraman: You come to Singapore to work and we welcome you with open arms. Don’t take it for granted and destroy SingPost reputation because of one person. You understand?
Postman: This problem… I say you probably won’t believe. I come from China for work. It’s not that we anyhow throw or we are irresponsible. I (inaudible) 2600 per week… (inaudible) Malays are lesser (???) They treat people from China unfairly… (trails off) I actually wanted to go to the doctors because my leg is hurt. So I… (interrupted)
Cameraman: So you nice nice throw away all these into the trash.
Postman: I… is just this block only. The others I really- (interrupted)
Cameraman: Who is the culprit? Is it you? Or is it the customer?
Postman: Me. Yes, I know.
Cameraman: So people bully (mistreat) you, you bully (mistreat) others. Passing (mistreatment/injustice) from one to another.
Postman: He really treats me unfairly. Keep asking me to work overtime. Every day they give $120. I already have trouble keeping up with the workload they still ask me to work overtime. What can I do? Also working overtime does not give extra pay. He really treats me unfairly… I am very tired…
Cameraman: He treats you unfairly, is his fault. But am I unfair to you?
Postman: Yes you are not in the fault… Perhaps in my heart I- (interrupted)
Cameraman: On the 5th you are supposed to complete (the job), today is the 7th. I gave you 2 more days. I ask you open all the mailbox and I did not see any of my flyers. Not even one. I now ask you open (mailboxes of) Block 72, 29, 31 have or not? Confirm don’t have.
Postman: Wherever they (flyers) are distributed and wherever they are not I know.
Cameraman: You know how much money I spent? Few thousand. People bully (mistreat) you, I sympathize with you. But you don’t have to bully (mistreat) me.
Postman: I did not bully (mistreat) you…(inaudible) I did not know that this block don’t have… If I knew I would have delivered… (???) These flyers are easy to deliver… I really let you down… (inaudible) Anyway if you sue me, I have a plane on Friday. I will not come back. If not for this incident I might return… (to Singapore) Just that simple.
SingPost has since dismissed the postman and apologized to the residents of the estate for the “service lapse”. It assured that the discarded mail has been retrieved and will be processed as it should have been.
Regarding the man’s complaints about unfair treatment, the company has also stated that it will be looking into his claims about the work environment.
Jonathan Lloyd says
Most people really find the junk mail a nuisance. It’s actually surprising that SingPost is the one delivering it. Most people might prefer if SingPost stuck to reliably delivering real mail/parcels/letters instead of just helping to clutter our mailboxes with waste paper. This story might explain why some people have had to make formal complaints about post and packages regularly going missing.