Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress Ng Chee Meng said Income Insurance has reflected on its actions and accepted the court’s judgment after being criticised for delaying a compensation payout. He reminded the company that when handling claims, it must show more empathy and compassion.
According to a Lianhe Zaobao report on October 1, a 78-year-old man, Ko Wah, was severely injured in a traffic accident and remained bedridden for five years before he passed away. His son later filed a compensation claim in court.
The State Courts’ Deputy Registrar ordered NTUC Income to pay more than $410,000 and strongly criticised the insurer for using “completely unreasonable” delaying tactics. Although Income eventually backed down, the court said it was too late.
Ng Chee Meng responded to the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday (Oct 8). He first expressed his condolences to the deceased’s family and deep sympathy for the grief they have endured over the past year.
He said that while NTUC does not interfere with the day-to-day commercial decisions of its affiliated enterprises, he expects himself and all members of the Labour Movement family to uphold high standards of fairness, integrity and compassion.
“These values are the cornerstone of our work and our promise to the people we serve,” he said.
Ng added that he was heartened that Income, after reflection, accepted the court’s judgment and admitted that it could have handled the case better.
“While I understand that Income must exercise rigour and due diligence, it must also balance such considerations with greater empathy and compassion when handling cases like this,” he said.
In his written judgment, Deputy Registrar Kim Beom Soo criticised Income’s “completely unreasonable conduct” and said he was expressing the court’s “absolute dissatisfaction” with the insurer’s behaviour.
Kim noted that Income had instructed its lawyers to completely deny claims related to the pain and suffering endured by the deceased, as well as the loss of amenities in his life. “Their position was that Ko Wah had been in a coma during this period and therefore could not have felt any pain or suffering,” he wrote.
However, this was contradicted by evidence showing that Ko was conscious at times and appeared able to understand simple instructions. In addition, even if the injured person could not feel pain, they would still be entitled to compensation for the loss of amenities in life.
Although Income had the chance to explain why it had taken such a “stubborn and clearly unreasonable position,” it refused to do so.
In the end, including compensation for the income Ko lost from his job as a security officer at the time of the accident, the court ordered Income to pay about $417,000.
