MOM will ban the reduction of wages of foreign workers

The Department of Manpower plans to ban employers from lowering the wages of foreign workers, said Minister Josephine Teo.

This comes after an increase in employer cases that quickly alter staff salaries without the written consent of the worker. MOM imposed fines totaling $ 105,000 on 17 offending employers for reducing their wages without informing the MOM or obtaining their consent.

When applying for a work permit, employers must indicate the main wage conditions, including the basic and fixed monthly salary. Teo shared that in some cases employers may discover that the worker's performance is below expectations and can not justify payment of the agreed salary.

Instead of terminating the contract, MOM informed the foreign worker before leaving his country. allows employers to revise the salary to a lower amount, provided that there is a written agreement with the worker and that MOM is informed.

MOM and the Tripartite Alliance for Conflict Management (TADM) no longer allow employers to use proof of the worker's verbal consent. Since last February, Teo has stated that when mediating such cases, TADM insisted on obtaining documented evidence of consent to any pay cuts.

Despite these guarantees, MOM continues to receive complaints about wage claims.

"MOM is considering the possibility of completely banning downward wage revisions," says Teo.

"Although this gives workers greater certainty of their wages throughout their stay in Singapore, could also lead to an early termination of employment, even if the worker is willing to accept a salary inferior. "

In a message on Facebook, the state's Minister of Labor, Zaqy Mohamed, said the ministry should implement a total ban on the

The current option was "originally intended to give foreign workers the opportunity to continue working in their performance does not meet what is expected", said Zaqy. He admits, however, that this practice was abused

. But if wages can not be reduced even with mutual consent, foreign workers who do not have the skills required for this job will be sent back to their home country. 19659002] Currently, some foreign workers may "prefer to take a lower salary than their skill level" instead of being repatriated, he said.

The ministry will consult with relevant stakeholders to determine the best step forward.

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