SINGAPORE: A Singaporean took to Reddit recently, wondering if the company their friend works for may be using a loophole to hire more foreign workers, and seeking advice as to what steps can be taken to address this issue.
In a post on r/askSingapore on June 7, u/GunnyGunderson wrote about an SME having two companies located in the same place, hiding them under the names “ABC Pte Ltd” and “DEF Pte Ltd.”
The Reddit user claimed to have a friend who has been receiving their salary in two parts, with half given by ABC and the other half by DEF starting from last year.
However, this friend does not work for DEF and their contract says they are employed only by ABC. u/GunnyGunderson added that their friend no longer received pay slips and that nobody had explained why this situation is so.
The Reddit user then went on to ask if the SME is doing this so that it would appear that they have been employing two Singaporeans in the two companies in order to apply for double the number of foreigner work passes, and added, “Will the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) investigate if reported? Will person reporting get identified?”
The post has received a lot of answers, with many commenters encouraging the post author to file a report with MOM.
u/GunnyGunderson said, however, that employees fear the whistleblower might be identified during MOM’s investigations and their employer might make things difficult for them.
One pointed out that the lack of a pay slip is already a big red flag and encouraged the friend to find another job or employer soon.
Another chimed in to say that employers are required by the law to give out pay slips.
Some commenters did not seem to be surprised by the post, saying that this kind of thing has been happening for years and that reporting is easier said than done as employees are primarily concerned with bringing home their paychecks.
“The thinking is that ‘If I report and the company closes down then how? Must go find a new job’,” wrote one commenter.
Others assured the post author that reporting to the authorities would be kept confidential, although those who reported may not be given an update on the status of the report.
One commenter posted a link to an article about “phantom workers” from a website that gives out legal advice in Singapore that addresses related issues. /TISG
Read also: OPINION | Phantom Workers with Real Pay vs Real Workers with Phantom Pay
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