$13m Owed Salaries & Compensation for Wrongful Dismissal Claim Recovered

According to statistics I just made up, around 98% of people working in Singapore have complained about their boss at least once in their life.

Common complaints include:

  • she always makes me work overtime
  • he always demands more of me, even when I’m giving my best
  • she sends me work emails at ungodly hours
  • he judges me for drinking 15 cups of bubble tea for lunch

But while they do make life tough for us sometimes, most of them at least pay us our salaries. 

Yup, believe it or not, there are employers out there who don’t pay their workers like they’re supposed to. But thanks to the authorities, these employers will eventually have to fork the money over.

$13m Owed Salaries & Compensation for Wrongful Dismissal Claim Recovered

The Tripartite Alliance Limited (TAL)’s annual report for this financial year threw up some interesting findings.

According to the report, 4,556 employees had made claims for owed salaries or compensation from their employers, and around 93% of them managed to fully recover their salaries or received compensation.

In total, employees who made claims between April last year and March this year recovered S$13 million from their employers.

This was a drop from S$16 million from the previous financial year when 91% of employees who filed claims fully recovered their salaries.

How to File a Claim For Owed Salaries or Wrongful Dismissal 

You can file a salary-related claim with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) if you have not been paid salary in lieu of notice and you do not dispute the grounds of your dismissal.

Examples of salary-related claims include:

  • salary
  • notice pay
  • overtime pay
  • contractual bonuses/commission
  • maternity leave benefits due to retrenchment
  • wrongful dismissal during pregnancy

Do note, however, that retrenchment benefits are not compulsory under the Employment Act and cannot be heard at the Employment Claims Tribunal, unless it’s stated in your employment contract or collective agreement.

Those who have experienced wrongful dismissal, which occurs when an employee has been dismissed without just or sufficient cause for reasons, such as discrimination, can also file a claim with TADM.

In both instances, these claims are for mediation, meaning employees will first have to undergo mediation with their employers at TADM. It’s only when this is unsuccessful that they”ll be referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals.

Those who intend to file a wrongful dismissal or salary-related claim can do so here.

If you’ve been dismissed due to age or denied re-employment, however, you should submit an appeal to the Ministry of Manpower.

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