Ex-employees’ salaries from S’pore events company delayed due to ‘cash flow challenges’, TADM assisting
The Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) is assisting three former employees of a local events company after accusations that the firm has not paid employees their salaries.
Stomper T and her friend joined the company in mid-June as sales executives. She claims they were verbally informed that they would receive a monthly salary of $3,500 that would increase to $4,000 after three months of probation.
They were also allegedly told that they would be required to work five days a week.
However, the letter of appointment (LOA) that they signed on their first day of work contained terms that were “different from what had been verbally promised”.
According to the LOA shown to Stomp, the employee’s working schedule is as follows:
- Six working days per week
- A minimum of 12 hours per day
- Rest days determined according to the managing director’s schedule
In addition, employees who work on rest days or public holidays may not get a replacement day off or overtime payment.
“When I questioned the management, I was told that ‘the boss was too lazy to change the contract’ and that I should just sign it because we would only be working five days a week except during event periods,” T alleged.
As she trusted the management, she signed the document.
Concern over operations, unpaid salaries
T said she was concerned about the business’ operations.
According to her, vendors she had helped the company source for its exhibitions often complained that attendance and event arrangements fell short of what the company had promised.
“As frontline staff, we were often the ones being blamed and scolded by unhappy vendors,” the Stomper lamented.
Then came a shocking turn of events. On July 3, T said she and her friend were dismissed “without any proper explanation”.
On top of the termination, T claimed they were not paid their salaries, nor did they receive their CPF contributions.
“Instead, the company later claimed that our employment should be calculated based on a six-day work week, despite the original verbal agreement that we would work five days a week,” she said.
T came to learn that other current and former employees of the events company had faced similar issues — with some reportedly working for months without receiving wages despite reassurances that payment would be eventually made.
Post-termination, communication with the company allegedly became “increasingly difficult”.
“Salary payment dates kept being postponed, and eventually some of us found that we could no longer contact the company through the usual channels,” shared the Stomper.
According to the LOA that T and her friend signed, it is company policy to terminate employees “immediately, without notice or compensation” in the following situations:
- Unauthorised absence
- Serious misconduct
Based on screenshots seen by Stomp, a representative of the company explained that T’s termination — less than a month into the job — followed a “review of your performance during the probationary period”.
The same representative also cited “cash flow arrangements” for the “slight delay” in processing her salary on July 15, despite earlier agreements for the company to pay her by July 12.
A follow-up message then said that the company aimed to process outstanding salaries by July 20 “subject to the availability of funds”.
To be dismissed after working overtime for exhibitions shortly after joining the company made T and her friend feel like “disposable labour”.
She said that reports have been filed with the TADM over unpaid salary claims.
She also added that the company appears to have closed down and vacated its office, sending Stomp a video of a room with disassembled chairs and cardboard boxes.
Yet, T said, the company is still courting vendors for exhibitions.
TADM assists 3 former employees
A TADM spokesperson confirmed that the alliance has assisted three former employees of the events company with their salary claims.
“Of the three claims, one has received payment from the company, another is awaiting payment, and the third is currently undergoing mediation,” the TADM spokesperson said.
TADM reminded employers to pay their employees’ salaries on time.
Employees in Singapore who are not paid salaries on time can file their claims with TADM, which will assist workers in recovering their salaries either through mediation or by referring the case to the Employment Claims Tribunals for determination.
Employees who require assistance can contact TADM at tal.sg/tadm/contact-us.
Stomp has reached out to the events company for comment.
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