MOM investigating claims that airport wheelchair assistant had pay docked for being 11sec late

SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating claims that a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport had $5 docked from his pay for being 11 seconds late for work.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, MOM said on Aug 21: “We are aware of this case and have contacted Aventa Services, the employer of the affected employee, to establish the nature and extent of the deductions.”

The ministry said that it will take appropriate enforcement actions if the deduction is found to be unauthorised or excessive.

The incident first came to light in an Aug 12 LinkedIn post by Juliet Low, the founder of direct hire caregiving app Maid Without Borders Singapore.

In the post, she detailed her encounter with a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport who said he had $5 docked from his pay because he was 11 seconds late a few weeks ago. The assistant was said to be earning $7 an hour.

“He actually showed me a picture of his payslip stating the 11-second deduction. That’s almost an hour of his pay – for 11 seconds,” Low wrote, adding that the deduction was “completely disproportionate”.

The LinkedIn post later went viral, amassing over 700 reactions and 150 comments as at Aug 21.

In its statement, MOM said that employers owe their employees a duty of care and responsibility.

Employers can make salary deductions only for reasons authorised under the Employment Act, which include when an employee is late, it said, but added that the deduction must be proportionate to the period of absence.

“Employers cannot impose a larger salary deduction simply by characterising it as a ‘penalty’ or ‘fine’,” it said.

The ministry said that it would take appropriate enforcement action against employers who flout the rules, taking into account their rectification measures and the severity of the offence.

The punishments include a stern warning and in severe cases, prosecution, it added.

MOM said that making such unauthorised or excessive deductions from employees’ salaries may amount to a failure to pay salaries in accordance with the Employment Act, which is an offence.

It added that such breaches will also be investigated.

A spokesperson for airport ground services provider SATS had said on Aug 15 that it was “aware of and concerned by” the allegations made in the LinkedIn post.

The spokesperson added that Aventa Services was responding directly to queries from MOM.

“SATS takes such matters seriously and expects all service partners to comply with applicable employment laws and regulations,” the spokesperson said.

ST has contacted the National Trades Union Congress for more information.

MOM urged those who face unauthorised or excessive salary deduction to file a claim with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, which can help workers in recovering their salary if lapses are found.