Filipino remote worker asks Singaporeans for help after his Singapore employer ghosted him without paying his last salary

SINGAPORE: A Filipino remote worker sought help online after his Singaporean employer ghosted him without paying his final salary.

“I’ve been working remotely in the Philippines for a Singapore company for 7 years. When I resigned, they did not pay my final salary. They are not replying to me anymore,” he wrote on r/askSingapore on Friday (Jul 5).

“I did work for 2 years in Singapore holding an Spass with the same employer.. then after 2 years, I transitioned to work from home,” he added.

He then asked the online community, “Can the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM) help me with this problem? If not, is there any government agency in Singapore that can help me? Thanks!”

Replying promptly to his post, one netizen said that he cannot seek help from MOM because he is not covered under Singapore’s employment laws.  

Since he’s not classified as “manpower” in Singapore, his best bet would be to take legal action by suing his employer to sort out the unpaid final salary issue.

On the contrary, another netizen suggested that he could still reach out to MOM and email them about his situation. 

He mentioned that even if MOM isn’t the right place to handle his case, they might still give him helpful advice or direct him to the appropriate government agency specialising in resolving such employment disputes.

A third netizen commented, “You can try the Employment Claims Tribunal.”

When should you receive your final salary?

According to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) guidelines, every employer or company must pay an employee’s final salary on their last day of work once the notice period has ended.

In cases where an employee does not serve their notice period and leaves immediately, the employer must pay the final salary within seven days of the employee’s last working day.

However, if an employer terminates the contract or dismisses an employee for misconduct, the rules differ slightly. In such cases, the employer must pay the final salary within three working days from the termination date. 

Those who haven’t received their salaries on time can file a complaint with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) using their Singpass. 

The employee can take further action if the dispute remains unresolved after TADM’s mediation process. They can escalate the case to the Employment Claims Tribunals if they receive a claim referral certificate from an approved TADM mediator.

For domestic workers, seafarers, and public officers, there are specific channels.

Domestic workers can take their issues to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), seafarers can reach out to the Maritime Port Authority (MPA), and public officers should contact their government agency’s HR department for help.

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