‘I feel underpaid’— F&B worker says she puts in 200 hours of work per month but only gets paid S$11/hr

SINGAPORE: A full-time F&B worker has shared her frustrations online after discovering she is paid less than her colleagues, despite working nearly 200 hours a month.

In a post on the r/SGMoney subreddit, she explained that while her job is generally not demanding and only experiences increased activity on weekends, she feels her compensation is unfair. Other full-time employees reportedly earn S$13 per hour, whereas she is paid S$11 per hour.

“I feel like I’m underpaid. It’s a minimum wage job, [and I] do close to 200 hours a month. I’m too scared to talk about it with my boss, but I’m skimping every day, especially with rent being expensive. Also, I asked my other full-time coworkers, and their pay is S$13/hr. Is it because they are older than me?” she wrote.

Hoping to get some clarity, she asked fellow users, “Is that [my pay] too little? Am I too ungrateful, or [do I] just need better money management?”

“Shop around for vacancies and secure interviews.”

The discussion thread drew several responses from Singaporean Redditors. One user noted, “These days, many restaurants pay part-timers from $15 to $18 an hour. If you are a full-timer getting less than that, consider finding a new job.”

Another commented, “I assume you’re local and don’t need a work visa. In that case, rather than asking for a raise when you don’t feel comfortable, shop around for vacancies and secure interviews. Statistics, anyhow, show you get a better salary increase by changing employers as opposed to staying. Resign only after securing a new job.”

A third advised, “It’s better to just be direct with your boss and ask. If you have been there for a while already and you feel like it’s time to have a higher salary, please request it nicely. If you are working part-time or on contract, chances are very low to none in terms of pay raises; in that case, consider changing jobs. Otherwise, [there’s] no harm in asking.”

A few commenters also pointed out that she may be entitled to “overtime pay” under the Employment Act, which requires employers to pay 1.5 times the hourly rate for hours exceeding 44 per week.

One added, “If your monthly basic pay is below S$2,600, you should be entitled to overtime pay under the Employment Act (Part 4). Legally, you cannot be required to work more than 72 hours of overtime per month.”

In other news, a foreigner living in Singapore was left flustered after spotting a fellow commuter on a public bus resting both of his bare feet on the seat in front of him.

Posting a photo of the scene on the subreddit r/SMRTrabak, the foreigner wrote that they were unsure how to react in the moment.

“As an angmoh, what do I even do in these situations?” they said. “Spreading the dogs out is just disgusting.”

Read more: Foreigner flustered by a commuter resting bare feet on bus seat, asks how locals deal with this type of behaviour