Restaurant boss deducts S$100 from her workers’ salary for every little mistake they make

SINGAPORE: A worker’s friend took to social media to spill the tea about a Vietnamese restaurant boss in Singapore deducting S$100 from employees’ pay cheques for every little mistake they make.

In a post on r/askSingapore, the worker’s friend shared that the boss, a Vietnamese-Singaporean, opened ‘six restaurants’ across the city and employed mostly foreign workers. He added, “Most ‘locals’ are shadow workers.”

He also revealed that these workers, including his friend from China, are subjected to strict and unreasonable rules. For instance, employees are expected to work long, gruelling hours — sometimes 12 hours a day, six days a week — with very few days off.

“My friend had only 2 days off in 1 month. She had to work 12 hours a day, from 11 am to 11 pm,” he wrote. “The boss is exploiting and destroying Singapore’s reputation.”

To make matters worse, the boss allegedly enforces severe financial penalties for even the smallest mistakes. “The boss will deduct 100 dollars per mistake, like not greeting customers on time and failing to pick up her call,” he said.

“I have pictures of the two contracts, pay slip and chat record of deduction acknowledgement. The boss thinks that getting workers to agree to the deduction on writing means she will be absolved of all responsibilities and above the law.”

The worker’s friend said that because of his friend’s terrible work experience, she now has a negative view of Singapore. “Her impression of Singapore is very bad, and she thinks the reputation online is just a facade,” he said.

“What can I do to help both my friend and to prevent such abuses of the system from destroying our country’s reputation among foreigners?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about Singapore’s reputation. Report to MOM…”

Singaporean Redditors encouraged the man to report the situation to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), emphasizing that such practices are against Singapore’s employment laws.

One Redditor wrote, “Don’t worry about Singapore’s reputation. Report to MOM: Salary deductions for ‘mistakes’ are not legal. Those aren’t even mistakes. Minimum 1 off day a week is mandated. In the meantime, look for another job. F&B floor jobs are easy to find.”

Another added, “You can report to MoM for the shadow workers violation. MoM take this very seriously.”

However, not everyone thought it would be a straightforward process. One Redditor pointed out the potential challenges, writing, “Your friend has to be mentally prepared to be a witness to provide factual details for the investigation. Question is, will she be willing to do that (and risk losing her job)?”

When can employers deduct your salary?

Employers can only deduct your salary in specific situations, as outlined by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

These include cases like being absent from work, damaging or losing company property (such as tools or vehicles), or staying in accommodation provided by the employer.

They’re also allowed to deduct for CPF contributions, payments to registered co-operative societies, and optional services like childcare or recreational facilities, as long as the Commissioner approves these for Labour, and you agree to them.

Other valid reasons include repaying loans, salary overpayments, or advances. If you give written consent, additional deductions can be made, but you can withdraw your consent anytime.

Also, employers can’t deduct more than 50% of your salary in one pay period, except for your final paycheck.

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