‘This is extortion’: Singaporeans warn cook after he signs contract requiring 12-hour shifts with just 2 days off a month for S$2,000

SINGAPORE: Singaporeans online warned an expat who had just signed a contract as a cook after he shared the terms of his employment and asked whether they were normal in Singapore’s food and beverage (F&B) industry.

Posting on r/asksg on Saturday (May 30), he shared that he had already signed the contract the day before because his visa was due to expire in two weeks and that the contract did not state he needed to complete the full contract term before he could resign.

According to him, as the cook, he would be required to work 14 hours a day, 12 regular hours and an additional two hours of overtime, and would only have two days off a month. The role comes with a salary of S$2,000 a month.

Incentives would only start after three months of work, while there are seven days of annual leave after completing one year of service.

“Contract also stated 44 hours a week, but I have seen the roster schedule, everybody’s doing 14 hours a day, only one or two days off a month. They even fight for a day off,” he said.

Asking others working in the F&B market, he added: “Still quite new to the Singapore job market, so I’m not sure if these terms are standard or if I should be concerned.”

Commenters were quick to flag the job. The majority called it “insane,” while one commenter said, “This is extortion.”

“To put into perspective, you are working 14 hours per day, that’s 28 days of working in a month (2 off days per month), and you’re working 14 hours x 28 days in a month = 392 Hours in a month. S$2,000/392 = $5/hour? Even McDonald’s pays better,” the commenter added.

Another said that while the job was indeed “extortion,” he was not surprised that such contract terms exist.

A third, meanwhile, added that a Malaysian worker she knew working in Singapore had a similar experience. “I dated a regular chef once, a chef de partie (CDP), and his schedule was one day off per week, 12-hour shifts each day. Not sure about annual leave, but it was definitely more than seven. Salary was around S$3000,” she said.

According to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), common working hours for employees under the Employment Act are up to nine hours a day or 44 hours a week for those working five days or less, and up to eight hours a day or 44 hours a week for those working more than five days a week.

Contractual working hours, however, are those agreed between an employer and employee in the contract of service.

If an employer requires employees to work more than 12 hours a day, up to a maximum of 14 hours, they must apply for an overtime exemption.

Employers must also provide one rest day per week, which is unpaid.

As for the contract, MOM’s website states that “If an employee does not show up on the first day of work, the Employment Claims Act does not apply as the employee has not started work.”

However, the new recruit is expected to notify the employer as soon as possible to resolve the matter amicably and explain the reason, where possible. /TISG

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