'Don't want to work for less pay? Don't work then'
By SHREE ANN MATHAVAN
THE month of December has seen a number of complaints by foreign workers here. Among them was a group of 20 from Shanghai Construction (Group) General Co.
They claimed they have not been paid since September. They also alleged their construction company tried to get them to sign a contract with a lower salary range late last month. When they refused, they were told to stop working. Five of these workers spoke to The New Paper on condition of anonymity.
Their contracts signed through agents in China had promised that they would receive a salary range of $1,200 to $1,500. But the actual payment fell short, they claimed.
The workers typically clock long hours with no overtime pay at construction sites, they said. For the first three months, they were given a token monthly allowance of $200.Fromthe fourth month, the remainder of their monthly salaries were released to them in delayed fashion.
One worker in his 20s said they typically receive their first month's salary only from the fourth month, the second month's on the fifth month and so forth. He said: 'This was not something stated in our contract.'
Hes aid he had borrowed 30,000 yuan ($6,300) from friends and family to pay his agent in China. Apart from delayed payment, the workers also had to contend with several deductions from their wages.
These included $300, which would be returned to them in a lump sum once they complete their one-year contract. The other deductions were for living expenses like food, said the workers who live in housing in the Geylang area.
They said they did not understand the new contract because it was not written in Chinese.
One thing they understood, however, was the salary range which was written in numerals. They told their boss they wouldn't sign and went to the Ministry of Manpower(MOM)to complain. They are waiting for their dispute to be resolved. When contacted, a spokesman for Shanghai
Construction said:'We don't wish to respond.'
In response to The New Paper's queries, an MOM spokesman confirmed that 20 workers approached it for help with their salary arrears.
The spokesman said:'MOM has conciliated and settled the case for eight of the workers. The remaining workers' cases are being investigated.'
This article was first published in The New Paper on December 31, 2008.
