One in six migrant workers in the construction and related industries do not get payslips consistently. This is despite the fact that it has been eight years since rules were put in place requiring employers to issue detailed itemised payslips with every payday.
This is the key finding from TWC2’s survey of 1,172 Work Permit holders conducted in April 2024.
There has been some improvement in that a larger proportion of them now get payslips compared to what we found in similar studies in 2016 and 2018, but considering the passage of time, there is no reason why we should permit employers to continue to ignore the rules.
Payslips are important for workers to know how exactly their salary amounts have been arrived at. They enable employees to check that there has been no underpayment. This is especially important in construction and related trades because these employees are often asked to work overtime or on their rest days, so instead of getting a flat salary each month, their paychecks are made up of several variable components, each involving a degree of calculation. Workers should be able to see for themselves that computations are correct and that they are fairly remunerated.
The data also indicate that Work Permit holders employed by smaller companies are more likely to not get payslips.
TWC2 calls for stronger enforcement efforts, with a greater focus on smaller businesses. For example, every time the a salary claim comes to the attention of the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) involving absence of payslips, misleading or insufficiently detailed ones, the employer should be reported to the enforcement branch of the Ministry of Manpower.
The full report, (PDF, 19 pages) can be downloaded by clicking the icon at right.