TWC2 volunteer (right) helping our client (left) execute a consent form for personal data

Tobir (not his real name), 34, works at a fire prevention company we will refer to here as Fire-Halt. He came to TWC2 for help as he has been trying to get money, which is owing to him, from Fire-Halt, as he wants to go home to Bangladesh.

He has already been to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with his problem, and they have advised him to negotiate with the boss of Fire-Halt for the amounts – running into the tens of thousands – which he said is owing to him. MOM said he should file a complaint against Fire-Halt only if negotiations failed.

Tobir came to TWC2 as he felt the negotiations have been going too slowly and he wants to go home to his family soonest. He does not want to work with Fire-Halt anymore.

Job started well, except …

Tobir started working at Fire-Halt in 2022. He was one of a few workers who started working in the firm and initially the relationship with his boss was a good one. He was offered a basic salary of $1,600 a month. He said business was good then and he would get extra money for overtime and even bonuses, boosting his pay sometimes to $3,000 a month or more.

However, at the same time, the boss told him he could ‘invest’ in the business to help it grow, Tobir says in our interview. It started with $850 a month, rising to $900 after six months and eventually to $950 a month sometime in 2023, sums that were either deducted from his pay, or Tobir had to transfer back to the boss after getting his monthly salary.

There are various descriptions of what this money was for. Sometimes the boss refered to it as a form of ‘savings’ for him and that he would get it back eventually, presumably when he goes back home. Other times, the boss claimed that it was necessary to cover the foreign worker levy and bond obligations.

Tobir said he agreed as he could see that the boss was good to him and gave him jobs and overtime. If he was short of money, the boss would also give him loans or advances which could be $100 or more when he needed funds. Tanvir was also housed at an apartment which belonged to his boss and this cost a further $500 a month.

Tobir says he trusted his boss initially as at the end of each month, they would sit down and go through his salary – the basic amount plus whatever overtime and bonuses due minus the ‘savings’, the ‘house money’ or rent and whatever advances he had asked for during the month. After the discussion or ‘mouth talking’, the money would be deposited into his bank account.

Sometimes, though, there could be a delay, says Tobir. This happened especially if there was a lot of work, and the outstanding month’s salary will be added to the following month. He did not get a payslip for his salary, but says it was not a problem as he could see the money going into his bank account.

Fire-Halt’s business has been growing rapidly and the company has moved to nice new offices since he started with them in 2022. The number of workers at the company has also grown quite a bit and Tobir does not get to talk to his boss as much as before. Tobir moved out to his own accommodation in December 2023, so he stopped paying the monthly $500 ‘house money’ to his boss.

Around the same time, Tobir began to resist paying the ‘savings money’ or levy-kickback. The boss began applying pressure, as can be seen in WhatsApp conversations between then. Here’s an excerpt from December 2023, where the boss speaks of needing money from Tobir for the foreign worker levy:

Here’s another excerpt where the boss (WhatsApp number blacked out) makes clear that the payments are consideration for keeping the job:

From this page on MOM’s website, it is clearly stated that taking kickbacks is an offence under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), with penalties that include imprisonment. The term ‘kickbacks’ includes:

Collecting money from foreign employees as a condition of employment or for employment-related costs.

Paying for the foreign worker levy or security bond are among the prohibited employment-related costs.

Company stopped paying salary

From June to October 2024, Tobir did not receive his monthly salary, he tells TWC2. Then he told his boss he wanted to go home and would like to get his those months’ salaries (about $9,600), together with the return of the ‘savings’ of $26,850 which was owing to him, plus the rent of $11,000 which he had paid earlier. In Tobir’s view, the rent demanded from him was illegitimate as his In-Principle Approval, the basis for his taking on the job in 2022, had clearly stated that housing deduction would be $0.

Unable to resolve the issues with his boss on WhatsApp, Tobir went to MOM in October to get assistance. He was advised to sort it out privately with his boss, but since he had not had any success for months already, Tobir came to TWC2 in November for help.

TWC2 helped him file formal claims in the proper formats. As of the date of the interview, the process is ongoing.

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