We often hear how much more Malaysians can earn while working in Singapore thanks to the currency rate. On the flip side, we can also see that it’s not necessarily a bed of roses too.
Read our story on Zack, a Malaysian who left his banking job to deliver meals in Singapore:
On Tuesday (Oct 13), TikToker solah5817 posted a video showing a heated exchange between his colleagues and him S’porean boss over their salary.
S’porean boss: ‘If you no happy, go back to Malaysia’
In the now-deleted video titled ‘We only want what is rightfully ours’, the video first shows a man in a blue shirt arguing with solah5817 and his colleagues as they were allegedly not getting paid on time.
A worker could also be heard in the background saying that newly employed workers haven’t received their salary too.
The boss then replied:
Maybe on Thursday I’ll let you know the outcome […] I cannot say [whether] I pay or don’t pay. I will see what I can do to help you and help myself. We must move along.”
Not satisfied with his answer, the worker went on to say that those who had returned to Malaysia were unpaid too.
Angered by the worker’s accusation, the boss told the worker to leave Singapore if he was unhappy with the work environment.
Not happy never mind, [you can] go back to Malaysia! I welcome you to work, but if you’re not happy with me then never mind.”
Refused to provide documentation
Sensing that the situation was getting out of hand, the worker then requested his boss to provide a written document showing that all workers would be paid in due time.
However, the S’porean boss refused and insisted that he would pay them “on the third week of the month” before walking away in frustration.
Suddenly, he turned back and said, “If you wanna play politician then go back to Malaysia and do it!”
A quick check on TikTok showed that solah5817 has made his account private at the time of writing.
WeirdKaya has reached out to him for comments and we will update this article accordingly.
Boss is always right(?)
The video, which was reposted to Wake Up, Singapore‘s Facebook page, has received over 39,000 views and 300 shares.
One netizen disagreed with the boss’ response, saying that negotiations and having a civil conversation is the best way to solve such matters.
Another netizen claimed that such incidents are normal in the working world and challenged those who defended the boss to put themselves in the workers’ shoes.
Another shared that he has been through a similar situation and said that “the boss is always right”.
Some netizens also urged the workers to lodge a formal complaint to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
What do you think? Comment below and let us know!
It’s unrelated to the article but here’s our brand-new podcast – Talk Je Lah!
Cover Images via Facebook
Proofreader: Sarah Yeoh
