A Malaysian woman has claimed she became an unpaid worker after completing six days of temporary work at a university campus bazaar, only for the stall owner to allegedly vanish without paying her wages.
According to Sin Chew Daily, the woman, identified as Cai (transliteration), shared her experience in a Facebook post.
Allegedly owed RM865 in payment
She said she worked at a perfume stall at a campus market last December, after being promised that her salary would be paid in full on the final day of work.
Her agreed payment consisted of a basic wage plus commission, amounting to RM865. However, on the last working day, the stall owner did not show up.
Instead, Cai was instructed through messages to pack up the remaining products. The stall owner assured her that payment would be transferred later via bank transfer.
In the end, that promised payment never came.
Cai said she repeatedly tried contacting the stall owner through WhatsApp, but received no replies. Phone calls were either rejected or immediately hung up.
She added that one of the two contact numbers she had was later found to have blocked her.
Tried another number and call got through
In an attempt to reach the person, she used her father’s phone to call. The stall owner answered and verbally promised to pay within a week.
Yet after that call, there was still no payment and no further response.
When Cai eventually warned that she would report the matter to the police and file a complaint with the Labour Department, the stall owner finally replied.
However, she claimed the response was rude and dismissive, allegedly telling her to go ahead and make a police report, saying they were not afraid.
Believes others may have been affected
In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Cai said she believes she is not the only victim. According to her, several others took up the same job through a third party platform.
When they tried to seek help from the platform to recover unpaid wages, they were allegedly told that the stall owner had not paid the platform either, and that the workers would have to pursue the matter on their own.
Cai said multiple victims shared similar experiences of chasing payments, being ignored, and receiving provocative replies when mentioning legal action. She described the stall owner’s attitude as arrogant and disheartening.
She admitted that she no longer has high hopes of getting her wages back. Instead, she chose to make her story public to warn students and part time workers to be more cautious when accepting temporary jobs.
She also said this was the first time in her many years of doing part time work that she encountered such a problematic employer.
