This article is a contribution piece by NTUC U PME. Any extracts should be attributed to the author. 8 April 2024.
She was looking forward to a promising career ahead of her. After all, Sandra Teo, 39, was headhunted for the role of Senior Recruitment Consultant in April last year. She was excited about performing well, as the job role has always been her core interest.
Her interviews were conducted remotely with the management team based in Australia. She joined the company with four other Singaporeans in a shared office space. To her knowledge, she could diligently deliver the tasks assigned to her.
Therefore, the email that came into her inbox was appalling for Sandra. She received a with-immediate-effect termination letter, citing under-performance as the reason. In addition to the blow, her probation was extended for an additional month, but she was terminated before the extension concluded.
Feeling unjustly treated, Sandra decided to address the issue internally. She claimed the company had not paid her the one-week notice period and the encashment of her 11 days of accumulated annual leave. However, the company insisted that they had already overpaid her and considered it a goodwill payment.
Undeterred, Sandra persisted in her efforts to resolve the matter. Frustrated by the lack of clarity, she reached out to NTUC for guidance. Her case was routed to Loh Pui Chun, Principal Consultant with NTUC’s U PME department.
Ms Loh studied the case and requested detailed records from Sandra for all payments made to her since her employment began. Upon receiving the records, Ms Loh meticulously tabulated the total amount Sandra received and should have received based on her agreed-upon monthly pay of $4,250. It became evident that there had indeed been some excess payments made, but they were due to a change in the salary payment period (fortnightly to monthly payment). And this still fell short of covering the encashment of 11.6 days of annual leave.
Next, Ms Loh drafted a formal letter to the company on 28 December 2023, outlining the calculations and claiming the remaining $1,600 owed to Sandra. The company remained silent on the matter.
Just as hope waned, Sandra received an email from the company on 1 January 2024. In the email, the company acknowledged the outstanding payment of $1,600 and expressed its intent to settle the matter in accordance with NTUC’s guidelines.
Relieved, Sandra received the long-awaited payment, bringing closure to a challenging chapter in her professional life.
“I was very glad to receive my balance salary. And through my personal experience, I want more professionals like me to stand up for their rights and be treated fairly in their work environment.
“The U PME officer took the initiative and was professional in assisting me in claiming back my balanced salary from my last company,” Sandra shared.
The incident clearly highlights how NTUC can be the voice for all workers, including PMEs caught in workplace disputes.
Ms Low said: “It takes two hands to clap. Having a supportive employer who wants to settle issues amicably is very important. It gives me great satisfaction when I can resolve the employment issue for my members.”