Hi guys,

I am working as an accounts executive in a small local company in Singapore.

My working hours is from 8am to 6pm Mon to Sat. I have already signed the employment contract. My total working hours is 54 hours.

However I check the MOM guideline which states no employee shall be required to work for more than 8 hours a day or more than 44 hours in a week.

My question is can I tell my company that is illegal and I need not work on Saturday since my 54 hours already exceed the 44 hours rule? However I already signed the employment contract a few months back. This is the problem.

Thanks in advance. Hate to work on Saturdays.

Nope. I got the minimum 7 days. I was desperate for work that time. So I just sign the contract.

Any kind soul can advise? Laws are very complicated.

Now I am unhappy rather than desperate.

Anyway I came to realize my company is on the verge of bankruptcy. How I know?

That's right. I prepare the accounts and liaise with the auditors.

Now I am very worried I can't get my Nov salary. And also unhappy I have to work every Saturday 9 hours. Too sad for my colleagues that is unaware of it. The signs are already there but most will just dismiss it as cash flow problem.

Sigh. I am in deep trouble.

So I take it that it's illegal for my boss to make me work for more than 44 hours in a week for accts job? I would be happy if u are sure about it.

Because there are exceptions to the employment act which is very hard to inteprete.

Thanks for your help. Anyway my company may not sustain for long. Next time I won't sign such an employment contract.

If I had pr status it would be easy for me to find job. But as S Pass its much more difficult for me to find job. That's why I am still hesitating.

Thanks for your advise.

My contract nvr states that my working hours will vary according to the needs of the company.

However the contract states that my shift from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm is extendable when required to do so. I take it that it means overtime. In practice I always go back sharp at 6 pm and they nvr ask me to OT.

If Mackiddo is right about MOM > any contracts, I should have a strong case.

Most company as I know will write a standard 8 hours a day from mon to fri. And at most additional half day on Saturday. However if they want to make u work longer than what's is suppose to be, they will just control the working performance and bonus.

I have never heard of any accounts working hours as per contract is 9 hours a day from Mon to Sat. Maybe I am being conned. Sigh....

Actually it's not that I want to leave haha. It's more like my company cannot sustain and eventually will bankrupt.

I have to think carefully right now because for me as a foreigner to find job, it won't be easy. If I am in Malaysia, I would not hesitate to quit.

Maybe I have to check with MOM. Anyway I would be surprised if really Malaysia would side the employees more than Singapore as they are more advanced.

Whether I inteprete the rules correctly or not, I was hoping that I can scare my boss with MOM regulations.

The moment they fail to pay my salary on time, I am thinking of using this weakness to bargain for my Saturday work. It's becoming political.

Anyway yes I have to get a new job. But I was hoping that I can escape Saturday jobs at least for a while haha.

And I am really tired of getting calls from suppliers for long overdue payments.

Mackiddo and Mercury,

The both of you offer very constructive advise. Thanks to both of you.

Please don't quarrel because of me. I am sure this is just a misunderstanding. Sometimes in life it doesn't matter who is right. When I am angry, I would also say things that hurt others which made the quarrel worse.

Anyway I just read more carefully and the max hours from the employment act does not apply to me as my salary is above 2k.

It's time for me to move on and to get a new job as soon as possible.

Thanks to both of you. And please try to forget the conflicts.

My salary is above 2k. Looks like I have no protection at all.

So it seems that under Singapore law, it's okay if the contract signed is for working 24 hours and 7 days a week. As in for those above 2k. Looks like most employees would not have any protection at all.

Actually I am not really complaining about working
more hours. I just want to check whether my contract breached the employment law. If it does I will have the upper hand.

Normally most companies would give a standard working hours unlike mine. And if they wan u to overtime, they will use bonus or warnings for poor performance. My company is kinda odd. They nvr ask me to overtime beyond my working hours anyway.

Actually it's not really good if I tell u what my company is.

But I can tell you it's a construction company. It's a small local chinaman company. If I were to let u know, my company will die even faster.

So is it familiar to u? Haha......

If it is just the sub con, it would be alright.

I have workers starving becoz nvr pay wages overdue for 2 months. And rental of the land for their operation. The thing about construction company is once you don't have the funds to complete the Project on time, the revenue would not come in and will be delayed. Anyway they are not making money also.

Now my boss is ignoring me whenever I request for any payment. He is hiding in overseas and it's hard to contact him. I feel abandoned. But partly is my fault. Becoz I told him how much debts we have and it is impossible to sustain the company.

Anyway you guys are right. The company is dying a slow death. And I have to get a new job.

The bad thing is I have only work there for a few months. So my resume would be very bad. Sigh. The interviewers might not believe me. I guess this is what happens when u sign the contract out of job desperation.

Yeah what you say is true. Thanks for that.

It's just that this is not the only job that I work less than a year. In a way I really screw my resume. And becoz I am holding S Pass its not easy for me to find jobs since it will be given to locals first. And usually the jobs that I get can be very bad.

Right now I have to rethink about my plans.

Vincent,

I am just a low level accounts and not really a real certified accountant. Anyway most business needs accts ppl becoz u need to know how much profit u r making and calculate wages.

Anyway there are regulations to submit ur company accounts to the government.

It's not easy to work in Big 4.

Partly I wan to earn the exchange rate in Singapore. The language we used is both English and Mandarin. English for writing and Mandarin for talking.

If you guys have any accts vacancy in Singapore, please let me know.

Thanks alot guys.

Good for u. U can use M1 1 to 1 for cinema show in Cathay. Basically buy 1 free 1 on every sunday. Best to go early morning as there are limited seats.

It's forever and ever as long Cathay is open. I usually go amk hub watch show with fren. So I pay for myself and I can get a free ticket for my fren.

U probably nvr knew abt it becoz it must be bought in sun morning. So if u want to enjoy the discount be kiasu and make sure u are there before its fully redeemed.

Myself got denied the m1 1 to 1 just by the person queing in front of me. I was quite mad that day. It's limited to 250 person in whole Cathay Singapore.

That is right. They will ask you to fill in some forms.

And remember to wake up Sun early morning. From my experience in amk hub, by 10.30 am the offer will be fully redeemed. Not sure abt other branches.

No problem. Can save some money especially if you and ur close ones are movie lovers. Just to let u know that if both u and ur fren got m1 plans, it does't mean u can get it for free. U still have to pay the price for 1 person for 2 tickets.

If both of u and ur fren has m1, u can buy 2 shows but pay one person ticket per show. It's always a 50% discount.

This post has been edited by Dendroid_King: Nov 29 2012, 12:38 PM

I am not sure how easy to get a job in big 4. But it won't be as easy as you say. Unless u got connection.

To work in big four, u must not only be capable but u must be willing to work extreme long hours. And if ur luck isn't good and u have terrible managers, be prepared for a life in hell. If you are the type that hates rules and regulation to the extreme, big 4 is going to be a living hell. So that's why u see the turnover is very high.

I would say that most ppl aren't suitable for these kind of audit jobs. And being an auditor is like doing sales in a commercial company. U dun have to sell but ur salary will be measured against the audit fee that you are assigned on.

And you must know those bosses from audit firms are accounting based. Hence majority will be exteremely calculative. I have 1 boss that factor in my bonus into one of the many jobs that I have done during the year. Hence I so called burst the job. Then he can use this excuse to give me terrible increment.

My advise: only go for it if u are mentally prepared to endure extreme hardship. And make sure ur pr skill is good hehe...

Yes what you say is true.

But I also think long term also. As in you can get easily sack in Big Four too (less than 6 months). Anyway then again its not easy to join Big 4 despite the fact that I have audit background.

Your words hold true for those that are really mentally strong unlike me.