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Cancellation of job offer

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Alpheus
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Cancellation of job offer

Post by Alpheus » Thu, 21 Jun 2007 5:15 pm

Just for sharing..I am very dissapointed. Recently i got an interview. After two weeks duration, the person send me email and offer me a position in the company. We discussed every thing by phone, the job description, salary and employment pass (because I am foreigner, do not have EP or PR) and even starting date after EP approval.
And both of us already agreed on the terms verbally. I asked the person to send me a written term of contract. But the day after, the person emailed me that they are busy and will send me soon. I tried to call the person but they unfortunately could not reach them. They made me wait for another 2 weeks.And suddenly I got email from them, and it came as a surprise for me. Short email said that they could not offer me the position that already agreed on, without specific reason.
I have been working for more than 4 years and this is the first time i face such unprofessional company. It is a big company with worldwide branches.
I do not know whether this is the culture of company in Singapore or it is just a human fault.
It looks too weird for me that in Singapore do exists such kind of thing.
Is there any suggestion on my case?Thanks in advance.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Thu, 21 Jun 2007 9:23 pm

Alpheus,

It doesn't surprise me at all. No more than the affront of foreigners for whom we go out on a limb for, pulling strings and calling in counters for in order to get them "S" passes or whatnot and then 3.5 to 6 months into a 24 month initial 12 or 24 month "S" pass they up and resign to go to another position. Like yesterday and again today with me. A phone call this morning for the one yesterday and a few press # for such and such, enter FIN number & enter DOB and voila! She as applied for and been granted a IPA for a new employer. After I finish writing my letter to MOM she, just like the first one that tried it last month, will be deported and will probably never be allowed to work in Singapore again.

You see, it's a two way street, Why would somebody who wanted to work here and escape the poverty or other economic problems of their home country come here and then crap on their employers.

Not saying either is right, because neither is. But. What goes around usually comes around. Unfortunately, not necessarily to the same person. You were probably replaced with a qualified local which is less hassle for an employer.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

Alpheus
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Post by Alpheus » Thu, 28 Jun 2007 4:48 pm

I cannot see any hassle will be created. All they need
to do is just to apply for EP, and it takes only few
minutes to do it online.
Working abroad, is not about escape from poverty of
home country. It's about gaining experience. (Just for
information, from this third world country, there you
can find most of wealthiest person in the world). I
believed most of employees who seeks jobs in Singapore
are qualified enough. This is just the same case when
Singaporean who is abroad graduated tends to work
outside their own country.
You can find employees from outside Sg, most of them
is hardworking. This is the plus point, compared to
locals. (I do not say all, but most of them).
For resign and moving to other company, you need to
see the root causes of all. Employees may found out
that the current company does not respect their value
or qualifications they have. You may find some company
try to put pressure on them because they are
foreigner; while other company may offer them better
than the current
I may accept the reason that a company may replaced
the position with another local. But in the sense of
ethics, can they just breach the verbal agreement
after two weeks, without prior indication to breach
any ? The worst is i had rent a place, prepare
movement from my homecountry to Singapore. For me if
they really cannot employ a foreigner,it is fine. They
just need to inform it earlier,but not after everybody
has agreed on a term. This is wasting time for both
parties. It is not a professional way of working.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Thu, 28 Jun 2007 11:09 pm

Alpheus,

Let me ask you a question. And, try to give me an honest answer. (The hard part).

You had "verbally" accepted this position. Another company that you had also applied to called you subsequently and made you an offer that was almost double of the agreement you verbally agreed to. What would you do? You have absolutely nothing legal that will hold up in a court of law. Would you take the new offer?

Now. Regarding the "S" pass, a bond has to be posted to ensure you don't run off. A levy has to be paid every month albiet low. The employer has to ensure that you don't up and quit without giving notice (it's against the law to hold your passport) because they have to file a 30 day advance notice when you are getting ready to leave and the employer is required to withhold the last month's salary in order to pay the taxes on your behalf if you do a runner (If we do not we can be fined up to $1000 per instance in addition to having to pay the taxes). They also have other obligations like insurance and so forth. In addition, there are the various allowances that aren't paid to local. These headaches are not there when they hire locals. Foreigners are a pain in the butt to hire. This is why most adverts say Singaporeans/PR's only. It's not just for the fun of it. There are many valid reasons NOT to hire foreigners.

The foreigners of today are not nearly as professional as they were 10 to 15 years ago in my opinion. Eventually, it only takes a few bad apples to spoil the whole barrel (or getting tarred by the same brush as it were). You may not be that way, but for an employer who might have been burned before? Why take the chance if there is still a legal way out?

It is unfortunate that you got burned by renting a place but then again, you must be a bit naive if you spend a lot of money without a legal document to back you up. In today's world you better get a signed contract when even lending money to a member of your own family. You think I'm kidding, just read the papers.

Better luck next time, and get it in writing BEFORE you walk out of the office. But, remember, it's binding on BOTH parties.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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Post by Marlowe » Fri, 29 Jun 2007 7:06 pm

mate, that definitely sucks. but, you'll have to file under "s**t happens" and move on.

it probably had more to do with the departments' budget, or the quarterly revenue forecast that caused the ceo to put a hiring-freeze in place, your would-be manager or department head was fired, or any number of other reasons, rather than having anything to do with you. and the short & terse email they sent to you was pretty unprofessional, i agree, given that you had spoken with them for so long. but still, regardless of that, your situation is not unique. it happens quite often, not just in singapore but in other countries.

good luck to you in finding another job.

ashnd76
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Post by ashnd76 » Sat, 07 Jul 2007 10:43 pm

Its true that its always best to get a written contract detailing the terms of employment or any contract for that mater, but unfortunately in real life not everything we do can be neatly written down into contracts.

But that does not mean the aggrieved party has no recourse in law.

In the court of law, a contract is formed when there is an exchange of promises, be it verbal, written or by conduct. Its that simple. The issue of writing it down is mere formality.

But, when it comes to the law of evidence and upholding your case in the court of law , the lack of written contract, is a major stumbling block because the other party will vehemently deny making any agreement to you over the phone and I dont think you made a recording of the conversation.

But if you really want to be nasty and teach the guy a lesson, you could. Namely to ensure that irresponsible parties like that do not get away scott-free.

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sundaymorningstaple
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Post by sundaymorningstaple » Sat, 07 Jul 2007 11:35 pm

ashnd76,

I agreed with you 100% but for the fact that we are in Singapore where the employment contract means absolutely nothing for the employee generally speaking. Almost all of the employment contracts will indicate somewhere within the contract that the employer may make changes to the contract via letter or memo or change to the company's SOP Manual without negotiation. The Employee in Singapore has little or no rights as the country is heavily weighted in favour of the businesses as that's where the government sees it's bread buttered. It really sucks. It's just like retrenchment benefits. About the only way you can guarantee them is if it is written into a "Union" contract. Otherwise, they can find a way to sack you without it being called a "retrenchment" and voila! you have been screwed. One month's salary and on your way sucker.

The only employees in Singapore that have any real protection are those earning less than $1600/month and are covered under the "Employment Act". Everybody else is fair game.
SOME PEOPLE TRY TO TURN BACK THEIR ODOMETERS. NOT ME. I WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHY I LOOK THIS WAY. I'VE TRAVELED A LONG WAY, AND SOME OF THE ROADS WEREN'T PAVED. ~ Will Rogers

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