NO SALARY till now! - pls advice...

[hann18]

Hi all, I am new here, just needyour advice.

Sad to say we were affected by the recession (according to the boss) so for almost 3months now, we still haven't received our salaries (ok, ok, we we're given 1K sometime after christmas )

Though they are not demanding that we go to work everyday, but we still have to reply to customers emails and phone inquiries (using my personal HP).

We we're given promises....before christmas, after christmas, before new year, now before, cny...im getting fed up! Now, I don't even feel like answering phone calls and replying to emails.

What should I do? Please advice....


PS. I already tendered my resignation, but was not accepted, telling me that there are better prospects for the company in the coming weeks (or months, or maybe years ), so boss was telling me to hold on, hold on...how to survive???

[DimWit Kid]

Obviously this is a bad situation and I'm sorry for you for it, but if you ask what you need to do, the very clear answer is: find another job!
Resignation itself is nothing, why you refer to it as if it is a solution??

[hann18]

thanks for the reply....do you mean i just leave the present company without them accepting my resignation? can i just leave them like that? i am worried that it might ruin my reputation as a professional

[DimWit Kid]

Sigh... You don't need them to accept.
Do you have a new job though?

[hann18]

doing some freelancing for the meantime, just for survival...but don't think will last for long! im also looking around for other opportunities, but quite fewer these days

[BodyBlitz]

Why don't you first ask for a resolution on how your pay is going to be settled with your employer with an absolute date set and what are your options with the company?
It is fair that you do not do any other work for the company until the resolution is set and concentrate on opportunities that make your ends meet.

If the answers are still vague and ambigious, go to MOM with your colleagues ( willing ones who will fight the case) and lodge a report - bring your last payslip, contract and any other documents supporting your case.
An appointment with the judge? is $3 for administrative fee i think...

It is an offense to hold your pay for more than 7 days.

But first before getting yourself into an ugly situation, always talk to your employer, because once you reach MOM... its good as firing yourself because your boss will be given a writ of summon to appear before the mini court and you'd be side by side with him.

[ksl]

doing some freelancing for the meantime, just for survival...but don't think will last for long! im also looking around for other opportunities, but quite fewer these days

Explain to your boss first, you need some income to live, or you have no alternative but to put it in the hands of MOM, which you do not want to do, because it will cause him a great deal of trouble, he will get the message, tell him no more work, until he starts contributing to your life.

Do not give up the job, until you find a new one, just play along with your company until it is all settled, if you find another job, then you can consider the alternatives open to you.

Be careful if you are breaking the law, by freelancing, breaking the law is no excuse, if caught, you may have read in the papers that many construction workers were also not paid, they all sat outside MOM until they got their money.

It's the best i can do, I'm sure MOM will do something about it, just keep a low profile, and survive the best way you can.

You can drop me a PM if you like with your details CV, I cannot promise anything though, but if i can use you, i will let you know.

[ksl]

doing some freelancing for the meantime, just for survival...but don't think will last for long! im also looking around for other opportunities, but quite fewer these days

Go and inform MOM you have not been paid and what to do about it, do not give up the job, until you find a new one, just play along with your company until it is all settled, if you find another job, then you can leave.

Be careful if you are breaking the law, by freelancing, breaking the law is no excuse, if caught, you may have read in the papers that many construction workers were also not paid, they all sat outside MOM until they got their money.

It's the best i can do, I'm sure MOM will do something about it, just keep a low profile, and survive the best way you can.

You can drop me a PM if you like with your details CV, I cannot promise anything though, but if i can use you, i will let you know.

[hann18]

Oh..thanks for your replies....I guess I will have to email them then, and let them layout a concrete plan. I really don't want to reach till MOM, I want this settled without hassle for both parties. I have been with the same company for 3years now, maybe that's why every time we discuss about the matter, they just keep on giving me promises (they know I'm not the 'fighter' type of a person), and I somehow just (stupidly) nod my head . The rest of my colleagues are either newbies (also, don't know what to do) or maybe super rich almost/over retirement age (don't care about salaries or maybe have other sources, I don't know...)

Oh, by the way, I'm not breaking any law, as I am a PR, can stay and work here legally. Thanks for reminding, though...

[jesse.armand]

I think your situation is not that difficult since you're a PR.

You can resign, or you can make your efforts to settle your problems.

What if one is under a contract with penalty for breaking it, on EP, and additionally one also didn't get paid fulll, it's rather complicated.

[irvine]

This happened to me in 2004. Promises after promises... they owed me three months of salary, and never paid up. I sent them a Statutory Demand, and they still didn't pay. I didn't have anymore money to go to court, so I let it go, knowing that I should just lick my wound and move on.

In the end, the boss winded up the company, and started a brand new one. The best part, his new company's website has ALL the portfolios of what we have done in the past. The new company website made him look very good. But oh well, his name is already gone!

So if I were you, I will find a new job aggresively. Send the old company a Statutory Demand (which you can represent yourself). Move on. And please don't use your own handphone to answer calls for them inquiries anymore. You will not be reimbursed.

In this time and age, there is no such thing as company loyalty. So, don't hope for their promises.