Am I right or wrong?

Teck Loh SG

Ok. Background story first.

I work for this security agency which deployed me to this store at Orchard over the weekends. The agency promised to pay me on a weekly basis and pay day would be Thursday (or Friday if there's some cock up at payroll etc).

However, ever since I started working for them, I had to call up payroll every Thursday and Friday before I can get paid. It was really tiring and demeaning for me. I felt like a beggar or loanshark asking them to 'pay up' every time.

So last week, I told them to please find out what's going on because apparently I am the only one who's getting late payments. Since I only work weekends, I really need what little they pay me for expense and to pay my bills. They said 'ok'.

So this Thursday, I decided to be nice and not bother the payroll. I thought they would 'zi dong' after our talk last week. However, when I checked my bank acct on Friday, there wasn't a single cent in. I have already spent 60 bucks this week for my internet bill so I really needed the money. I called up payroll and the guy assured me that the money would be in by 10am this morning (Saturday).

I had to get to work at Orchard by 1pm, so I thought if they pay in at 10am, I still have enough time to make a trip to the ATM, get out my money and do the necessary stuff (like top up EZ link and get a good breakfast). Unfortunately, at 10.30am, no money went in. I checked my account at 12 noon. Again no money.

I decided that I have already said enough to payroll. So I just went down to the store and explained to the manager why I couldn't work today (because I didn't get paid). He was most understanding and I handed in my locker key. The time was 1.30pm. After I left the store, at 1.57pm, I received a text from the agency guy saying that he already banked in my pay.

That was AFTER I told the store manager that I had to stop working. So I texted back informing the agency that it was too late. And that it has been rather tiring for me to have to go out of my way just to get paid. Since I have told the store manager I wasn't going to come back, I don't see how I could just pop back the next day and work as if nothing happened. But since the agency paid me what they owed me, I ought to be nice. So I asked the agency guy where he was and if I could return the company uniform to him. Wherever he was or I could drop it off at the store for the new officer taking over me.

The agency guy replied with just this line: 'But I already banked in at 1.56pm'.

I thought that wasn't the point anymore. If he failed to pay me after 7 days, I would have gone straight to MOM. No, it isn't a matter of whether he paid me or not but that during my employment with the agency, I had to go out of my way just to get paid. It has been headache inducing, stressful (because I never really knew if the money would come in on time for my bills) and demeaning (because I am not a beggar or loanshark).

But he doesn't seem to get that. I can afford not to work for this agency because this morning I already gotten 2 better offers from my army buddies. But because of the way he's (the agency guy) acting, like he's in the right because he did pay me eventually, he's making me feel as if I am the baddie here.

So what do you fellows think? Am I right or wrong?

Teck

dkcx SG

You are free to make your choice of career especially if you found better offers. If there is not long term contract etc with the agency, you are free to quit anytime you want as long as you have done your job to the best of your ability and owe the agency nothing.

Teck Loh SG

Thanks dkcx, for your reply.

No. I do not have any sort of contract with the agency. However, I do need to know where I can return the blazer. At the store or other venues around Orchard. I do not want to make a trip down to his office at the industrial estate. Last trip there by MRT and feeder bus cost me 5 bucks ++ both ways. But the agency dude doesn't seem to want to accept that I have moved on. And that so long as he eventually paid me, I should get back to work.

dkcx SG

Thanks dkcx, for your reply.

Just call the agency person and ask, if he don't want to say, just tell him that you can't and won't return the blazer since hes the 1 who does not want to tell you how to return it and not you don't want to return it. Or else just wait till they ask you for it lo. If they don't care, you don't need to as well.

fireng SG

I also thought of working as a security guard before.

Whats the name of this security agency?

Next time can siam them when looking for a job..

Veggie Bao SG

Dont yield to psychological pressure, you have the right to do it, and besides, I would do the same thing if I were you.

Agenda SG

Be careful, if you're a NSmen. You can be charged for moonlighting. That is, if you are one.

mancha SG

Also write to SIRD, before the security agency make an adverse report against you.

Rooney9 SG

do they pay CPF?

Teck Loh SG

Hi, and thanks for your replies.

Agenda: No, I am not an NS man. Too old to be one. :D

mancha: Good advice. I haven't thought about it. I think I will now that you mentioned it. How should I frame my email/letter to SIRD? Just tell my side of the story like I did above?

Rooney9: Yes they do. At least they already deducted an amount of money from my weekly pay for CPF. But the money hasn't gone into my CPF account yet.

fireng: I am not revealing the name of the agency. The main reason is because, as you can read from my post, they already paid up (even if it was a late payment). If you are going to be a guard, let me give you one word of advice. Ask for weekly pay. Be a daily rated guard. Even though the agency will psycho you into being a monthly employee and talk to you about the benefits of annual leave and medical benefits, don't buy it.

Be a daily rated guard and get paid weekly because the world of a security guard is soul draining and very very tiring. We work 12 hours a day and 6 days a week. If you are just starting out, let me tell you this... You may not even last a whole month at first. And if you already asked for monthly pay... good luck trying to get the pay from your agency. Sometimes I see people dropping out due to fatigue (because youngsters are not used to working 72 hours per week), BEFORE they get their monthly pay, and they have a hard time getting the agency to cough up. However, if you take weekly payments, you just end up losing a few days pay.

fireng SG

why didn't you chose a big and reputable security agency so that you don't have to worry about not getting paid?

and why do you say that if you take weekly pay you will lose a few days pay?

Teck Loh SG

It was a big agency that I worked for.

Simple logic about losing only a few days pay.

Let's start with the most obvious example first. Monthly pay.

Say you started work on the 8th of September and pay day is every 5th of the month, ok? So you won't get paid until 5th October. Still a long time away. And assuming you find the work so tiring that you quit on the 20th of September, then you will have a long wait till you get paid. And since you left their employment, they might think 'f*** it, that guy is no longer with us'. You need to understand the psychology of some security agencies. Sometimes they delay payment for various reasons. Maybe the boss likes to gamble and need cash flow. Maybe he's juggling expenses and decides paying rent for office is more important. Usually in such cases, the guards will threaten to absent themselves if they do not get paid. And that will force the agency boss to pay up. Because every time a guard absent himself/herself, the client (shopping center or condo etc) will fine the agency a certain amount of money.

Now if you already left the agency, you do not have that kind of leverage, right? So he can delay your pay till the cows come home or whatever. Also, it is possible the agency's boss might inspect your uniform and deduct 10 dollars here and there for 'damages' like loose thread or missing button or whatever lah. Or simply say that their uniform cost 50 dollars per piece and you suddenly owe the agency 100 dollars (to be deducted from your pay). I would prefer to avoid this kind of hassle.

Now if you ask for weekly pay, and assuming pay day is every Wednesday and the cut-off date is every Sunday, you only lose like 3 days pay at the most if you quit after getting paid on Wednesday.

fireng SG

even if they don't pay u, u still can go to MOM to complain what. Than the boss will get punished by MOM and in the end he still have to pay you your salary like that worth it meh?

anyway you are the first security guard whom I heard of who did not get paid

Teck Loh SG

fireng, unless you make it a point to talk to security guards all the time, you won't know. We don't like to rant about our work to strangers. Let's say you approach me while i was at work at the shopping center and try to get me to talk about my day. Well, I simply won't.

most of the time, guards do get paid. but payments are just late. not many cases where guards do not get paid totally. but it happens.

Don't ask me if the boss think it is worth it or not. I am not them!

And I did get paid. Look at my first post. They just paid me late. That's the point I made.

When I wrote the example about guards not getting paid, I was refering to other experiences with other guards and one isolated incident years ago. When I first started out (when I was twenty), I worked for one of those big firms too. And they ended up not paying me 150 dollars for my last week's work. I worked 3 nights that week. When I went to get my pay, the manager suddenly yelled at me and started quoting section this and bylaw that and convinced me that I could be sued (even though I gave a week's notice like they asked me to). So I left without getting my 150. That was years ago though. I couldn't help thinking that it was a good thing that I got paid weekly instead of monthly (which would amount to perhaps a loss of 600 dollars?).

mancha SG

No need to write in detail, just say that you need to remind them to pay you everytime, and when you don't they don't pay you, and you decided to quit and work for other agency. Also mention that you want to return the uniform but the agency is not cooperative.

Please note that the SPF with the SIRD are going to tighten up the discipline of individual Security Officers by some sort of feed back form, so don't accumulate bad points.

fireng SG

why don't you try to complain to MOM?

Fire Cracker SG

well it's your BREAD.

u need to call u jolly well call and ask for the pay.

U R JUST LAZY. u say u r like begger.

do u know everyone who worked in any company also like begger. it's survival in this world.

one man meat another man poison.

that company will be most happy if u don't ask for the pay. it's your business so better go and call them.

Teck Loh SG

Fire Cracker,

Read my post again. They already paid up. So why would I want to call them now?

And don't say I am lazy. Please lah, I worked for many different job agencies and security agencies before... While some of them do cock up the payroll during the first week of employment (if you are going for weekly pay), that matter tend to be resolved after one reminder.

I don't believe I have worked for one company where the management delay employees' salary every single time despite repeated reminders. Nobody else I know had to call up their boss every pay day to remind him to pay up. That's very lousy boss/employee relationship. Nobody likes to be hounded for payment and people do not like hounding others. Loansharks do not choose their line of work because chasing people is their hobby, ok?

So I left the agency because I got tired of chasing after them for my salary EVERY time. Not because they didn't pay. They did. Just too late and only after I chased them for it.

Anyway, to those of you who are interested, here's the latest update.

I returned the company blazer and ID card via registered mail (got proof so they can't turn around and say they didn't receive my package). Because they did not tell me when and where I could return their stuff after my first SMS to them. And today, I received 3 more calls from them since morning (which I did not answer).

fireng SG

If u want to work as sceurity guard why not chose to work for CISCO?

I am sure CISCO will not be that cooked up or else if the news appear on tv or newspaper their reputation will be tarished which I am sure they do not want that to happen..

Ki.dane SG

quitt quit llll