Written Answer by Minister for Manpower to PQ on rest days for workers

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1082 OF 2022 FOR THE SITTING ON OR AFTER 5 APRIL 2022

QUESTION NO. 1702 FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

MP: Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang

To ask the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the Ministry intends to make it a legal requirement that consent for work on rest day must be given in writing for low-wage workers below a given salary threshold; and (b) if not, why.

Answer:

1 As mentioned in MOM’s response to Question No. 3 for written answer on the Order Paper for 11 March 2022, it is advisable that if work on a rest day is routinely scheduled, such agreement should be captured in writing to avoid disputes. Employees are entitled to withdraw consent any time.

2 It would be impractical to require employers to always obtain written consent, as business needs can be fluid and work on a rest day may not always be routinely scheduled. In these cases, verbal consent from the employee would suffice.

3 Any employee who is being compelled to work on his rest day, without consent, should approach MOM for further assistance.