Agreements to pay salary otherwise than in legal tender illegal
54. The salary of a workman must be payable in legal tender and not otherwise and if in any contract of service the whole or any part of the salary is made payable in any other manner the contract of service is illegal and void.
Agreements as to place and manner, etc., of spending salary illegal
55. A contract of service must not contain any terms as to the place at which, or the manner in which, or the person with whom, any salary paid to the workman is to be expended and every contract of service containing such terms is illegal and void.
Salary to be paid entirely in legal tender
56. Except where otherwise expressly permitted by the provisions of this Act, the entire amount of the salary earned by, or payable to, any workman in respect of any work done by him or her must be actually paid to him or her in legal tender, and every payment of, or on account of, any such salary made in any other form is illegal and void.
Recovery of salary not paid in legal tender
57. Every workman is entitled to recover in any court or before the Commissioner, acting under section 115, so much of his or her salary exclusive of sums lawfully deducted in accordance with the provisions of this Act as has not been actually paid to him or her in legal tender.
Interest on advances forbidden
58. An employer must not make any deduction by way of discount, interest or any similar charge on account of any advance of salary made to any workman.
Remuneration other than salary
59. Nothing in this Part renders illegal a contract of service with a workman for giving to the workman food, quarters or other allowances or privileges in addition to money salary as a remuneration for the workman’s services, but an employer must not give to a workman any noxious drugs or intoxicating liquor by way of remuneration.
Shops and canteens
60.—(1) Nothing in this Part prevents the employer from establishing or permitting to be established a shop or a canteen for the sale of foodstuffs, provisions, meals or refreshments; but a workman must not be compelled by any contract of service to purchase any goods at that shop or canteen, and noxious drugs and intoxicating liquor must not be sold at any such shop or canteen.(2) An employer must not establish or keep or permit to be established or kept, a shop or canteen on any place of employment for the sale of foodstuffs, provisions, meals or refreshments to the employer’s workmen otherwise than in accordance with subsection (1). —(1) Nothing in this Part prevents the employer from establishing or permitting to be established a shop or a canteen for the sale of foodstuffs, provisions, meals or refreshments; but a workman must not be compelled by any contract of service to purchase any goods at that shop or canteen, and noxious drugs and intoxicating liquor must not be sold at any such shop or canteen. (2) An employer must not establish or keep or permit to be established or kept, a shop or canteen on any place of employment for the sale of foodstuffs, provisions, meals or refreshments to the employer’s workmen otherwise than in accordance with subsection (1).
Offence
61. Any employer who enters into any contract of service or gives any remuneration for service contrary to the provisions of this Part or declared by this Part to be illegal or receives any payment from any workman contrary to the provisions of this Part or contravenes section 60(2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000, and for a second or subsequent offence to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
Payment of salary through bank
63.—(1) Nothing in section 54 or 56 operates so as to render unlawful or invalid any payment of salary by the employer to the workman in any of the following ways:(a) payment into an account at a bank in Singapore, being an account in the name of the workman or an account in the name of the workman jointly with one or more other persons; (b) payment by cheque made payable to or to the order of the workman. (2) Where the salary or part thereof has been paid in any of the ways set out in subsection (1), section 57 does not operate to give a right of recovery of so much of the salary as has been so paid. —(1) Nothing in section 54 or 56 operates so as to render unlawful or invalid any payment of salary by the employer to the workman in any of the following ways:(a) payment into an account at a bank in Singapore, being an account in the name of the workman or an account in the name of the workman jointly with one or more other persons; (b) payment by cheque made payable to or to the order of the workman. (2) Where the salary or part thereof has been paid in any of the ways set out in subsection (1), section 57 does not operate to give a right of recovery of so much of the salary as has been so paid.
Limitations on application of this Part
64. Nothing in this Part applies to any body of persons working on an agreement of cooperation.
Provisions on this page are reproduced verbatim from official open data. See the attribution line.
Source: Singapore Statutes Online (Attorney-General's Chambers), © Government of Singapore.