Forum: Take decisive action against illegal excessive overtime

The article “9 construction sites where workers died in second half of 2024 had inadequate safety measures” (Jan 7) mentions the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) ongoing enforcement efforts in the construction sector.

In addition to these, TWC2 strongly urges MOM to take decisive action against illegal excessive overtime – a common issue in the sector.

Extended working hours lead to fatigue, severely compromising workers’ mental and physical alertness.

Fatigue is a well-established cause of workplace accidents.

Under the Employment Act, low-wage construction workers are legally protected, with overtime capped at 72 hours per month. Employers who compel workers to exceed this limit are committing an offence.

Yet, TWC2 frequently encounters workers reporting overtime far beyond 72 hours a month, in addition to their normal 44-hour work weeks.

These cases of illegal overtime often surface during salary disputes.

In 2024, one construction worker worked 168 hours of overtime a month on average, more than twice the legal limit.

These accounts likely represent only the “tip of the iceberg”, as workers often share that their colleagues face similar conditions. While some workers accept excessive overtime willingly to supplement their modest income, others do so reluctantly to keep their jobs and support their families.

A troubling trend is the deliberate under-reporting of overtime hours by some employers. This can involve falsifying payslips, labelling overtime payments as “incentives” or “allowances”, or avoiding issuing payslips altogether.

Such practices obscure the true extent of overtime and make it difficult for the authorities to identify violations.

In some cases, workers receive no payslips, leaving them unable to verify the hours they have worked or the pay they are entitled to.

To address this issue effectively, we urge MOM to increase enforcement against illegal excessive overtime.

This can be done by conducting more workplace inspections and audits, while simultaneously penalising employers who fail to issue or provide inaccurate payslips.

There should also be stricter monitoring of disguised overtime pay to prevent employers from circumventing regulations.

These measures are critical to improving workplace safety, ensuring that every worker can return home safely at the end of the day.

Mizue Sauco
Executive Committee Member
Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)