A woman in Singapore kept her migrant domestic worker's S$23,848.08 salary under a "safekeeping arrangement" for about three years.

When the worker stopped working for her, Wu Xiaoling, also known as Nur Nadhrah, only gave back S$11,750.

It was only after the worker sought help from the Ministry of Manpower that Wu returned the remaining salary — more than a year later.

Laws in Singapore require employers to pay salaries in full and on time, and it is illegal to "safekeep" migrant domestic workers' salaries.

Wu was charged in court and pleaded guilty to charges under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for not paying the worker's monthly salary in full within 7 days of the last day of the salary period.

What happened

Court documents revealed that the migrant domestic worker worked for Wu since Dec. 4, 2018.

Wu was to pay the worker a monthly salary of S$670 and, subsequently, a monthly salary of $680 after the worker's work permit was renewed on Aug. 15, 2020, in cash on the 29th day of each month.

According to court documents, sometime in June 2019, the domestic worker requested Wu to "safekeep her monthly salaries in full".

They then entered into a "safekeeping arrangement", in which Wu would "safekeep" the salaries until the end of the worker's employment.

Did not give full salaries owed

MOM started investigating after the worker complained through the migrant domestic worker helpline around March 2022 that her employer had not been paying her salary.

She ended her employment with Wu on Jun. 7, 2024.

While the total salary accumulated was S$23,848.08, Wu only gave her $11,750.00 in cash on Jun. 5, 2024.

Subsequently, Wu paid the helper S$3,000 on Sep. 18, 2023, and the remaining S$9,098.10 on Nov. 2, 2023, after investigations against her had commenced.

Wu was fined S$10,000 on Jun. 18, 2024.

Top photo from Canva & Mothership