Man who dated his boss gets S$82,000 in unpaid salary after S'pore company cuts pay in half, terminates him

A man in Singapore was awarded S$82,000 on Aug. 29 after his salary was halved and he was wrongfully fired from his job.

According to a court judgment published on Sep. 6, Bojan Trivic had sued for damages against his former employer, Gen-Y (S) Pte Ltd.

He had started working in the company in 2022 and was also dating his boss, Xue Yan, whom he made his case against.

Salary cut in half, terminated

Trivic had started dating Xue in mid-June 2022, and by August that year, she had invited Trivic to move in with her and her son.

He was employed on a guaranteed 12-month contract, dated on Aug. 8, 2022, with a monthly salary of S$12,100 plus a telephone allowance of S$100 per month.

However, his salary was cut to S$6,100 per month in October and November 2022.

By December 2022, he was not paid at all.

Xue argued that the reductions were justified because Trivic was frequently away on leave and his role was tied to two specific projects that did not materialise.

The company also claimed he had acquiesced to the lower pay by continuing in the job.

Employment term was binding and Trivic did not breach clauses: Judge

Judge Sia Aik Kor rejected the claims by Xue.

She said that the 12-month minimum employment term was "unambiguous" and binding.

Additionally, Trivic's duties were not project-specific and went beyond the two projects cited.

His October 2022 salary cut and the January 2023 pay revision were also unilateral and without contractual basis.

Sia also noted that Trivic had not breached clauses on unpaid leave, working hours or duties, since his absences were either known to Xue Yan, who he was in a personal relationship at the time, or covered by contractual entitlements.

The judge further ruled that Gen-Y's February 2023 termination notice was invalid, as the company failed to honour the guaranteed term and required notice period.

Trivic had initially sought a total of S$97,427 in damages, representing the shortfall between what he should have received under the 12-month guaranteed contract and a pro-rated annual wage supplement (AWS).

However, the court dismissed the AWS claim, holding that payment was discretionary.

In total, the court ordered Gen-Y to pay S$82,014.29 with interest at 5.33 per cent per annum from the date of filing to judgment.

The judge also dismissed the company's counterclaim, which alleged that Trivic had breached his employment duties.

The parties have been directed to file submissions on costs.

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