Written Consent for Work on Rest Day of Low-wage Workers

26 Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked 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.

Dr Tan See Leng: 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 at any time.

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.

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