What can you do in such a situation? Or if you are a freelancer with a recalcitrant client? Or if your employment contract includes a bond?
For the last situation, nothing much can be done as Stella Tan discovered when she decided to break her bond. “I received a letter demanding payment of six months salary. After negotiations, I ended up coughing up two months’ pay, but it was still a painful lesson for not reading and taking the fine print seriously.”
To the unfamiliar, legal language can be as mindboggling as a maze laden with traps, so do read all contracts carefully and be sure to check anything you are unsure of before signing.
In other cases, get advice from the Ministry of Manpower or your union if you are a union member. Make an effort to attend legal clinics and ask questions whenever an opportunity arises. Knowing your rights makes you a less likely victim and better able to seek redress when necessary.
