Helper Sells Clothes Online & Runs Remittance Business, Gets Jailed, Fined
People on a work permit in Singapore are only allowed to work in their declared job. Moonlighting is strictly illegal.
Feeling that her monthly salary wasn’t enough, a domestic helper here not only sold clothes online but also ran a remittance business.
For this, she was jailed for 9 weeks and fined $8,000, Shin Min Daily News reports.
Helper learned to earn money from remittance from friend
Shin Min Daily News reported that the 48-year-old Indonesian domestic helper would meet up with her friends at the Jamae Mosque in Chinatown.
She claimed that one of her friends taught her how to make money from remittances in Feb last year.
As her salary was around $700 monthly, she decided to start a remittance business to earn extra cash.
The court found that she made 406 illegal remittances in 7 months, making around $2030 as a handler.
The woman also sold clothes online without having a valid work permit to do so, earning between $2,000-$3,000.
Sentenced to 9 weeks jail and fined $8,000
How the helper was found out is unclear.
However, she was sentenced to 9 weeks’ jail and fined $8,000 on 18 Aug.
Whoever is found to have operated a remittance business without a licence can be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to two years, or both.
Selling clothes online goes against work permit rules
It’s true that the helper did break the law by doing other jobs without a valid licence.
However, some also noted that the helper probably did what she had to in order to earn more, with her salary being $700 monthly.
Many were also spooked that selling clothes online also goes against Ministry of Manpower (MOM) regulations for work pass holders, with several enquiries about whether this is legal.
It is in fact not allowed for work pass holders.
As quoted from the MOM website:
All work pass holders must only work for their designated employer. They must not take on additional jobs or engage in activities to earn additional income in Singapore.
This also applies to training pass holders doing on-the-job training.
Keep to the law to work in Singapore
There are definitely many rules in place for work pass holders so that they aren’t exploiting or being exploited.
Some may think of supplementing their income through working other jobs or selling clothes online.
But that’s not allowed.
That’s definitely something that all work pass holders should be aware of if they’re thinking of earning more money through selling or reselling things.
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Featured image adapted from Jason Leung on Unsplash.
