SINGAPORE: A part-time worker at a popular fast food restaurant has raised eyebrows among netizens after revealing a controversial policy enforced by their general manager, which requires employees to pay $10 for each food serving tray tossed out by customers. This shocking revelation was shared on Reddit's 'Ask Singapore' forum and has ignited a fierce debate about the legality and ethics of such practices.

In the post, the employee detailed the frustrating situation where “clueless customers” often dispose of their trays—along with leftover food—into trash bins, leading to significant losses for the restaurant. Facing an understaffed work environment, where they have to juggle multiple roles, the workers are struggling to monitor every trash disposed of.

The part-timer voiced their frustration: “Most of my co-workers are foreigners. We try our best to double-check every time we take out the trash in case there’s a tray in the bin. However, we can’t catch them all.”

To combat the issue, the general manager instituted a policy mandating that the worker responsible for disposing of trash on a specific day must pay $10 for every lost tray. The employee questioned, “I doubt a tray costs $10, and I feel it should not be on us to pay back at all. Is what my general manager doing legal?”

Debate erupted in the comments section, with opinions sharply divided. Some users supported the policy, arguing that as company property, the responsibility for lost trays deserved some accountability. A Redditor mentioned, “If you are tasked specifically to check the trash for the tray, legally, it’s allowable to deduct since you are not performing the task up to standard.”

On the contrary, many users condemned the practice as unfair and exploitative, emphasizing that customers’ actions shouldn’t burden the employees. One commenter pointed out that under Singapore employment law, a deduction from salary requires establishing proof of unusual negligence by the worker. They stated, “You are correct; you cannot just deduct salary because of an incidental mistake that was unavoidable.”

In an effort to support the employee, several commenters provided strategies to protect themselves from potential deductions in the future. One suggested taking photos or videos to document thorough checks of the trash before disposal, reinforcing that they performed due diligence.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in Singapore has clear guidelines regarding salary deductions for damage or loss of goods, including equipment. It mandates that before any deduction is made, there must be a proper inquiry to ascertain whether the employee was actually at fault. Deductions can't exceed 25% of the employee's monthly salary and must occur as a one-time lump sum.

As this situation unfolds, it raises a larger conversation about employee rights and workplace ethics in Singapore’s rapidly evolving labor landscape. Should fast food chains adopt such punitive measures against their workers? Or is it time for a reassessment of accountability in service industries? This scenario is more than just a discussion about trays—it reflects on how employees are treated in the service sector and the legal protections that need to be reinforced.