SATS concerned by claim service partner docked airport wheelchair assistant’s pay for being 11sec late

SINGAPORE – Airport ground services provider SATS said it is concerned about claims that a wheelchair assistant at Changi Airport had his pay docked for being 11 seconds late and is seeking clarification on the matter, after a LinkedIn post brought the incident to light.

In a response to queries from The Straits Times, a SATS spokesperson on Aug 15 said:

“SATS is aware of, and concerned by, allegations in a LinkedIn post regarding the employment practices of one of our service partners, Aventa Services.

“We have sought clarification from Aventa on the matters raised.”

In a LinkedIn post on Aug 13, Juliet Low, founder of maid agency Maid Without Borders Singapore, detailed her encounter with a wheelchair assistant at Changi who said he had $5 docked from his pay because he was 11 seconds late a few weeks ago.

According to Low’s post, the assistant earns $7 an hour.

“He actually showed me a picture of his payslip stating the 11-second deduction. That’s almost an hour of his pay – for 11 seconds,” Low wrote, adding that the deduction was “completely disproportionate”.

The LinkedIn post, which was made on Aug 12, has since garnered over 500 reactions and 100 comments.

In a response to frequently asked questions on its website, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) stated that when an employee is late to work, employers should find out the reason and should not unfairly penalise the employee if there is a valid reason.

MOM also stated that while employers may deduct employees’ salaries for being absent from work, “the amount of deduction cannot exceed the period of absence”.

The ministry then provided an example, where an employee who was late for 30 minutes can have only 30 minutes’ salary deducted.

The SATS’ spokesperson said that Aventa Services is responding directly to queries from the Ministry of Manpower.

“SATS takes such matters seriously and expects all service partners to comply with applicable employment laws and regulations,” the SATS spokesperson added.

The Straits Times has contacted MOM and NTUC for more information.

Earlier in August, Changi Airport and SATS had rolled out autonomous wheelchairs, a move which the companies said will enhance travel experience for passengers with reduced mobility.

According to the press release on Aug 4, Changi Airport recorded a 20 per cent increase in requests for wheelchair assistance between 2023 and 2025.