When his company saw that he could work fast, they piled him with more work and he ended up
working 16 to 18 hours a day and on weekends - all for a salary of S$1,500 a month without overtime pay.
Not only that, they owed Noel Ng (not his real name), a
junior animator, six months of wages. The 26-year-old has since lodged a complaint with the Ministry of Manpower (
MOM).
The creative industry - which includes digital animation, film-making and the performing arts - is an emerging one, but unionists are already concerned over the absence of union representation for those involved in it.
It is easy to see why.
"The creative industry is very small and there are only that many jobs. Whether they freelance or not, many fresh graduates put up with long hours, poor wages and a heavy workload just to establish themselves," said Mr Liew Chin Choy, vice-president of administration at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts.
Television commercial director of 14 years, Mr Patrick Ong, agreed.
"There is no minimum wage, wages are pushed down - locals lose out when firms hire Malaysians and Thais."
from:
Absence of union representation for creative industry professionals raises concerns - Channel NewsAsia