Singapore union helps unpaid migrant workers find new jobs

Singapore’s National Trades Union Congress will begin placing more than 400 migrant workers into new jobs next week after unpaid wage claims left them stranded without pay, with more than 80 companies stepping forward with close to 400 vacancies. The workers, mostly from India and Bangladesh, had been employed by KPA Engineering, SK Industries and VVR Plant Engineering, companies linked by a common director, Ramu Palani Velu, who is believed to have left Singapore and is currently unreachable.

The dispute surfaced publicly on June 22, when more than 100 workers turned up at the Ministry of Manpower’s services centre in Bendemeer seeking help over alleged unpaid salaries and housing problems. One of them, a 36-year-old KPA Engineering supervisor named Dinesh, said he was owed almost S$7,000 and had not been paid since April. Two workers also said their wages had been withheld for about three months, underlining how quickly a pay dispute can turn into an emergency when migrant workers are tied to a single employer and a dormitory bed.

NTUC and the Migrant Workers’ Centre have been supporting the men since then with food, accommodation, medical assistance and outreach at dormitories, including Tuas View Dormitory, while helping them file salary claims through the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management. NTUC secretary general Ng Chee Meng said unions were sending referrals to employers with openings. NTUC and MWC also announced emergency aid of S$200 per worker for eligible affected workers, split between S$100 in cash and S$100 in FairPrice vouchers, to help cover daily expenses while they wait for new placements.

The Ministry of Manpower said it is investigating KPA Engineering and SK Industries over the alleged unpaid wages and housing issues. The case has exposed a familiar weakness in Singapore’s labor system: when a contractor stalls, closes or abandons its obligations, foreign workers can be left with unpaid salaries, no clear employer and no immediate path to recovery. The concern is sharper because KPA Engineering had already shown signs of financial distress in 2023, when HSBC filed a charge against the company.

For Singapore, a wealthy economy that depends heavily on migrant labor in construction and related industries, the rehiring effort is only the first step. The deeper question is why hundreds of workers had to seek emergency help before wages stopped, and whether the response now unfolding will close the gaps that allowed the abuse to persist.