More than 100 migrant workers, mainly from India and Bangladesh, appeared at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Services Centre in Bendemeer on June 22 to claim unpaid wages from two air-conditioning firms, KPA Engineering and SK Industries [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. The workers said they had not been paid for 2 to 3 months, with some owed between S$1,400 and S$4,000 [1, 2, 3, 4]. Sampath, an Indian worker, said, "But then we heard the company closed its business. We are worried because we haven’t been paid for some time. We didn’t know who else to turn to" [1]. Mr Zakir Hossin, another worker, said, "We cannot find any of the bosses. We are calling them, but we cannot find them, that's why we came here" [4].
KPA Engineering and SK Industries provide air-conditioning maintenance and related building services. Both share a common director who is linked to multiple companies but has become uncontactable. Creditors have also failed in attempts to reach him over unpaid loans [7, 8, 9, 10]. The number of migrant workers claiming unpaid wages has since grown to approximately 400, owed between 2 and 4 months of salary [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12]. Some workers were housed at Tuas View Dormitory and initially received food from an external caterer, but the catering stopped due to unpaid bills [7, 8, 9, 10].
The Ministry of Manpower and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management are investigating possible breaches of employment laws by the companies. MOM is allowing affected workers to change employers and find new jobs while their cases are addressed [4, 5, 6, 11, 12]. The NTUC Migrant Workers’ Centre has identified around 40 firms offering approximately 150 job vacancies for the affected workers. NTUC has also provided about 400 workers with financial aid, including S$100 cash and S$100 vouchers each [11, 12]. Ng Chee Meng, NTUC secretary-general, said, "The practice of abandoning the workers and not paying salaries is not something the NTUC will stand (by) without acting upon. Employers must be responsible, and I’m glad that many employers have come forward to assist these migrant workers" [11].
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash described the situation as heart-wrenching, saying, "The workers’ stories were heart-wrenching, as their unpaid salaries have taken a toll on them and their families" [11]. The Migrant Workers’ Centre met more than 300 affected workers on June 23 to provide assistance, and NTUC announced job vacancies and financial aid on June 24 [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12].
