#trending: Heartwarming videos of S'pore firm's farewell party for Bangladeshi migrant worker of 27 years touch netizens

SINGAPORE — Videos of a heartwarming farewell party for a long-serving migrant worker at an engineering company here have recently gone viral on social media, with viewers commending the organisation for setting a "great example" and appreciating the employee's hard work.

In a TikTok video of the party, a migrant worker from Bangladesh — known as Sona Miah — is seen dabbing at his tears as he holds on to a colleague, who is also visibly emotional as he pats Mr Sona's shoulder.

The video was posted on Tuesday (Jan 16) by an employee named Hossen Md Imran from Singapore firm Shun Yi Cheng Contract Engineering (SYC).

SYC's website states that the company specialises in the installation of raised floor, ceiling and partition systems for semiconductor and pharmaceutical cleanroom industries.

Responding to TODAY's queries on Tuesday (Jan 24), SYC said the event was an annual year-end celebration for the whole company and it took place at a ballroom in Downtown East on Dec 30 last year.

Having received news of Mr Sona's retirement, they decided to organise a "mini celebration" for him during the buffet dinner as well.

Balloon decorations can be seen on the wall behind them, with some spelling out "SYC" and "27", as well as on the table in front of them, which is laden with cupcakes.

SYC confirmed that Mr Sona, who is 57 years old, had worked in the company for 27 out of the 32 years that he had spent in Singapore.

Mr Hossen, who is also from Bangladesh and came to Singapore in 2016, said that Mr Sona was the company's "most senior employee".

Mr Sona said in a second video published on Mr Hossen's TikTok account that he came to Singapore in 1991. 

He had worked at other companies before joining SYC in 1996.

The engineering firm is managed by three Singaporean co-founders — the men standing on the stage with Mr Sona in Mr Hossen's videos — who are friends from secondary school.

Speaking into a microphone, one of the founders who is seen in a light blue shirt, Mr Bryant Ng Kuan Gee, 52, jokes that the retiree is richer than him, presumably due to the number of years he has worked at SYC and the lower cost of living in Bangladesh.

"How many houses (do) you have in Bangladesh?" he asks Mr Sona. "I think (it) also may be 27 houses."

Co-founder Mr Kek Chin Heng, who is in a dark blue shirt, then chokes up as he prepares to give a speech.

"(When) we need to rush the project, he will definitely help me to rush the project, to complete everything," he tells the crowd. "You need hard work, whichever (it is)... he (will) never even have a single word (to say) he's tired."

Mr Ng adds: "Actually, raised floor work is not easy also. Because (it) requires you to squat or kneel on the floor.

"Let's say we start work at 8am or 9am, we literally work all the way until, like, 10pm, 11pm, midnight? All the way, kneeling. Or squatting down. And Sona Miah is the lead man."

As of Friday afternoon, the video has received 581,000 views, 29,700 likes and 900 comments.

The majority of the comments came from TikTok users who were touched by the video, with several saying that it brought them to tears as well.

Many praised SYC, declaring that it must be a "good company with good bosses and colleagues" to have retained Mr Sona for 27 years — and for him to cry at the prospect of leaving.

A top comment read: "This is how foreign workers deserve respect. Hats off to this company and boss."

Another said: "He (will) be lost after retirement... he (will) miss you all like crazy. Boss and employee are both lucky."

Others thanked SYC and Mr Sona's bosses for throwing him a party and commented on how "rare" it is to see such an event, especially for migrant workers in Singapore.

One viewer wrote: "Thank you for recognising his efforts. (It's) not easy for him to leave his family and work overseas."

Two follow-up videos also showed Mr Ng and Mr Kek thanking Mr Sona and wishing him well as they reminisce about working on projects together.

In one of the videos, which was posted on Wednesday, Mr Ng declares: "It's not easy, but I believe Sona Miah has contributed 100 per cent of his effort to SYC's growth. And probably, also, being a mentor to many of the SYC brothers here.

"Let us give Sona Miah a (round of) applause."

In a third video, posted on Thursday, Mr Kek tells him: "Enjoy your life and stay healthy. Make sure we stay in contact.

"Anything, I mean, (you) can call us, lah, huh? Or whichever, you let us know."

The former colleagues refer to Mr Sona as their "elder" and "a big brother to everyone (in SYC)", with Mr Ng concluding: "Basically when we work, we (curse), we shout, but (at the) end of the day — we are still a family together."

As for Mr Hossen, he expressed his gratitude to SYC, calling it a "really good" company and saying that he is proud to work for it.

He confirmed in the comments that the company had given Mr Sona a S$50 NTUC FairPrice supermarket voucher, though it is unclear if this was the only gift presented to him.

In photos posted by Mr Hossen, Mr Kek is also seen fastening a gold chain around Mr Sona's neck.

SYC stated that they had given him "a gift and a token sum", but declined to disclose how much it was.

According to the company, Mr Sona had to leave Singapore as his work permit was due to expire on Jan 11 this year.

"(Under) MOM (Ministry of Manpower) law, they only can work (for a) maximum (of) 26 years," explained Mr Ng. "So we actually appealed to MOM two times but it was rejected."

MOM's website states that the maximum period of employment for a Bangladeshi migrant worker in the construction sector is 14 years for a basic-skilled worker and 26 years for a higher-skilled worker.

Speaking about Mr Sona's departure, Mr Ng continued: "It's not easy for us, lah.

"We are all hands-on people, all working together every day from morning — 6am, 7am — until night time, all the while being together."

Mr Ng shared that a few years ago, he had also asked Mr Sona if he wanted to go back to Bangladesh and retire early. However, Mr Sona asked to continue to stay in Singapore.

"He's a man that likes to work," said Mr Ng.

Still, as he was already past 50, the partners made sure to inform supervisors not to give Mr Sona any heavy lifting to do.

SYC stated that one of its current Bangladeshi workers has been in contact with Mr Sona over the past couple of weeks and reported that he is busy "being welcomed home" and having parties with his friends and family members.

Mr Sona is married with two adult sons, two grandsons and one granddaughter.

In addition, the retiree seems to be dealing with some newfound fame as well. Mr Hossen's viral TikTok videos have made their way to Bangladesh, where "there are also people, reporters calling him", Mr Ng said.