400 migrant workers with unpaid wages can get S$200 each, 150 job vacancies lined up: Ng Chee Meng
The Manpower Ministry will allow the workers to have special passes in the interim until they have found new jobs.
NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng addresses migrant workers together with Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash in a hall at Tuas View Dormitory on Jun 24, 2026. (Photo: CNA/Raydza Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: Around 400 migrant workers with unpaid wages can receive S$200 in cash and vouchers to help meet daily expenses, labour chief Ng Chee Meng said on Wednesday (Jun 24).
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) will give S$100 in cash and S$100 in FairPrice vouchers each worker, so long as they are MWC members or register to become one.
NTUC has also found 150 construction job vacancies from around 40 employers in the past two days, Mr Ng added.
Speaking to the media at Tuas View Dormitory, where most of the workers are currently housed, NTUC's secretary-general said the labour movement has also discussed with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) on recovering the workers' salaries.
“The practice of abandoning the workers and not paying salaries is not something that NTUC will stand without acting upon,” said Mr Ng.
“Employers must be responsible, and I’m glad that many employers have come forward to assist these migrant workers.”
The visit comes after more than 100 migrant workers employed by KPA Engineering and SK Industries turned up at MOM's services centre at Bendemeer on Monday morning seeking help, having gone unpaid for months.
Workers gathered there told CNA they had been unable to contact their bosses over the owed wages.
"I understand that they may not be in the country," said Mr Ng.
Based on public records, one of the directors of KPA Engineering is also a director at SK Industries. He is also listed as a director for five other companies in Singapore, including VVR Plant Engineering that also has workers who have gone without pay for months.
The director had also set up three companies on one day in 2025, records showed.
MOM TAKES ACTIONS
NTUC, MWC and MOM spoke with around 200 of the affected workers on Wednesday to discuss the unpaid salaries and distributed lunch during the session. Most workers said they had not been paid for three months and wanted to seek alternative employment in Singapore.
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, who was also present at Wednesday’s dormitory visit, said the ministry takes a “very serious view" of employers who may have placed the workers in their current situation, and that the ministry would take the necessary actions following investigations.
“Some of their stories are quite heart-wrenching. Many of them have debts to clear. I spoke to one person who's having difficulty because the kid needs money in order to go to school,” said Mr Dinesh, adding that the unpaid salaries amounted to between one and four months of wages.
While the funding support was "modest", he said it would help workers tide over the period and top up mobile phone credits so they could contact family back home.
MOM will issue special passes to the workers in the interim, allowing them to remain in Singapore while seeking new employment.
“They do not need to worry about their employment status during this process until they are able to find new employment,” said Mr Dinesh.
Most of the workers are in air-conditioning installation or construction, sectors with sufficient job demand, he added.
On housing, Mr Dinesh said workers would be moved to MOM's onboarding centre in Sengkang once their stays at Tuas View Dormitory end, so they "don't need to worry about a roof over their heads".
MWC said earlier it was helping with the workers' immediate needs, including temporary shelter, food and transportation assistance, and had visited the dormitory on Monday to engage the workers on their concerns.
MOM and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, which handles salary disputes, are also assisting the workers, including reaching out to their employers.
CNA has contacted KPA Engineering and SK Industries.
NO MONEY TO SEND HOME
The 41-year-old said he is the breadwinner of his family, and his daughter has not been able to attend school for a week because they do not have money to pay the fees. He also supports his parents, wife and four-month-old son back home in India.
Mr Jayasankar came to Singapore in 2012, and started working for KPA Engineering last August.
He said the company had not been consistent with salary payments from the start. For the last three months, he received no salary at all, and estimates that he is owed around S$3,200.
His family, which already sold his wife's jewellery to pay the agent fees for him to come to Singapore, has gone further into debt over this issue.
He said they have borrowed around S$20,000 for various needs, including his sister's wedding, rent for his home in India. His wife used to work for a supermarket but has stayed home since giving birth to their second child.
He earned around S$800 to S$850 a month working for VVR Plant Engineering, and sent most of his salary home to his family. This month, he was only given S$200, which he said was not enough for him to even send one cent to Bangladesh.
Back home, his family is now surviving on savings and his father's earnings. He has two younger siblings who are still in school, and supports his grandparents as well.
Asked about the help provided by MWC and MOM, especially in terms of finding work, the Bangladesh national said he is grateful for the support.
"They promised to us our transfer to other companies ... this one is very helpful for us," he said.
