Over 100 Indian, Bangladeshi Workers Report Unpaid Wages in Singapore

Singapore: More than 100 migrant workers, mainly from India and Bangladesh, arrived at Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower on Monday to demand unpaid wages from their employers, according to a media report.

According to The Straits Times, several workers working at air conditioning maintenance services company KPA Engineering claimed that they had not been paid for two months and that the company was closed.

Sampath, an Indian worker, said the workers had not been paid for two months despite reporting the issue to the company and their bosses.

“We heard that the company has closed its business. We are worried because we have not received payment for a while,” Sampath was quoted as saying by The Straits Times. he said.

“We didn’t know who else to turn to,” he added.

The migrant workers met with Ministry of Manpower (MOM) officials after they were identified as KPA Engineering employees.

In the report, it was stated that 36-year-old Rajenderan Berthap, who works as an air conditioning and mechanical ventilation technician at KPA Engineering, conveyed his salary situation to the ministry officials and said that they would examine the issue.

The ministry said it would take necessary measures against the companies if they were found guilty.

“MOM will take necessary and appropriate sanction against companies if they are found to have violated any of the employment laws,” said Ng Hwei Min, director general of the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), as quoted by Channel News Asia. he said.

He said TADM and MOM provided necessary assistance to workers, including reaching out to their employers.

The immediate priority is to support migrant workers by ensuring they have access to appropriate housing and meals, he added.

KPA Engineering has two managers, according to business records. Both are foreigners with registered addresses in Hillview, a residential neighborhood.

The Singapore permanent resident was a director of six other companies involved in engineering, plumbing and air conditioning, the report said.