Indian workers complain to Singapore ministry over unpaid wages

Over 100 migrant workers, primarily from India and Bangladesh, turned up at Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower on Monday claiming unpaid wages by their employer, according to a media report.

Several workers employed by KPA Engineering, an air-conditioner maintenance services company, claimed that they have not been paid for two months and the company has been shuttered, The Straits Times reported.

Sampath, an Indian worker, said the workers have not been paid for two months despite raising the issue with the company and their bosses.


“We heard the company closed its business. We are worried because we haven’t been paid for some time,” The Straits Times quoted Sampath as saying.

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

The migrant workers met officials from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) after being identified as employees of KPA Engineering.

Rajenderan Berthap, 36, who works as an air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation technician at KPA Engineering, said he had relayed his salary situation to ministry officials, who said they will look into the matter, the report said.

The ministry said that it will take appropriate action against the companies if they are found guilty.

"MOM will take the necessary and appropriate enforcement action against the companies if they are found to have breached any of the employment laws,” Channel News Asia quoted Ng Hwei Min, general manager of the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), as saying.

She said that TADM and MOM are providing workers with the necessary assistance, including reaching out to their employers.

The immediate priority is supporting the migrant workers by ensuring they have access to appropriate housing and meals, she added.

According to business records, KPA Engineering has two directors. Both are foreigners with registered addresses in Hillview, a housing area.

One of them, a Singapore permanent resident, is a director of six other companies involved in engineering, plumbing and air-conditioning works, the report said.