NTUC and MWC step up support for migrant workers caught in unpaid wage dispute
Around 400 migrant workers affected by an alleged unpaid wages dispute involving engineering firms KPA Engineering and SK Industries are receiving financial assistance and help securing new jobs, following intervention by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC).
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng and Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash visited the affected workers at Tuas View Dormitory on Wednesday (24 June) to hear their concerns and update them on the support being arranged.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said its investigation into the employers involved is still ongoing.
Immediate relief for workers under financial strain
Speaking to reporters after the visit, Mr Ng acknowledged that many of the workers were understandably anxious about their pay and employment prospects.
Source: NTUC
To help them get through this period, NTUC and MWC will provide a cash allowance to cover daily expenses.
MWC members among the affected workers will also receive NTUC vouchers for necessities, while those who are not yet members can still qualify for this support by signing up immediately.
The Straits Times (ST) reported that this consists of S$100 in cash and a further S$100 in FairPrice vouchers per worker.
Mr Ng noted that many of the workers have little cash on hand, even as they continue to face financial obligations such as debts and agency fees.
MWC said it has been supporting the group since the dispute surfaced on Monday (22 June), arranging food, accommodation, and medical care while helping the workers navigate uncertainty over their jobs and living arrangements.
Salaries owed for up to four months
The workers say they are collectively owed between one and four months of salary.
Source: Migrant Workers’ Centre on Facebook
According to NTUC, many of them want to continue working in Singapore so they can keep supporting their families and repay outstanding debts.
Mr Dinesh said some workers had shared difficult personal accounts of the strain the situation was placing on their families back home.
He added that MOM takes a serious view of situations that leave migrant workers in such a position, and will take the necessary action once its investigations are complete.
Mr Ng said NTUC and MWC’s commitment to the affected workers would not waver, regardless of the scale of the case.
“Every case of such nature, we will treat very seriously. It is not the issue of the number of workers but the issue of our migrant workers brothers’, some cases sisters’, lives and livelihoods,” he said.
40 firms step forward with 150 vacancies
Beyond immediate aid, NTUC and MWC are also working to move affected workers into new jobs as quickly as possible.
Source: Migrant Workers’ Centre on Facebook
As of the morning of 24 June, 40 firms had come forward with 150 vacancies in the construction sector.
“We are working very hard with employer partners,” Mr Ng said, adding that the job-matching process could begin as early as next week.
NTUC and MWC said they hope to work directly with employers in the coming days to secure further vacancies, so that workers do not need to go through agents or take on fresh debt to find new employment.
MOM, TADM, and MWC coordinate on salary claims and work passes
NTUC is also working with MOM to help the workers recover the salaries they are owed.
Mr Ng said employers must be held responsible, and that NTUC would do its best to help workers reclaim what they are owed.
“The practice of abandoning workers and not paying salaries is not something that NTUC will stand without acting upon,” he said.
Mr Dinesh said MOM, MWC, and the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) are working together to support the workers throughout this period.
Workers whose accommodation has been affected will be moved to MOM’s onboarding centre in Sengkang, while MWC continues to provide food support.
Those whose work passes are due to expire will be issued special passes, allowing them to remain in Singapore while they are matched to new jobs.
Mr Dinesh assured the workers that they do not need to worry about their employment status while the job-matching process is underway.
Also Read: Over 100 migrant workers seek help from MOM over unpaid salaries, 2 firms under investigation
Over 100 migrant workers seek help from MOM over unpaid salaries, 2 firms under investigation
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Featured image adapted from NTUC and Migrant Workers’ Centre on Facebook.
