Singapore to Place Over 400 Abandoned Migrant Workers in New Jobs Next Week

Job placements for more than 400 migrant workers , mostly from India and Bangladesh , who were allegedly abandoned by their employers after months of unpaid wages, will begin next week, Singapore's main labour organisation announced on Friday.

According to National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng , more than 80 companies have come forward with nearly 400 job vacancies , while unions are actively referring affected workers for employment.

The workers were employed by SK Industries, KPA Engineering, and VVR Plant Engineering , three companies that share a common director, Ramu Palani Velu , an Indian-origin businessman who is reportedly uncontactable and believed to have left Singapore.

Ng said the NTUC , in partnership with the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) , will relocate the workers to a single lodging facility by the weekend to streamline assistance. He also said officials from the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) are helping the remaining workers file salary claims directly at their current accommodation in Tuas View Dormitory.

" Job placement kicks off next week. We will make sure no one is left behind in this process, " Ng said, according to The Straits Times .

Earlier this week, NTUC and MWC provided the workers with SGD 100 in cash and SGD 100 in supermarket vouchers to help meet their daily expenses.

The workers had reportedly gone three to four months without receiving salaries before approaching Singapore's Ministry of Manpower to seek recovery of their unpaid wages. The case has drawn attention to the challenges faced by migrant workers and prompted coordinated efforts by labour organisations and government agencies to secure employment and resolve wage disputes.