The workers' complaints of no work and no pay over a long period were unfounded, said MOM, after a two-month probe. The workers have been paid their full salaries.

The companies had work contracts with the shipyards. There were, however, periods during which some workers were either undergoing training to prepare them for skill tests or sent for re-training because their work standards did not meet those of the shipyards.

They were not paid their full salaries during this time. There were also unauthorised salary deductions made by the employers, the workers claimed.

MOM also found that many of these workers paid their Bangladesh agents a sum of money as security deposits for job placements in Singapore. MOM has forwarded the names of these Bangladesh agents to the Bangladesh Embassy for further investigation and action.

Failure to pay salaries is an offence under the Employment Act. Employers could be fined up to $1,000 per charge for first time offenders.