Commentary
It took 400 unpaid workers before the alarm was sounded in Singapore
Months before hundreds of migrant workers sought help over unpaid salaries, individual complaints had already surfaced. What should a labour protection system do with such early warning signs?
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Over 100 migrant workers from KPA Engineering and SK Industries were seen entering the Ministry of Manpower in Bendemeer Road in small groups on June 22, to report unpaid wages.
PHOTO: ST FILE
In March 2025, advocacy group Transient Workers Count 2 (TWC2) received a text from a migrant worker who had not been paid for a month by his employer, KPA Engineering.
Another worker came forward in May. Another in June. One said he had never once been paid on time since joining the company. More emerged over the following year, and each was advised to file salary claims with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).
