The employer of more than 400 unpaid migrant workers has returned to Singapore.
Mr Ramu Palani Velu, a Singapore permanent resident, is currently assisting with investigations and his passport has been impounded, said MOM.
https://cna.asia/4ezaTWf
The employer at the center of a massive wage dispute involving more than 400 unpaid migrant workers has returned to Singapore.
The full details of the situation—including the employer’s status, the targeted companies, and the ongoing efforts to support the affected workers—follow below.
### 1. The Employer's Return and Status
* **The Return:** **Mr Ramu Palani Velu**, a Singapore permanent resident and Indian national, returned to Singapore on Friday, June 26, 2026.
* **Current Status:**
The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) confirmed that he is actively assisting with ongoing law enforcement investigations. His passport has been strictly impounded to ensure he cannot leave the country.
* **The Companies Involved:** Public records indicate that Mr Velu is a director across at least seven local companies. The primary engineering and maintenance firms tied to the unpaid salary complaints are **KPA Engineering**, **SK Industries**, and **VVR Plant Engineering**.
### 2. The Scale of the Wage Dispute
The issue originally blew up on June 22, 2026, when over 100 distressed workers from India and Bangladesh turned up at MOM’s services center in Bendemeer.
* Ultimately, **407 migrant workers** stepped forward to lodge formal claims.
* The workers—predominantly employed in construction, air-conditioning maintenance, plumbing, and building services—reported that they had been completely abandoned and left without pay for **two to four months**.
* Individual workers are owed substantial amounts; for instance, some reported being personally owed upwards of S$5,300 in back-wages.
### 3. Immediate Relocation and Hardship Relief
Because the employers had also stopped paying external food caterers, the workers were left without basic meals or stability at their Tuas View Dormitory. A rapid multi-agency relief effort was deployed:
* **The Interventions:**
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash met with approximately 280 of the affected workers on Sunday morning (June 28) at the Kranji Recreation Centre.
* **Financial Aid:**
The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) stepped in to provide each worker with **S$100 in emergency cash** and **S$100 in NTUC FairPrice grocery vouchers** to cover immediate necessities and mobile top-ups to call their families.
* **Housing & Food:**
MWC has taken over daily meal provisions, and MOM is systematically relocating the displaced workers to a dedicated lodging facility (including the MOM onboarding centre in Sengkang) so they remain safely housed.
### 4. Job Matching and Legal Repercussions
Instead of being deported due to the collapse of their original employment, the workers are being legally protected to find new livelihoods.
* **Special Passes:**
MOM has placed the affected individuals on Special Passes, legally allowing them to remain in Singapore to resolve their salary disputes while looking for alternative employment.
* **The Job Market Response:**
Around 40 construction and engineering firms stepped forward with close to 400 vacancies. As of June 28, about 20 workers have successfully transitioned into new jobs, with another 150 immediate openings being processed. The authorities expect the remainder to be hired across equivalent sectors within the next two to three weeks.
* **Strict Penalties:**
Minister of State Dinesh Vasu Dash reiterated that MOM takes a "very serious view" of breaches under the Employment Act and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act. Once investigations conclude, formal legal actions and punishments will be meted out against the responsible corporate directors.