Anxious over unpaid wages, some migrant workers go on job hunts, others mull returning home

CNA has contacted Mr Ramu’s companies for comment, but has not received a response.

SEARCH FOR JOBS

For many, finding a new job is the immediate priority.

Mr Subramanium Ajithkumar had just returned from a job interview at another construction firm when CNA met him at his dormitory in Tuas.

He said his work permit, originally due to expire in June, had been extended by a month by KPA Engineering without his knowledge.

When asked why, he said his boss told him that there was still some work to be done.

“He said there was some urgent work and asked me to support for about a month, and the company will prepare the salary for me for that month,” said Mr Ajithkumar.

The promise went unfulfilled when his employer became uncontactable soon after.

The new company is willing to hire him, Mr Ajithkumar said, but he must wait for his current permit to expire in early July.

“But the company has asked me to find out what the procedures are from MOM’s side. Will they accept if the company applies for an (In-Principle Approval) letter,” said Mr Ajithkumar.

According to the MOM website, companies require an In-Principle Approval (IPA) to bring migrant workers into Singapore. Employers will receive an IPA letter when their workers’ work permit applications are approved.

Mr Ajithkumar estimates that about 90 per cent of the affected workers are looking for jobs and do not intend to return home.

Among them is Mr Ramasamy Ganesan, who has already secured a job with another construction company.

“We were going to work until Saturday, then we stopped on Sunday … Immediately after that, I applied to another company,” he said, adding that he had previously worked at the firm he applied to.

He, too, is waiting for the IPA letter to be ready and approved.

Others, like Mr Haque Md Aynul, are pinning their hopes on the job vacancies identified by the labour movement and the migrants’ rights group.

The 54-year-old first came to Singapore for work in 2000 before going back to Bangladesh in 2018. He returned to Singapore after a failed business venture and had been with KPA Engineering for about six months.