JAKARTA - Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower said on June 28 that about 230 migrant workers facing salary arrears and housing issues will be moved from their Tuas View dormitories to the MOM Onboard Centre, where lodging and food will be arranged.
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash gave the update at Kranji Recreation Centre.
The workers are among a group affected by salary arrears and housing problems. MOM said about 20 workers had already found jobs in equivalent sectors. It expects the remainder, or at least the vast majority of them, to be placed in jobs over the next two to three weeks with help from the Migrant Workers’ Centre, NTUC and the Singapore Contractors Association Limited.
Dinesh said some of the workers “will have to move out of their Tuas View dormitories” and that MOM had arranged an alternative site. “This is an alternative location where lodging and food will be provided to them, so they don't need to worry,” he said.
MOM said the employer who had been overseas returned to Singapore on June 26 and is assisting with investigations. His passport has been impounded. The ministry said it takes breaches of the Employment Act and the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act seriously, and action will be taken if the employer is found guilty.
The ministry said breaches can lead to penalties of S$3,000 to S$15,000 per charge, six months’ jail, or both. Dinesh said workers who are owed salaries should approach the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, which can support them in recovering unpaid wages.
The MOM Onboard Centre is usually used for male non-Malaysian Work Permit holders in the construction, marine shipyard and process sectors who must attend the Onboard programme.
MOM says the centre’s fees include services, food and accommodation, and the programme covers Singapore’s social norms, laws, dormitory living and medical examinations.
The case follows renewed attention to migrant workers’ pay protections in Singapore. MOM said on May 5 that employers cannot offset overtime payment from fixed monthly allowances in migrant workers’ employment contracts, and that workers with valid salary claims can remain in Singapore to seek alternative employment until their claims are resolved.
MOM’s latest Employment Standards Report, published in 2025, said the incidence of salary claims among foreign employees rose to 4.64 per 1,000 foreign employees in 2024, from 3.91 per 1,000 in 2023. The top sectors for foreign-employee salary claims were construction, manufacturing and food and beverage services