The Chinese and Indian men are desperate. They have not been paid for the last 2 to 3 months. After a period of protracted and unsuccessful attempts to get their employer to pay them their salaries, the Chinese men finally decided to down tools about a month ago. The Indian workers did so today, 18 December. Together there are about 40 workers or so who are refusing to start work.
They are the workers of Sime Chong Construction Pte Ltd. The Chinese workers have been working in Singapore for some 4 to 5 years, and this is the first time that they have taken things into their own hands. The men say they have been told by their employer that the company has no money and thus could not pay them. “But the construction project is still carrying on,” one of the men say, pointing to the ongoing construction of some HDB flats in Yishun where they are located, and which the company is involved in.
Four of the 20-odd Chinese men have decided to speak up. Each of them is owed a range of between S$2,400 to S$5,600 in salaries.
They have also approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for help but to no avail so far. “The Manpower Ministry says if the company doesn’t want to pay us, there is nothing it can do,” one of the workers says. The rest nodded their heads in agreement.