Unpaid salaries, no work: Migrant workers in 2 related firms left anxious拖欠工资，无工作：两家相关企业的农民工焦虑不安
MOM is currently investigating both process sector firms, which have 240 affected workers. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Migrant workers from Process Maintenance Solutions meeting the firm’s director over unpaid wages and their work status at the Migrant Workers’ Centre Recreation Club on Oct 23.
Published Oct 29, 2026, 09:00 AM
Updated Oct 29, 2026, 09:00 AM
SINGAPORE – Bangladeshi migrant worker Hossain Midul has sent almost all of his $600 salary – including overtime pay – home every month since he came to Singapore in July 2025.
But for the last two months, the 24-year-old has not sent anything back as he has not been paid, he said.
His employer also cancelled his work permit without explanation in early October, he added. It was due to expire in July 2027.
Typically, about half of what he earns goes towards financing a $9,000 bank loan he had taken out to pay agent fees to come to Singapore, while most of the rest feeds his family of six in the western Pabna district.
“My family has very little, so I left home to support them. But now I have no work and no salary - I’m very scared they will have to suffer,” said Hossain.
He is among nearly 240 migrant workers from two process sector firms who have not received their pay for two to three months . The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said in a statement on Oct 24 that it is currently investigating Process Maintenance Solutions and Jurong Technical & Construction.
The workers, mostly from Bangladesh, are getting help from MOM and the Migrant Workers’ Centre (MWC) on salary claims filed with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).
Five out of the 15 workers from Process Maintenance Solutions whom The Straits Times spoke to said they have received their owed wages in October. But four workers from Jurong Technical & Construction said on Oct 24 that they remain unpaid.
Checks by ST show the two firms are linked, with their workers housed in the same Tuas dorms.
ST also understands the two firms’ current directors have taken over companies previously held by a man who was arrested in July for suspected employment-related offences in a case that MOM believes involves a criminal syndicate.
Anxieties over wages, future
Workers from both companies said they stopped receiving their salaries in August and added that their work permits have been cancelled in batches since late September.
The situation has made workers anxious over their future in Singapore and their families’ plight back home. All the workers ST spoke to said they have been here for less than two years.
Hossain, who said he is owed $1,800 by Process Maintenance Solutions, added: “Many of our families sold land, cattle and took loans to come here. Some people also borrowed money from relatives.”
Jurong Technical & Construction worker Saimon Islam, 21, said he is resigned that he might receive only a portion of the roughly $1,800 that he is owed.
Separately, several workers said they had paid recruitment agents upwards of $12,000 while in Bangladesh to secure a process sector job in Singapore. Process work involves specialised industrial, manufacturing and maintenance work at locations such as Jurong Island.
They were told their employer would enrol them in Singapore’s construction certification course after a year of work, but only one worker out of the 15 told ST he had been sent for Building and Construction Authority (BCA) certification.
Riyag, 26, who has not been sent for the course, said some workers on process permits seek BCA certification to qualify to work in the construction sector, which pays better.
Construction workers earn an average monthly salary of $868, including allowances but not overtime, while those in the process sector receive $771, according to a survey published by Transient Workers Count Too in August.
If an employer fails to pay wages on time, a mandatory $5,000 security bond they have to buy for each non-Malaysian work permit holder may be forfeited.
Bangladeshi workers from Process Maintenance Solutions and Jurong Technical & Construction outside their dormitories in Tuas on Oct 24. ST PHOTO: WONG YANG
Bangladeshi workers from Process Maintenance Solutions and Jurong Technical & Construction outside their dormitories in Tuas on Oct 24.
In mid-October, some workers received the wages they were owed.
On Oct 23, about 70 workers from Process Maintenance Solutions met the firm’s director Ruzaidi Massunik and officers from MOM at the MWC Recreation Club in Soon Lee Road.
Ruzaidi was seen passing documents that recorded working days and overtime hours to those who said they are still owed wages.
Rajiv Hossain, who received his owed wages a week before the Oct 23 meeting, said workers were told by the authorities they would be given letters authorising them to find new employers in the process sector.
“They said MOM can’t help us with the BCA certification because the agent fees were paid in Bangladesh, but maybe we can ask our new employers to try to send us for it,” said the 25-year-old.
“If we have to pay an agent a lot of money again to join a new company, but they also don’t send us for BCA course, it’ll be a big problem.”
ST has asked MOM if it is aware of this arrangement for certification and what action it is taking, if any.
Later on Oct 23, MWC said in a statement that it is working with its employment agency partners to explore suitable employment and transition assistance for workers.
Besides financial assistance, MWC is also providing meals to about 90 workers.
When ST visited the Process Maintenance Solutions office in Kaki Bukit on Oct 26, there was no sign or company name on the unit’s door, which bore markings of a sign that had been removed.
A man in the office said the workers’ salary claims and issues with BCA certification have been settled.
He said the workers’ wages had gone unpaid because of some discrepancies when the firm changed hands in August.
Companies linked, former director arrested
Corporate records show Ruzaidi took over Process Maintenance Solutions from former director Fok Chee Meng on Aug 1.
That same day, Jurong Technical & Construction, previously named Great Ocean Tech, also changed directors. Its current director, Usha Rani Balakrishnan, took over the company from former boss Ren Ji.
ST understands Ren was among 14 people arrested in July by MOM, who said then that it believes the group might be part of a criminal syndicate.
It added on July 23 that it is investigating them for suspected fraudulent Central Provident Fund contributions made to 139 locals who are not employed to them. Some firms recruit “phantom” local workers, in order to hire more foreign workers.
The number of foreign workers a company can hire is limited by a quota set by MOM, which varies by sector. Firms in the process sector can hire five work permit holders for every resident employee who earns at least the local qualifying salary of $1,800 a month.
MOM said in an Oct 24 statement that investigations into Process Maintenance Solutions and Jurong Technical & Construction are ongoing, and appropriate enforcement action will be taken if breaches of employment laws are established.
When ST visited several factory-converted dormitories in Tuas on Oct 24, it found that workers from both firms were housed in the same rooms. They also said they were recruited and deployed to the same worksites by the same Bangladeshi manager.
The man who spoke to ST at the Process Maintenance Solutions office denied the connection between both firms.
Checks on corporate intelligence platform Sayari reveal that the companies’ current directors Ruzaidi and Balakrishnan can also be traced back to Ren through other entities.
Before Ruzaidi took over Process Maintenance Solutions, Fok was an interim director from July 27 and Aug 1. He was preceded by Ren, who was in the role for about two years.
The same leadership changes took place in another firm, construction company Prudent (SG), where Ruzaidi became director on Aug 1. Fok was director for five days after Ren left his directorship on July 27.
Balakrishnan also took over a separate firm, Elite Projects, from Ren. She became the construction and design firm’s director on Aug 3 immediately after Ren left.
When contacted on Oct 26, Balakrishnan denied any involvement with the matter and said Ren is responsible.
According to records on Sayari, Ren has relinquished directorships of six firms since February.
ST has contacted MOM for more details on its investigations into the two firms and their possible links, as well as the status of the 240 workers’ salary claims.
Wong Yang is a journalist who covers politics and policy.
Ministry of Manpower
10 月 23 日，来自 Process Maintenance Solutions 公司的外籍劳工在外籍劳工中心娱乐俱乐部与公司董事会面，讨论未支付的工资和他们的工作状况。
发布于2026年10月29日上午9:00
更新于2026年10月29日上午9:00
新加坡——孟加拉国外籍劳工侯赛因·米杜尔自 2025 年 7 月来到新加坡以来，每个月几乎都将他 600 美元的工资（包括加班费）全部寄回家。
但他表示，过去两个月，这位24岁的年轻人没有寄回任何东西，因为他还没有收到工资。
他还补充说，他的雇主在10月初无故取消了他的工作许可。该许可原定于2027年7月到期。
通常情况下，他收入的一半左右用来偿还他为了来新加坡而向银行贷款的 9000 美元，这笔贷款是用来支付中介费的；而其余的大部分则用来养活他在西部巴布纳地区的六口之家。
“我家境很差，所以我离家养家。但现在我没有工作也没有收入——我很担心他们会因此受苦，”侯赛因说道。
他是近240名来自两家加工业企业的外籍劳工之一，他们已经两到三个月没有拿到工资了。人力部10月24日发表声明称，目前正在对Process Maintenance Solutions和Jurong Technical & Construction两家公司进行调查。
这些工人大多来自孟加拉国，他们向三方争议管理联盟 (TADM) 提出的工资索赔，正得到人力部和移徙工人中心 (MWC) 的帮助。
《海峡时报》采访了Process Maintenance Solutions公司的15名工人，其中5人表示已于10月份收到拖欠的工资。但Jurong Technical & Construction公司的4名工人于10月24日表示，他们仍未收到工资。
《海峡时报》的调查显示，这两家公司有关联，它们的员工都住在大士的同一间宿舍里。
《海峡时报》还了解到，这两家公司的现任董事接管了此前由一名男子持有的公司。该男子于 7 月份因涉嫌与雇佣有关的罪行而被捕，人力部认为此案涉及一个犯罪集团。
对工资和未来的焦虑
两家公司的员工都表示，他们从8月份开始就停止领取工资，并补充说，他们的工作许可证从9月下旬开始陆续被取消。
这种情况令工人们对自己在新加坡的未来以及远在家乡的家人的困境感到焦虑。所有接受《海峡时报》采访的工人都表示，他们来新加坡的时间不到两年。
侯赛因表示，Process Maintenance Solutions公司欠他1800美元，他还补充道：“我们很多家庭为了来到这里，卖掉了土地、牲畜，还贷了款。有些人甚至向亲戚借了钱。”
21岁的裕廊技术与建筑公司工人赛蒙·伊斯兰表示，他已经接受了自己可能只能收到公司欠他的约1800美元的一部分工资的事实。
另有几名工人表示，他们在孟加拉国期间曾向招聘中介支付超过12000美元，以确保在新加坡找到一份流程工业方面的工作。流程工业工作涉及在裕廊岛等地从事专业的工业、制造和维护工作。
他们被告知，雇主会在他们工作一年后安排他们参加新加坡的建筑认证课程，但15名工人中只有1人告诉《海峡时报》，他已被送去参加新加坡建设局（BCA）的认证。
26 岁的里亚格没有被派去参加这个课程，他说一些持有施工许可证的工人会寻求 BCA 认证，以获得在建筑行业工作的资格，因为建筑行业的薪水更高。
根据“临时工也算数”（Transient Workers Count Too）组织在 8 月份发布的一项调查，建筑工人的平均月薪为 868 美元（含津贴，但不含加班费），而流程行业的工人平均月薪为 771 美元。
如果雇主未能按时支付工资，则其为每位非马来西亚工作准证持有者购买的强制性 5,000 美元保证金可能会被没收。
10月24日，来自Process Maintenance Solutions和Jurong Technical & Construction的孟加拉国工人在位于大士的宿舍外合影。（海峡时报照片：黄阳）
10 月 24 日，来自 Process Maintenance Solutions 和 Jurong Technical & Construction 的孟加拉国工人在位于 Tuas 的宿舍外。
10月中旬，一些工人收到了他们应得的工资。
10 月 23 日，来自 Process Maintenance Solutions 的约 70 名工人与该公司董事 Ruzaidi Massunik 和人力部官员在 Soon Lee Road 的 MWC 娱乐俱乐部会面。
有人看到鲁扎伊迪将记录工作日和加班时间的文档交给那些声称自己仍被拖欠工资的人。
拉吉夫·侯赛因在 10 月 23 日会议前一周收到了拖欠的工资，他说，当局告诉工人们，他们将获得授权信，允许他们在加工行业寻找新的雇主。
这位25岁的年轻人说：“他们说人力部无法帮助我们办理BCA认证，因为代理费是在孟加拉国支付的，但也许我们可以请新雇主帮忙送我们去办理。”
“如果我们不得不再次支付一大笔钱给中介才能加入一家新公司，但他们又不送我们去参加BCA课程，那将是一个大问题。”
ST 已询问 MOM 是否知晓此项认证安排，以及 MOM 是否正在采取任何行动。
10 月 23 日晚些时候，MWC 在一份声明中表示，它正在与就业机构合作伙伴一起探索适合工人的就业和过渡援助。
除了经济援助外，MWC 还为大约 90 名工人提供膳食。
10 月 26 日，《海峡时报》记者走访了位于加基武吉的 Process Maintenance Solutions 办公室，发现该办公室的门上没有任何标志或公司名称，门上留有已被移除的标志痕迹。
办公室一名男子表示，工人的薪资诉求和BCA认证问题已经得到解决。
他说，由于公司在 8 月份易主时出现了一些差错，导致工人的工资被拖欠。
涉案公司，前董事被捕
公司记录显示，鲁扎伊迪于 8 月 1 日从前董事霍志明手中接管了流程维护解决方案公司。
同一天，裕廊技术建设公司（原名大洋科技）也更换了董事。现任董事乌莎·拉妮·巴拉克里希南从前任老板任吉手中接管了公司。
据《海峡时报》了解，任某是人力部7月份逮捕的14人之一，人力部当时表示，他们认为该团伙可能是一个犯罪集团的一部分。
7月23日，该机构补充说，正在调查这些公司涉嫌向139名并非其雇员的当地人虚报中央公积金缴款的情况。一些公司为了雇用更多外籍劳工，会招募“幽灵”本地员工。
公司可雇用的外籍员工人数受人力部设定的配额限制，配额因行业而异。加工行业的公司每雇用一名月薪至少达到本地标准1800新元的本地员工，即可雇用五名持有工作准证的外籍员工。
人力部在 10 月 24 日的一份声明中表示，对 Process Maintenance Solutions 和 Jurong Technical & Construction 的调查仍在进行中，如果查明存在违反劳动法的行为，将采取适当的执法行动。
《海峡时报》记者10月24日走访了位于大士的几处由工厂改建的宿舍，发现两家公司的工人被安排在同一间房间里。他们还表示，这些工人都是由同一位孟加拉籍经理招聘并派往同一工地的。
在 Process Maintenance Solutions 办公室接受 ST 采访的那名男子否认了这两家公司之间存在任何联系。
通过企业情报平台 Sayari 的调查显示，这些公司现任董事 Ruzaidi 和 Balakrishnan 也可以通过其他实体追溯到 Ren。
在 Ruzaidi 接管 Process Maintenance Solutions 之前，Fok 于 7 月 27 日至 8 月 1 日担任临时董事。他的前任是 Ren，担任该职位约两年。
另一家公司，即建筑公司 Prudent (SG) 也发生了同样的领导层变动，Ruzaidi 于 8 月 1 日成为董事。Fok 在 Ren 于 7 月 27 日卸任董事职务后担任了五天的董事。
巴拉克里希南还从任女士手中接管了另一家公司——精英项目公司。任女士于8月3日离职后，她立即成为这家建筑设计公司的董事。
10 月 26 日联系到 Balakrishnan 时，他否认与此事有任何关联，并表示 Ren 对此负有责任。
根据 Sayari 的记录，任自二月份以来已辞去六家公司的董事职务。
《海峡时报》已联系人力部，以了解更多有关其对这两家公司及其可能联系的调查详情，以及 240 名工人薪资索赔的进展情况。
黄阳是一位报道政治和政策的记者。
人力部