Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The High Commission of India in Singapore said on Wednesday evening that it is in touch with workers of three Singapore companies who have not been paid for months, and is also coordinating with the National Trades Union Congress and the Ministry of Manpower, which are assisting those affected. More than 400 workers from India and Bangladesh have been left without wages and accommodation by SK Industries, KPA Engineering and VVR Plant Engineering.
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According to a report in The Straits Times, a common director of the three firms has been identified as Indian national Ramu Palani Velu. The report said Ramu, a Singapore permanent resident, is believed to have left the country. Checks on the corporate intelligence platform Sayari showed that he is a director of seven companies in Singapore, listed as providing air-conditioning, plumbing and building services.
NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng, representatives from the Migrant Workers’ Centre and Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash met the workers on Wednesday and assured them of help. The workers are being given SGD200 in cash and supermarket shopping vouchers, while alternative accommodation is being arranged and efforts are under way to match them with jobs.
The unpaid migrant workers reported the matter to the Ministry of Manpower on Monday, saying their employers at KPA Engineering, which provides air-conditioning maintenance services, and its related firm SK Industries could not be contacted. Ng said the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management and tripartite partners are working to contact the employers involved in the case.
The report said Ramu took over VVR Plant Engineering, earlier known as VMD Integrated, in 2025. The company had previously been owned by Indian nationals Ravi Victor and Ravi Vijayarani, and their Singaporean son Ravi Martin Abraham. Martin, 23, said the family sold the company to Ramu. He said, ‘It is not easy to obtain the permit for new companies, so we thought he bought our family business for that reason.’ The company was considered valuable because it had access to work permits for the specialised process sector, which allows process construction and maintenance work at sites such as Jurong Island.
Ramu started his first business, KPA Engineering, in 2014, and it was last recorded as having SGD1 million in capital. The report said Indian national Sundaramoorthy Komathy served as a company director with Ramu between 2016 and 2018. After he left, Krishnamurthy Sundaramoorthy became a director in 2020 and remains an active director, according to The Straits Times.
Sam, not his real name, who was hired by KPA Engineering, said the workers knew Ramu as the ‘big boss’, while the day-to-day operations were handled by an Indian national named Moorthy. Sam said, ‘We have been trying to contact Moorthy, but he has not responded.’
In 2019, Ramu incorporated Comfort Air Engineering, earlier called Velmurugan Trading, with a registered capital of SGD100,000, and he is its sole director. In 2023, he registered SK Industries with a capital of SGD200,000 and is its sole director there as well, while Sundaramoorthy Komathy is a shareholder. In 2025, Ramu registered three more companies on a single day — KMS Integrated, GM Integrated and HVS Industries. He is the sole director of all three. KMS was registered with a capital of SGD100,000, while GM and HVS had SGD10,000 each.
Media reports said the Ministry of Manpower has indicated that it is investigating KPA Engineering and SK Industries for possible breaches. The case centres on more than 400 workers left without pay and accommodation, with Indian and Singapore authorities, trade unions and worker groups now working to support them and trace those responsible.
With PTI Inputs
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
