NTUC-affiliated union to hold job matching session for former True Fitness, True Yoga employees
Affected workers will receive job-matching assistance, as well as guidance and advice on workplace matters, the Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union said.
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers' Union (SMMWU) said on Monday (Sep 14) that it is assisting employees affected by the abrupt closure of True Fitness and True Yoga, including organising a job-matching session on Thursday.
While the union, an affiliate of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), noted that True Fitness and True Yoga are non-unionised companies, some affected workers are SMMWU members.
A job-matching session organised by NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i), the National Instructors and Coaches Association (NICA), and SMMWU will be held on Thursday for former employees of the gym and yoga chains.
Former employees attending the session will receive job-matching assistance, as well as guidance and advice on workplace matters.
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Separately, affected Singaporean and permanent resident workers can seek further support from e2i through job matching services, career coaching and skills upgrading advisory.
"SMMWU calls on the two companies to collaborate with the union to support affected union members and provide access to assistance where needed," said secretary-general Andy Lim, as the firms undergo liquidation.
The union added that it will continue providing support and resources to affected members and workers where necessary.
Eligible Singaporeans and permanent residents can also apply for the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme, which provides temporary financial support of up to S$6,000 over six months for involuntarily unemployed individuals.
Eligible SMMWU members requiring skills training can tap the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) to help offset course fees.
The Singapore Fitness Alliance (SFA) also said on Sunday it is helping affected employees find new jobs, with president and co-founder Sean Tan telling CNA that about 230 employees and freelancers from True Group had reached out to the not-for-profit association.
Last Friday's closure of True Fitness and True Yoga in Singapore caught staff and members by surprise, with over 50 employees gathering at the group's headquarters for answers and customers turning up at outlets to confirm the news.
The companies behind the two chains were placed under provisional liquidation a day earlier, with insolvency practitioners appointed as provisional liquidators.
Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) president Melvin Yong said last week that the consumer watchdog received 241 complaints from consumers affected by the closure, with their reported losses totalling more than S$609,000 (US$479,950).
True Group operates 10 fitness centres in Singapore across three brands: True Fitness, TFX and Yoga Edition.
Its parent company is Hong Kong-listed Kontafarma China Holdings, which filed a bourse listing on Thursday night stating that the directors of True Fitness and True Yoga in Singapore were unable to continue business due to their liabilities.
The company cited "unprecedented" challenges including competition from boutique gyms, exercise facilities in condominiums and private residences, and the rise of digital training options.
True Group, which was established in Singapore in 2004, earlier pulled out of Malaysia and Thailand in 2017, and Taiwan in 2025.
The mismanagement of the closures of the Malaysia and Thailand businesses was the subject of a lawsuit in Singapore, which True Fitness and True Yoga won against True Group's founder and then-CEO in 2022.
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