Singapore Fitness Alliance to help more than 200 affected True Fitness, True Yoga staff, freelancers find jobs

SINGAPORE – The Singapore Fitness Alliance (SFA) is helping more than 200 affected employees and freelancers of True Group find new employment following the fitness chain’s sudden closure.

In a statement on Sept 13, SFA’s president and co-founder Sean Tan said the organisation is spearheading the initiative in collaboration with the National Instructors & Coaches Association (NICA) – an association set up by the National Trades Union Congress – and e2i – NTUC’s employment and employability institute.

About 235 affected staff and freelancers have reached out to SFA as of Sept 13, Tan said.

A compiled list of these individuals, including their contact details and latest job descriptions, will be sent out on Sept 14 to SFA members, which includes Fitness First, Virgin Active, Anytime Fitness and Yoga Movement.

A number of SFA member gyms have already expressed interest in hiring those affected, Tan added.

Meanwhile, NICA and e2i will assist with potential job matching as well as skills retraining for those who request it.

Tan, however, said that the non-profit industry association will not be involved in efforts to recover unpaid salaries or commissions.

On Sept 11, fitness chains True Fitness and True Yoga ceased operations, with their Hong Kong parent company Kontafarma declaring that it is winding up the businesses owing to market competition and cost pressures.

True Fitness and True Yoga come under the True Singapore Group, which also operates fitness and yoga centres TFX and Yoga Edition here.

Together, the brands operated seven outlets in Singapore.

The Consumers Association of Singapore said that as at 6pm on Sept 11, it had received 241 complaints from affected consumers, with reported losses of more than $609,000 in unutilised memberships, packages and services.

SFA is speaking with its member gyms to consider offering concessionary membership joining fees for affected customers, though recognising or giving credit for unused membership or personal training packages is unlikely, Tan said on Sept 13.

Employees who spoke to The Straits Times said they were notified of the sudden closure via an e-mail at about 10.30pm on Sept 10, just an hour before the official shutdown.

In the e-mail, seen by ST, the company’s human resources department stated that “all outlets will be closed effective immediately and are not to be opened tomorrow (Sept 11)”.

The news came as a shock to the Singapore staff.

One employee, Mani Jr, a 28-year-old personal trainer, told ST: “Management had even talked about upgrading some of the existing branches.”

He was one of around 50 former employees of True Fitness and True Yoga who attended a liquidators’ meeting in Claymore Hill on Sept 11, where he said they were simply asked to sign termination forms.

Calvin Siew, a 43-year-old exercise instructor, told ST that the company said staff would “need to wait” for updates on the remainder of their September pay.

Mani Jr added that some of his fellow instructors are foreigners who may have to leave Singapore within seven to 30 days.

“It’s a hard goodbye between us colleagues. It feels like the final time,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) website, employers must cancel a foreign employee’s work pass within one week of their last day of employment.

Upon cancellation, MOM will then issue a temporary pass – such as a Short-Term Visit Pass – to give the employees time to pack up or find a new job.

ST has contacted True Fitness, True Yoga, NTUC and MOM for more information.