Singapore’s first strike in 26 years petered out on Wednesday with most of the Chinese bus drivers who had stopped working to demand higher pay reporting for duty.
State-linked transport operator SMRT said only six drivers failed to turn up during the morning shift, compared to a total of 171 on Monday, and the company was investigating why they were absent.
The Chinese drivers, who are not unionised and issued no strike declaration, told reporters on Monday they were protesting discrimination in pay because their Malaysian counterparts were getting higher wages for the same work.
The government declared the action an illegal strike on Tuesday, triggering a police investigation.
Strikes and other forms of industrial action are extremely rare in Singapore, where unions work closely with the government and private business, making the port city an attractive place for foreign investment.
The last strike in Singapore was staged in 1986, the manpower ministry said.