Adjournment motion on transporting workers on the back of lorries
Singapore worked hard to ensure safe transportation for its school children, soldiers and even its cargo but workers are still transported on the back of lorries knowing it is not safe. Why the double standards? MP Louis Ng raised this concern in Parliament on Wednesday (Jul 5), saying many workers fear for their safety and lives, but feel they “do not have a choice or a voice”. He urged the Government to plot a roadmap to ban transporting workers on the back of lorries. In the interim, it should try using buses to transport workers for the larger construction companies and start staggered working hours. He said the Government can help to coordinate and provide some funding. “All I am asking is that we treat our workers with the same care that we do for our children and our soldiers,” he said. “Let us not forget that this is not just migrant workers, but Singaporean workers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives who are also riding dangerously,” he said. Responding, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor stressed the need to ensure that the measures are effective, implemented well and sustainable. She pointed out that there are not enough private buses to meet the needs of various sectors. A full transition to transportation via buses would require at least a doubling of the number of large private buses. This would have knock-on effects on the rest of society, including more congestion. Operating buses also requires a different driver’s licence. A wider shift to mandate the use of buses would likely exacerbate the shortage of drivers and affect other bus service providers, including public buses. Dr Khor pointed out that some companies need to transport a small group of people together with some equipment or goods to several locations in a single day. It is not practical or productive for them to have different vehicles to transport workers, equipment and goods. Dr Khor said the Government has taken a multipronged approach to address the issue. Its agencies are looking at specific sectors, engaging the companies that have been able or open to shifting to buses or other modes of transportation, understanding the specific pain points and seeing how adoption can be scaled up. She said industry will be best placed to spearhead this effort as it best understands the ground needs and challenges.
Singapore worked hard to ensure safe transportation for its school children, soldiers and even its cargo but workers are still transported on the back of lorries knowing it is not safe. Why the double standards? MP Louis Ng raised this concern in Parliament on Wednesday (Jul 5), saying many workers fear for their safety and lives, but feel they “do not have a choice or a voice”. He urged the Government to plot a roadmap to ban transporting workers on the back of lorries. In the interim, it should try using buses to transport workers for the larger construction companies and start staggered working hours. He said the Government can help to coordinate and provide some funding. “All I am asking is that we treat our workers with the same care that we do for our children and our soldiers,” he said. “Let us not forget that this is not just migrant workers, but Singaporean workers, sons, daughters, husbands and wives who are also riding dangerously,” he said. Responding, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor stressed the need to ensure that the measures are effective, implemented well and sustainable. She pointed out that there are not enough private buses to meet the needs of various sectors. A full transition to transportation via buses would require at least a doubling of the number of large private buses. This would have knock-on effects on the rest of society, including more congestion. Operating buses also requires a different driver’s licence. A wider shift to mandate the use of buses would likely exacerbate the shortage of drivers and affect other bus service providers, including public buses. Dr Khor pointed out that some companies need to transport a small group of people together with some equipment or goods to several locations in a single day. It is not practical or productive for them to have different vehicles to transport workers, equipment and goods. Dr Khor said the Government has taken a multipronged approach to address the issue. Its agencies are looking at specific sectors, engaging the companies that have been able or open to shifting to buses or other modes of transportation, understanding the specific pain points and seeing how adoption can be scaled up. She said industry will be best placed to spearhead this effort as it best understands the ground needs and challenges.
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