Humans Aren't Cargo

 This site will be migrating to https://humansnotcargo.wordpress.com/blog/

VICE.com ,   “The government thought last year’s dormitory outbreak was only a public health emergency. But the reality is far from that.” By Heather Chen, 3 June 2021 Bangladeshi construction worker Nasri was among   tens of thousands   of migrant laborers in Singapore who tested positive for the coronavirus last year after an outbreak swept through crowded dormitories, prompting impassioned calls to improve labor conditions for them in the Southeast Asian city-state. .... While the recent cluster was contained relatively quickly due to increased measures like routine testing and immediate isolation, deeper issues still need to be addressed. Hamid and other migrant workers are not just concerned about COVID, but their personal safety and welfare in general. He spends hours on the road every day, cramped together with at least eight other workers at the back of open-air lorries that ferry them to and from work sites like “cattle”. In Singapore, migrant workers are   prohibited by their

 Straits Times,  Cara Wong ,   Tan Tam Mei   and   Zaihan Mohamed Yusof PUBLISHED MAY 26, 2020, 5:00 AM SGT FACEBOOK TWITTER Migrant worker residents attend a Hari Raya Puasa event at Chinsim dormitory on May 24, 2020. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH They came for a better life. Even if it meant staying in cramped spaces and being transported in open-backed lorries without seat belts. The fact was, the migrant workers sometimes earned three times as much as they could have back home. But now, they - and the nation - are relooking those conditions amid the high Covid-19 infection rate of those housed in dormitories. Migrant workers The Straits Times spoke to said they hope their living spaces can be improved, with some citing space, washrooms and transportation in particular. One of the most common suggestions among the 10 workers interviewed was to reduce the occupancy rate in dormitory rooms. Mr Reaz Ahmed Bhuiyan, 31, a resident of Westlite Juniper located in Mandai, described his 16-man dormit

 The HomeGround Asia , by Tsen-Waye Tay (24 May 2021) How many more migrant workers in Singapore have to die or be injured before their safety becomes the only factor to consider when deciding whether or not to ban the practice of transporting them at the back of lorries? TheHomeGround Asia gathered a panel of six individuals to hash out the recurring hurdles that continue to prevent this issue from being resolved after more than a decade. Could conversation, and not just opinions presented in silos, be what is needed to take this issue forward? Read on to find out what a guest worker-poet-community leader, advocates for guest workers’ rights, an opposition party parliamentarian and someone with decades of industry insight say must be done to move this issue along. All five panellists unanimously agree that safety for migrant workers is “paramount” and that this should drive discussions and decisions on whether the practice of transporting workers at the back of lorries should continue

  The issue of migrant workers being ferried in lorries resurfaced in Parliament on May 11, 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE Kok Yufeng STRAITS TIMES, PUBLISHED MAY 12, 2021, 5:00 AM SGT FACEBOOK TWITTER SINGAPORE - The issue of  migrant workers being ferried in lorries  resurfaced in Parliament on Tuesday (May 11), with four MPs suggesting various solutions to improve safety and urging the Government to prioritise lives over economic costs. They did so during a debate on proposed changes to the Road Traffic Act (RTA) that were unrelated to the safety of workers on lorries, a day after Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor responded to MPs on the issue. Nominated MP Shahira Abdullah asked if the Government could relook how the Singapore Armed Forces has been transporting soldiers and look at adapting the changes made by the SAF for migrant workers. She said: "I am cognisant that changes may incur more financial costs to the construction industry. But how do you determine the value o

 Channel NewsAsia, Ang Hwee Min,  10 May 2021 04:17PM LINK:  https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/foreign-worker-lorry-accident-safety-ministry-of-transport-14780372 SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Transport is “undertaking a review” of the measures for using lorries to ferry workers to improve safety, said Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor.  Speaking in Parliament on Monday (May 10), Dr Khor said: “Internationally, practices are varied. Countries such as Canada, Thailand, and the United States of America allow for passengers to be ferried in the rear deck of goods vehicles travelling on roads, albeit with safety precautions and some restrictions.  “From a road safety perspective, it would be ideal for lorries not to carry any passengers in their rear decks. But there are very significant practical and operational issues – on top of just cost considerations – which is probably why internationally, it is not an uncommon practice.” Adding that MOT has been monitoring t

 Ministry of Transport: https://www.mot.gov.sg/news-centre/news/detail/oral-reply-by-senior-minister-of-state-for-transport-dr-amy-khor-to-parliamentary-question-on-transportation-of-workers-on-lorries 10 May 2021   In Parliament Mr Alex Yam Ziming  asked the Minister for Transport   a.     how many deaths and injuries have resulted from accidents involving migrant workers transported in lorries since the implementation of stricter measures on 1 August 2011;    b.     whether the Ministry will impose additional measures to ensure the safety of migrant workers being transported to and from work on their employers' vehicles; and    c.     whether the Ministry will consider requiring employers to transport their workers in mini-buses or buses with compulsory seat-belting.   Ms Janet Ang  asked the Minister for Transport   a.     how many accidents involving migrant workers transported in open lorries have occurred in the past five years;    b.     how many of such accidents have been