'Bosses force us to drive illegally'
The following article was published in The New Paper on 24 June 2010.
'Bosses force us to drive illegally'
By Vivien Chan Danson Cheong Lim Wei Li Ng Yang Han Kenneth Goh
The New Paper, 24 June 2010
They are hired as construction workers but are told by their employers to double as drivers.
These foreign workers risk getting their work permits cancelled by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) if they get caught.
As it is, in just the first half of last year, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) took 24 companies to task under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for illegally deploying foreign workers as drivers.
In addition, 26 foreign construction and marine workers were found to have been illegally deployed as drivers.
The New Paper spoke to 22 foreign workers yesterday. Two admitted that their bosses made them drive company lorries occasionally.
Both claimed they had little choice but to comply with their employers' instructions.
Made to sit test
One of them, a 28 year-old construction worker who has been in Singapore for three months, said he was made to sit a driving test during his first month here.
The Indian national said that on a few occasions, he had to drive the company's truck, ferrying other workers and equipment.
On Tuesday, three Chinese nationals were killed after the lorry they were travelling in skidded on the PIE, crashed into a road divider and overturned on its side.
Fourteen others, all Chinese nationals, were hurt.
The lorry's maximum passenger load is 13 people. But 17 occupants, including the driver, were in the vehicle. It is not known how many were seated at the back of the lorry when the accident happened.
Neither is it known if the 22 year-old driver, a Chinese national, was hired officially as a driver for the company, CREC Construction.
A MOM spokesman said that they ministry is working with the Traffic Police to "investigate the illegal deployment of a foreign worker involved in the road accident that occurred on June 22, 2010".
Another construction worker The New Paper spoke to yesterday, also an Indian national, claimed he drove his company's lorry occassionally after he obtained a driving licence here.
"But I don't ferry workers on the lorry, I just transport equipment," he added.
Even so, he is breaking the law.
The Traffic Police website clearly states that work-permit holders are not allowed to drive for work unless the work permit states that they are employed as drivers.
The same rule applies to S-pass holders.
If a foreign worker who has a driving licence from his home country wishes to drive a Class 3 or a Class 3A vehicle in Singapore, he must pass the Basic Theory Test.
Stricter requirements
Heavy vehicle licences are harder to obtain. Foreigners who wish to have a Class 4 or 5 licence must "go through training and a prescribed medical test", according to the Traffic Police website.
Foreigners who wish to drive in Singapore for more than 12 months must also convert their foreign driving licences to local ones.
The MOM spokesman said:"In granting Work Permits (WPs) to construction companies, MOM has clearly spelt out what constitutes the permitted job scope of a construction worker.
"A construction worker's WP clearly excludes ferrying workers to and from construction sites from his job scope or doubling as driver on public roads."
MOM takes a serious view of such infringements, the spokesman added. Employers who illegally deploy or employ foreign workers outside the defined job scope will be taken to task.
"They can be fined up to $15,000 and jailed up to 12 months. They will also be barred from hiring new workers or renewing the permits of existing workers," said the spokesman.
The New Paper contacted at least 10 construction companies. Only two were willing to comment.
Both said that most of their drivers were Singaporeans. Sometimes, employers drive their own vehicles.
Koon Seng Construction said the company does not hire foreigners to drive "because they are not familiar with the roads".
A supervisor at another construction site said the firm hires only one foreign driver. The driver, an Indian national, got his licence in his home country.
Overloaded
A 64-year-old Singaporean machinist who gave his name only as Mr Xia, 64, said he has often seen lorries overloaded with people - and speeding.
"I see them in the mornings along the PIE, especially around 6am when they are sending workers to the Tuas shipyards," he said. "Some of the lorries do not have canopies or safety railings at the back to prevent workers from falling out."
But most of the foreign workers The New Paper spoke to said they felt safe in their mode of company transport.
Mr Ashraful Alam, 25, who is from Bangladesh, said that his transport vehicle usually carries three to four workers at the back.
Another worker, 35-year-old Indian national Mr Ayyakannu, said: "Most of the drivers are experienced, so they know what they're doing. I'm used to sitting at the back, ... I have done so for the past six years."
'Bosses force us to drive illegally'
By Vivien Chan Danson Cheong Lim Wei Li Ng Yang Han Kenneth Goh
The New Paper, 24 June 2010
They are hired as construction workers but are told by their employers to double as drivers.
These foreign workers risk getting their work permits cancelled by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) if they get caught.
As it is, in just the first half of last year, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) took 24 companies to task under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act for illegally deploying foreign workers as drivers.
In addition, 26 foreign construction and marine workers were found to have been illegally deployed as drivers.
The New Paper spoke to 22 foreign workers yesterday. Two admitted that their bosses made them drive company lorries occasionally.
Both claimed they had little choice but to comply with their employers' instructions.
Made to sit test
One of them, a 28 year-old construction worker who has been in Singapore for three months, said he was made to sit a driving test during his first month here.
The Indian national said that on a few occasions, he had to drive the company's truck, ferrying other workers and equipment.
On Tuesday, three Chinese nationals were killed after the lorry they were travelling in skidded on the PIE, crashed into a road divider and overturned on its side.
Fourteen others, all Chinese nationals, were hurt.
The lorry's maximum passenger load is 13 people. But 17 occupants, including the driver, were in the vehicle. It is not known how many were seated at the back of the lorry when the accident happened.
Neither is it known if the 22 year-old driver, a Chinese national, was hired officially as a driver for the company, CREC Construction.
A MOM spokesman said that they ministry is working with the Traffic Police to "investigate the illegal deployment of a foreign worker involved in the road accident that occurred on June 22, 2010".
Another construction worker The New Paper spoke to yesterday, also an Indian national, claimed he drove his company's lorry occassionally after he obtained a driving licence here.
"But I don't ferry workers on the lorry, I just transport equipment," he added.
Even so, he is breaking the law.
The Traffic Police website clearly states that work-permit holders are not allowed to drive for work unless the work permit states that they are employed as drivers.
The same rule applies to S-pass holders.
If a foreign worker who has a driving licence from his home country wishes to drive a Class 3 or a Class 3A vehicle in Singapore, he must pass the Basic Theory Test.
Stricter requirements
Heavy vehicle licences are harder to obtain. Foreigners who wish to have a Class 4 or 5 licence must "go through training and a prescribed medical test", according to the Traffic Police website.
Foreigners who wish to drive in Singapore for more than 12 months must also convert their foreign driving licences to local ones.
The MOM spokesman said:"In granting Work Permits (WPs) to construction companies, MOM has clearly spelt out what constitutes the permitted job scope of a construction worker.
"A construction worker's WP clearly excludes ferrying workers to and from construction sites from his job scope or doubling as driver on public roads."
MOM takes a serious view of such infringements, the spokesman added. Employers who illegally deploy or employ foreign workers outside the defined job scope will be taken to task.
"They can be fined up to $15,000 and jailed up to 12 months. They will also be barred from hiring new workers or renewing the permits of existing workers," said the spokesman.
The New Paper contacted at least 10 construction companies. Only two were willing to comment.
Both said that most of their drivers were Singaporeans. Sometimes, employers drive their own vehicles.
Koon Seng Construction said the company does not hire foreigners to drive "because they are not familiar with the roads".
A supervisor at another construction site said the firm hires only one foreign driver. The driver, an Indian national, got his licence in his home country.
Overloaded
A 64-year-old Singaporean machinist who gave his name only as Mr Xia, 64, said he has often seen lorries overloaded with people - and speeding.
"I see them in the mornings along the PIE, especially around 6am when they are sending workers to the Tuas shipyards," he said. "Some of the lorries do not have canopies or safety railings at the back to prevent workers from falling out."
But most of the foreign workers The New Paper spoke to said they felt safe in their mode of company transport.
Mr Ashraful Alam, 25, who is from Bangladesh, said that his transport vehicle usually carries three to four workers at the back.
Another worker, 35-year-old Indian national Mr Ayyakannu, said: "Most of the drivers are experienced, so they know what they're doing. I'm used to sitting at the back, ... I have done so for the past six years."
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