Humans Aren't Cargo

 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, des...

  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 th...

 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 M...

TODAY,  By Justin Ong, 10 May 2021 In an ideal world, workers would not be transported on lorries, Dr Amy Khor said Further regulation could cause the demise of some firms, she added The completion of building projects and workers’ livelihoods would also be affected The Government would continue to refine its policies and regulations to improve the situation, Dr Khor said SINGAPORE — Further regulation to make it safer to transport workers on lorries would likely affect the completion of various building projects, spell the demise of some companies and cause the loss of workers’ livelihoods, Dr Amy Khor said in Parliament on Monday (May 10). Despite this, the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Transport (MOT) gave assurances that the Government will continue to refine its policies and regulations, and engage stakeholders to further improve safety rules. “From a road safety perspective, it would be ideal for lorries not to carry any passengers in their rear decks,” she sai...

Straits Times, By  Yuen Sin   PUBLISHED MAY 9, 2021, 9:00 PM SGT FACEBOOK TWITTER SINGAPORE - Two accidents last month have shown that trucks and lorries should not be used to transport migrant workers, and the labour movement is working with partners to push for the implementation of different transport arrangements as soon as possible, said National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Melvin Yong on Sunday (May 9). In a blog post written in the wake of  calls by advocacy groups to stop using lorries to transport workers,  Mr Yong said the NTUC and the Building Construction and Timber Industries Employees' Union (Batu) are engaging the Singapore Contractors Association Ltd (SCAL) to advocate new arrangements. It is also in talks with the relevant government agencies to address issues of implementation, such as cost. Mr Yong said that he was "deeply disturbed" by the accidents last month, which took place within four days of each other and are no...

 Straits Times,  Clement Yong PUBLISHED MAY 7, 2021, 3:16 PM SGT FACEBOOK TWITTER One of 17 migrant workers travelling on the back of a lorry died after the vehicle collided with a tipper truck on the PIE on April 20, 2021. PHOTO: SCREENGRABS FROM FACEBOOK SINGAPORE - Amid calls by advocacy groups to stop using lorries to carry workers, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday (May 7) that the number of people injured or killed while on board lorries has been falling in the last 10 years, since safety measures were rolled out to protect workers. From 2011 to 2015, there was an average of nine fatalities a year. But the corresponding figure for 2016 to 2020 was 2.6 per year.  LTA also said that the average injury rate from 2011 to 2020 was 8.7 people per 1,000 lorries, comparable to the injury rate for the total motor vehicle population of about 8.6 people per 1,000 vehicles. It also said - in response to questions from the media - that Singapore is not ...

Straits Times,  Christopher Tan Senior Transport Correspondent Traffic accidents involving workers in lorries have continued, with two having taken place in April within four days of each other. PHOTO: ST FILE PUBLISHED MAY 3, 2021, 5:00 AM SGT FACEBOOK TWITTER SINGAPORE - It used to be quite acceptable to travel on the back of flatbed trucks and lorries. As recently as 30 years or so ago, it was common to see families travelling al fresco this way - even all dressed up during festive periods such as Chinese New Year and Hari Raya. If the weather was fine, it was even fun. I myself have travelled this way occasionally - more regularly when I was a casual labourer at a landscaping company just before national service. But times have changed. As society matures, safety standards improve and sometimes because our tolerance for accidents decreases. For instance, it used to be perfectly kosher for drivers not to be belted up. Or for children not to be in child seats. But in 2002, the Tr...