We refer to the joint statement by the business groups on Aug 1 and the parliamentary exchanges the day after on the migrant workers’ lorry issue. Our group, which includes concerned citizens and organisations that work closely with migrant workers, reiterates our calls for a timeline of measures to remove provisions that allow for workers to be transported in lorries. In the interim, there should be further safeguards for workers being transported in vehicles.

We also call for migrant worker organisations and migrants to be included in the inter-agency group to examine the issue. We second MP Louis Ng’s call for a new work group to discuss the necessary strategies to eventually ban ferrying workers on lorries.

We recognise the trade-offs and challenges faced by businesses, including financial costs. Indeed, the responsibility of finding solutions rests not just on businesses employing migrant workers in the construction, manufacturing and process (CMP) sectors, but also requires attention from the larger business community (including ride hailing businesses), the Government, migrant worker organisations and the public.

Fundamentally, this conversation starts by recognising that workers deserve equal legal protections as every other person in our society. If businesses agree that worker lives matter, transporting workers on the back of lorries and implementing incremental safety steps, such as higher side railings, do not fulfil this objective at all. The latter adds costs without satisfactorily mitigating risks. Business costs have been used to justify this unsafe transportation of thousands of migrant workers for 20 years. Can we afford to drag on for another 20 years? 

Doing the right thing matters to Singaporeans at large. We cannot risk any more lives to save costs, but neither should we disregard the pains of our small and medium-sized businesses. The Government and the larger business community should offer support to these affected businesses as they move towards safer modes of transportation for our workers. 

In the meantime, we would like to call for immediate interim safeguards including (a) lower speed limits for lorries transporting workers to 50kmh; (b) restricting the number of workers transported at the back of the lorries significantly; and (c) no commingling of workers and heavy equipment in the same ride. These will reduce the risk of death and injury while we work towards eliminating the ferrying of workers in lorries. 

As we mark our 58th National Day and in gratitude to our workers who have helped make Singapore successful, we invite the business community and the Government to explore new ways to solve business challenges together, with the affected businesses and the migrant worker groups. 

No Lorries for Workers’ Collective

(This letter was written by a group of more than 40 non-governmental organisations, individuals and volunteer groups serving migrant workers)