In 2010, Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2) issued a plea for workers to be transported in minivans or buses with proper seating and safety belts rather than in the back of lorries.

More than a decade has passed, yet this unsafe transportation practice continues.

Migrant workers rarely have a choice in the form of transportation they use, because their dormitories and their worksites are not well served by public transport systems, and also because the employers are expected to provide dedicated transport to lessen exposure of the workers to the public.

We understand that vehicles are costly and that employers tend to use the same lorries to transport both equipment and workers.

But considering migrant workers build our offices, homes, highways and physical infrastructure, they should be treated as better than human cargo.

We now repeat the plea that the fundamentals and enforcement of safety measures be recognised, to ensure the well-being of migrant workers at work and when they are commuting to and from work.

Deborah D. Fordyce

President

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2)