Migrant workers

Not good enough to just show sympathy each time there's an accident

I refer to the letters "Unsafe mode of transportation for migrant workers has continued for years" and "Take care of migrant workers as we do our own children" (April 23), and agree that Singapore needs to mandate safe transport solutions for foreign workers.

Cost is often cited as a reason why lorries are used as a transportation mode, but some companies are able to provide buses for migrant workers. Why is it that they are able to do so and others are unable to?

Is it because some companies, in trying to offer the lowest bid or to maximise profit, are willing to forgo basic safety?

Keeping costs down should not stop Singapore from doing the right thing. The Government should take action.

Back in 2010, owing to another accident that killed a few foreign workers, the Government imposed the requirement for all lorries used for ferrying workers to be fitted with canopies and higher railings.

The recent accidents show that these measures are no substitute for transport in enclosed vehicles, such as buses or minivans, where seat belts can be provided.

Singaporeans should not just show sympathy each time there is an accident, or when lives are lost.

These foreign workers are the backbone of Singapore's construction, marine shipyard and process sectors. They labour to improve the infrastructure and landscape of Singapore and help to keep the country going.

The least that can be done is to ensure that their safety is taken care of.

Jag Kuo Soon Yong

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on April 27, 2021, with the headline Not good enough to just show sympathy each time there's an accident. Subscribe