Goodbye, Abu Sama

The following article, written by Lynn Lee (http://lianain.blogspot.com/) was reproduced on The Online Citizen on 30 August 2009.

GOODBYE, ABU SAMA
Sunday, 30 August 2009, 11:11 pm


The Online Citizen reported the case of Bangladeshi worker, Abu Sama, in May this year. We gave him the name of “Asmad Kadir” in that report. See here for the story. Abu Sama left for his home in Bangladesh last Friday. The following is an update on his story. We thank Lynn Lee for allowing us to publish it here.

Lynn Lee

Those of you who’ve watched Migrant Dreams might remember Abu Sama. He’s the little guy who ran away from his company after being slapped on the ear by his supervisor. The wound – a perforation in his eardrum – took months to heal.

He was frightened and overwhelmed when we first met. Scruffy, nursing a raging fever, hungry and sad. He often looked as if he was on the verge of tears. And who could blame him? Abu Sama had spent a small fortune coming to Singapore. He had heard so many stories about our wonderful country, thought he’d be treated fairly. But his employers made him live in a shithole, failed to pay him, and hit him when he dared speak up.

We wondered then how he would survive the ordeal. We thought he might sink into depression. But Abu Sama surprised us all. When the Ministry of Manpower told him that he was going to be sent home, he demanded to be paid before leaving for the airport. And when his angry bosses tried to drag him into their van, Abu Sama put up a struggle, escaped, and insisted on making a police report. A volunteer told us how he managed to wiggle out of his too-big t-shirt and run away. The image made us laugh. But Abu Sama didn’t find it funny at all – despite being homesick and short on cash, he decided to stay on in Singapore to pursue his case. It was, to him, a question of justice.

A few days ago, we received word that the police were letting Abu Sama’s bosses off with a warning. A warning. So apparently, it is OK for a person to rip a hole in another person’s eardrum. It is also OK for thugs to drive up next to you, and try and drag you into their car. A warning. That’s like a few words on a piece of paper. Gee, that’s really going to stop those guys from hurting other people.

Abu Sama left early this morning. We met at Sutha’s last night. He told me he wasn’t happy about going home like that. Who would be? He looked resigned.Kinda exhausted. And then he broke out into a smile, shook my hand, shook everyone’s hands and said goodbye, this tiny man who dared to stand up to his awful bosses. He had pressed on, believing in Singapore’s justice system. Good god we’ve failed him.

TOC’s note: The police had notified Abu Sama earlier this year that preliminary inquiries into Abu Sama’s police report “is completed and it discloses an offence under Section 323 of the Penal Code… which is a non-seizable offence.”

Nearly 30 safety violations uncovered at 11 round-the-clock worksites

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 29 August 2009.

Worksites' top safety lapse: Too dim at night
29 August 2009
Straits Times

WITH a quarter of workplace deaths occurring at night, safety inspectors dropped in on 11 worksites that operate round-the-clock and uncovered nearly 30 violations.

The top safety lapse, observed at six sites: Too little light. Another common lapse was an absence of cordons and barricades, which - coupled with poor visibility - put workers at risk of fatal falls.

The tour of the worksites of the upcoming Marina Bay and Sentosa integrated resorts (IRs), the Marina financial centre and the Formula One racetrack and grandstand took place last week.

The Manpower Ministry (MOM) described insufficient night-time lighting as a 'big concern'.

It said in a statement: 'Without adequate lighting, workers are subject to higher risks of tripping, falling from heights, falling off unsafe scaffolds and electrocution from unsafe wirings or equipment.'

At the Sentosa IR worksite, for example, inspectors found contractor Kajima-Tiong Seng JV responsible for nine lapses, including a failure to provide sufficient and suitable lighting in many areas.

It had also failed to ensure work platforms above the ground were outfitted with toe boards and guard rails to protect workers against falls.

Last year, 18 of the 67 workplace deaths took place at night. The year before, the figure was 18 out of a total of 63 deaths.

Contacted, Mr Andrew Tan, the vice-president of the Singapore Institution of Safety Officers, said a lack of light was dangerous even if workers were not working at heights. They could, for example, trip over steel bars on the ground.

Mr Jackson Yap, who chairs the Workplace Safety & Health Council's Construction & Landscaping Committee, said workers should also get adequate rest so they stay alert at night.

The latest enforcement operation, codenamed Night Eagle, is part of a drive by the authorities to reduce the workplace fatality rate. Last year's rate - 2.8 per 100,000 workers - is still some way from the 2018 target of fewer than 1.8 deaths per 100,000.

Companies which fail to ensure safety can be fined up to $500,000.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

In the dark about safety

The following article was published in TODAY on 29 August 2009.

In the dark about safety
By Leong Wee Keat
TODAY
29 August 2009

Nocturnal checks at 11 worksites, around the Marina Centre financial district, the two Integrated Resorts and the Formula 1 racetrack and grandstand, uncovered 29 safety violations last week.

With one in four workplace fatalities occurring at night, Manpower Ministry (MOM) inspectors targeted worksites that operate round-the-clock. The top safety lapse? Insufficient lighting.

Inspectors also found a lack of adequate measures to prevent workers from falling, such as work platforms without proper barricades. In all, MOM issued fines for 15 offences, and served warning letters and orders to rectify the remaining 14 less serious violations.

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

29 Workplace Safety and Health violations uncovered during operation

The following article was published by CNA on 28 August 2009.

29 Workplace Safety and Health violations uncovered during operation
28 August 2009
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: 29 Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) violations were uncovered at 11 worksites during the Manpower Ministry's (Occupational Safety and Health) inspections over the past week.

Operation "Night Eagle" targeted worksites that operated round-the-clock and have large number of workers.

The ministry said about one in four workplace fatalities occur at night and this is a concern.

Insufficient lighting was the top safety lapse in most worksites followed by falling hazards.

Composition fines were issued for 15 of the offences while warning letters and orders to rectify were given to the 14 less serious violations.

The WSH Council hopes to halve the current work fatality rate in the next five years.

MOM said they will continue to conduct both day and night inspections across workplaces and issue stop work orders should any workplace present immediate dangers to workers.

Companies that fail to ensure workplace safety may be charged under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

It carries a maximum fine of S$500,000.

Individuals can also be charged under the WSH Act and face a maximum fine of $500,000 and/or two years imprisonment.

(c) 2009 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Ex-director jailed for phantom worker scam

The following article was published in TODAY on 28 August 2009.

Ex-director gets six months’ jail
By Ong Dai Lin

TODAY
28 August 2009
TODAY (Singapore)

HE “EMPLOYED” elderly folk in their 80s, young students, and dead people in his company.

But Tay Hian Chye did not hire them to work for him; instead he only wanted to make use of their identities to inflate the company’s foreign worker entitlement.

Yesterday, Tay, 48, was sentenced to six months’ jail for lying to the Controller of Work Passes from August to November last year.Tay was a director of two companies under the SME group of companies, which consisted of 23 businesses and specialised in cleaning services.

He was asked by Lim Chye Cheng, the defacto boss of the group, to submit CPF contributions for Singaporeans not working under the companies to inflate their foreign worker entitlement.

Steven Lee Kong Weng, a director of the group, would collect copies of the identity cards of Singaporeans for Lim to make CPF contributions in their names.

After the foreign employees’ work permits were approved, this list of phantom workers would be re-allocated to other companies of the SME group to apply for more foreign workers.

In all, these phantom workers were employed by six of the companies under the group and aided work permit applications for 37 foreign employees.

Tay had also furnished false information relating to foreign workers’ work permit applications last year. Investigation into the SME group by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) started last December.

Tay, the last of the trio to be charged in court for the scam, pleaded guilty to 15 of the 101 charges he faced on Aug 6. Lee was sentenced to 12 months’ jail in July and Lim is on the run after jumping bail.

Mr Aw Kum Cheong, Divisional Director from the Ministry of Manpower’s Foreign Manpower Management Division, said: “MOM will continue to mount operations like the one that uncovered this syndicate, so as to target employers who use phantom workers to illegally inflate their foreign worker entitlement.”

“Employers doing so should stop such fraudulent practices immediately. MOM will continue to press for strong deterrent sentences against such errant employers,” he added.

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Services sector feels pinch of foreign worker controls

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 28 August 2009.

Services sector feels pinch of foreign worker controls
By Goh Chin Lian, Senior Political Correspondent
28 August 2009
Straits Times

Hotels and transport firms find it hard to attract S'porean workers

THE services sector is feeling the squeeze from recent government moves that effectively restrict the inflow of foreign workers and push bosses to turn to local workers.

Hotels and transportation companies are among the businesses which say they are struggling because few Singaporeans want to work for them - even in an economic downturn when jobs are harder to come by.

And with the two integrated resorts opening next year, hotels are concerned about competition for manpower.

Said Shangri-La Hotel's human resource director, Mr Eugene Tan: 'Once there are a large number of resignations, we may be in trouble.'

The restrictions on the foreign worker inflow came into effect on June1, after businesses were informed.

Among the changes is an adjustment to the computation of foreign worker quotas - the number of foreign workers a firm can hire for each local worker employed. Workers from 'non-traditional' sources like China are particularly affected.

Previously, to hire one China worker in the services sector, for example, an employer needed to have five locals on the payroll.

As of June1, he must have nine workers in all before he can hire one China worker - at least five locals and the rest can be made up of foreigners from 'traditional sources' such as Malaysia.

Another change that came about on June1 was stricter requirements for a China worker to qualify as a skilled worker. He must now have at least a diploma verified by the Chinese authorities, where previously there was no such requirement.

Although the Manpower Ministry described these changes as 'administrative', businesses told The Straits Times the impact on their manpower sourcing and operational capabilities was potentially huge.

As of December last year, there were 508,000 foreigners in the services sector, which hires a total of about two million people. The sector covers businesses ranging from restaurants and nursing homes to finance and transportation companies.

Some bosses worry that restrictions on foreign labour will hinder economic recovery - for example, if they need the manpower to cope with new or existing unfilled orders.

And yet others may have expansion plans, noted Nominated MP Teo Siong Seng, who is head of a shipping company as well as president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Hotels, for example, are facing a manpower crunch with more rooms being occupied as tourism recovers.

They have been unable to replace China workers who have gone home after their two-year work permits expired. One hotel's laundry unit lost 10 China workers out of 80 staff, for instance.

Like many other employers, the hotels said they have tried to employ Singaporeans to no avail. Malaysians are also hard to come by, they said.

The Shangri-La Hotel recently teamed up with the labour movement to recruit and train about a dozen retrenched factory workers to be room attendants, but none stayed. Most quit in a week due to the strenuous work, said Mr Tan.

Conrad Centennial Singapore's director of human resources, Mr Andy Khor, said: 'It's a back-breaking job. Consider doing one bed a day in your own home versus 13 times every day.'

One solution: Having other staff including those in the front office double as room attendants.

'We've got a flexible workforce,' quipped Mr Khor, adding: 'But it's a short-term solution.'

Hotels plug the shortage with trainees from private schools, such as hospitality school Shatec.

Some hotels feel, however, that trainees from private schools abroad, such as the Philippines and Indonesia, are more obedient and hardworking.

MOM told The Straits Times that since June1, it has stopped granting training work permits for these foreign trainees because of the 'significant number' of foreign students in private schools here who can also work as trainees.

Transportation companies face problems similar to those faced by the hotels.

The chairman of the 100-member Singapore Transportation Association, Mr Ng Boon Hong, said 20per cent of the drivers for large container trucks, known as prime movers, are China nationals.

The rest are Singaporeans, many in their 50s and 60s. Younger Singaporeans shun the job due to its irregular hours, including having to work when a ship arrives at 3am, said Mr Ng.

He drew little comfort from the fact that MOM has given a grace period of sorts - the work permits of existing workers will be renewed for another year if bosses cannot fulfil the new quota guidelines now.

'You give the workers one year, what do you tell him? They have rice bowls to fill and families to take care of. We think when we open up again, people will come back. But they can go elsewhere.'

In a reply to The Straits Times explaining its June 1 changes, MOM said it 'fine-tuned its regulatory framework to improve the skills and quality of the foreign workforce'.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Stricter malaria control in 13 workers' dorms

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 28 August 2009.

Stricter malaria control in 13 workers' dorms
By Jessica Jaganathan
28 August 2009
Straits Times

Regular pesticide sprays, netted screens required in dorms in 13 high-risk areas

DORMITORIES housing foreign workers in sites conducive to malaria mosquito breeding must now follow stricter measures to keep the problem at bay.

Interior and exterior walls must be sprayed regularly with pesticide, and windows must have netted screens to keep out mosquitoes. Weekly larvicidal oiling or spraying and night fogging must also be carried out by the management.

There are 13 dormitories in 13 'malaria-receptive areas' - in proximity to natural habitats like forested areas and coastal areas - around the island, including Dairy Farm Road and Punggol Point.

If any worker is suspected or confirmed to have acquired malaria locally, the employer must step up mosquito control and provide insect repellent or mosquito nets for workers who sleep on the premises.

The Ministry of Health is also conducting ad-hoc blood screening on all foreign workers living or working in these areas.

Dorm operators who fail to spray their dorms may face fines of $2,000.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that dorms built in the future should be fitted with netting on the windows, and carry out spraying of the walls.

Singapore is seeing its worst malaria outbreak in years, with 28 people infected here since early May.

The victims were living in, or had visited, one of three areas: Mandai/Sungei Kadut, Jurong Island or Sembawang. The latter two clusters are still active. Most of those infected were foreign workers living in dormitories.

Since it was told about the cases, NEA has waged an aggressive war against mosquito breeding, first in the affected areas, and then fanning out to the other vulnerable sites.

No company has been fined.

Malaria parasites are carried by the female Anopheles mosquitoes, which need to feed on blood to reproduce. When a mosquito bites an infected person, it picks up the parasite from his blood, and passes it to the next person it feeds on. Anopheles mosquitoes bite at night but are most active at dawn and dusk.

'The Anopheles mosquito does not breed in dorms but goes inside to bite people, so we are trying to keep the mosquitoes out,' said Mr Tai Ji Choong, head of operations at the NEA's environmental health department.

There are two species of Anopheles mosquitoes that transmit malaria here: Anopheles sundaicus and Anopheles maculatus.

Mr Tai said that more manpower may be committed to stamp out the malaria scourge, depending on the situation. He said that Singapore is still malaria-free as the virus has not become endemic here. The NEA is still studying if the outbreaks signal a more persistent trend or are one-off cases.

Singapore has been declared malaria-free since 1982, although it still sees between 100 and 300 cases a year. The majority are residents who become infected overseas. The last big outbreak was in 2006, when 13 people were infected locally.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Safer to ferry workers in buses

The following letter was published in ST Forum online on 28 August 2009.

Safer to ferry workers in buses

I welcome the Government's initiative to give more protection to workers ferried on lorries.

It is a step forward. However, it may still not be enough. Lorries are for transporting goods, not people.

As a general surgeon in a public hospital, I have seen many cases of lorry passengers suffering serious injuries in traffic accidents.

We emphasise the use of safety devices such as seat belts and airbags in cars, and it is obvious that none of these features is available at the back of a lorry.

To ensure the safety of their workers, contractors can instead hire buses from private operators to ferry their workers to and from worksites.

In my travels around the world, I have not witnessed transportation of workers in the back of lorries in developed countries.

The speed limit of 60kmh for lorries is a good safety measure. However, many lorry drivers do not comply with the rule.

Enforcement and public education are essential. We need to educate the public, especially the drivers, on the consequences of speeding - that it not only causes the loss of a life, but also threatens the livelihood of a victim's family who depends on him.

Dr So Bok-Yan

Stricter safety standards for metalworking industry

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 27 August 2009.

Stricter safety standards for metalworking industry
By Yeo Ghim Lay
27 August 2009
Straits Times

Workers with less experience will need to be re-certified more often

PASS a safety course - or forget about working here.

From Oct 1, workers in the metal- working industry will have to meet stricter rules, one of which requires foreign workers to take a safety orientation course within 14 days of their arrival before they can be issued a work permit.

They must pass the course within three months of their arrival or have their work permit revoked.

Though the Metalworking Safety Orientation Course is compulsory for all metal workers before they start work, it has even greater weight now that it is linked to work documents.

The new requirement was among a host of changes announced yesterday by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) in a joint statement.

The stricter rules follow similar changes for workers in the construction and marine industries implemented in July 2007.

Noting that the enhanced rules had improved the safety of those working in these two industries, WSH Council chairman Lee Tzu Yang said he hopes the same will be seen in the metalworking sector.

There were 1,061 injuries per 100,000 workers in the metalworking sector last year, and 1,120 in 2007. The metalworking sector is part of the manufacturing industry, which has more than half a million workers.

'Improving worker training will enhance their capability to implement and follow safety measures at their workplace,' said Mr Lee.

Employers who flout the new requirements risk having the permits of their workers revoked by the ministry, said Mr Ho Siong Hin, MOM's commissioner for workplace safety and health.

As part of the changes, workers with less experience in the metalworking sector will need to be re-certified more frequently. Currently, they have to take the safety orientation course and pass it every three years.

From Oct 1, those with less than six years' work experience will need to take it every two years instead. Workers with more than six years' experience will need to take it every four years.

All workers must maintain a valid safety orientation course certification at all times.

Foreign workers renewing their work permits must have more than a month's validity on their safety certification. If not, their permits will not be renewed.

Industry players and the labour movement yesterday welcomed the stricter safety requirements as changes that will benefit both workers and businesses.

Mr Gwee Seng Kwong, secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturers' Federation, said the improved safety regime will help ensure the safety of workers.

The federation represents more than 2,600 manufacturers.

Ms Jessie Yeo, executive secretary of the Metal Industries Workers' Union which represents 20,000 workers, said: 'A reduction in the number of workers being injured, killed or made sick by work activities is a major reduction in costs to businesses and to society.'

The WSH Council said it is still reviewing other sectors to see if there is a need to impose similar changes in safety training.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

$50k settlement for worker who fell off lorry

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 27 August 2009.

$50k settlement for worker who fell off lorry
Teh Joo Lin
27 August 2009
Straits Times

Bangladeshi was seated on trash bags at the back when vehicle went over road hump

A FOREIGN worker, who fell off the back of a lorry two years ago when it went over a road hump, will receive $50,000 in a settlement with his former employer.

Mr Mohd Showket Ali Abul Hossain Moral, 38, filed a claim against the company and the lorry driver in the civil courts after the fall. He needed two weeks' stay in hospital and more than a month of medical leave.

Yesterday, in a hearing in chambers, the parties agreed to settle.

The Bangladesh national, who flew here for the case, is expected to return to his country this weekend. He now oversees crop workers on a piece of farmland.

Mr Showket was a construction worker for Nature Landscapes, according to court documents detailing how the incident happened.

On July 27, 2007, he and a co-worker loaded trash bags of dead leaves onto the cargo deck of a lorry at a condominium in Bukit Timah.

The next afternoon, they were tasked to go with the driver to Changi to dump the leaves. While his co-worker sat with the driver in the cabin, Mr Showket clambered up the rear of the lorry and sat on the trash bags.

Midway through the journey, it began to pour, drenching Mr Showket, but worse was to follow. Near their destination, along Simei Rise, the lorry went over a hump, and Mr Showket fell off the cargo deck onto the road.

He lay there unconscious. His colleagues had no idea he had fallen off.

It was only when they got down from the lorry moments later, at the gate to their destination, that they saw him lying on the road.

Mr Showket was taken to Changi General Hospital in an ambulance. He had head, neck and back injuries, according to his statement of claim.

Yesterday, the father of two, who was represented by Hoh Law Corporation, said he was glad a resolution had been reached by both sides.

In halting English, he said he still had pain in various parts of his body, such as his back and leg.

About the incident, he said: 'Lorry cannot bring men. Like this, no good, no safety.'

There are increasing numbers of casualties involving workers transported in the back of lorries. A total of 210 were injured or killed last year, up from 69 in 2005.

In Parliament last week, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, Mr Teo Ser Luck, announced new measures to ensure safer rides for those who sit in the back of lorries.

From next Tuesday, a worker cannot be seated any higher than 1.1m from the cargo deck. Those who breach this rule will be fined $200.

Those caught ferrying more workers than allowed by the space on the cargo deck will be fined $500 for the first offence. Right now, the initial fine is $200.

The stiffer penalties will be accompanied by stricter enforcement, Mr Teo said.

In three years' time, all lorries that double up as workers' transport will also have to be outfitted with higher railings and canopies, to reduce the odds of a worker being flung out of the vehicle in an accident. The canopies will also help shield them from the rain.

The seating space per worker will also be doubled. This effectively halves the number of workers each vehicle can carry.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Let's walk the talk - Let foreign workers take public transport

The following letter was published in TODAY on 25 August 2009.

Let's walk the talk - Let foreign workers take public transport

From Woon Kok Keoong

SINGAPOREANS are a tough bunch of people to please. I have no qualms about foreign paying workers being transported in buses and paying higher prices for my renovations, but would the majority of the population agree to it? The next option would be to let these workers take public buses or the MRT, and I'm sure this is going to create a huge uproar like the Serangoon Gardens dorm issue. People want humanity, yet refuse to pay a price for it or even share public space with these workers.

Matching up to First World safety standards

The following letter was published in TODAY on 25 August 2009.

Matching up to First World safety standards
by From F Bushfield

I WAS in a foreign country last month. I noticed that their construction workers were transported by vans and other passenger vehicles.

I said to a local colleague: "Why not follow Singapore's model of transporting these workers in the back of a lorry ... it is cheaper and the company does not need to have separate vehicles for goods and workers." He said it is illegal to do so. The country I was in is China. Is it okay for Singaporeans to have a lower standard than China? Where is the benchmarking we Singaporeans are so proud of?

Dangerous Driving

The following letter was published in ST Forum on 24 August 2009.

Dangerous Driving

'It is also the speed at which lorries are driven, which causes unnecessary harm to the workers who are thrown around each time the driver brakes suddenly.'

MADAM TANG SOOI KENG: 'It is not just about providing space on lorries or having canopies. It is also the speed at which lorries are driven, which causes unnecessary harm to the workers who are thrown around each time the driver brakes suddenly. My husband and I have reported numerous cases of lorries packed with workers exceeding the speed limit to the Traffic Police. Despite this, we have not seen any decrease in such dangerous driving among this group of vehicles.'

Do We Only Pay Lip-Service to Ethics?

The following letter was published in ST Forum on 24 August 2009.

Do We Only Pay Lip Service to Ethics?

I read with a great sense of let-down of the Government's decision to implement safety in phases when it comes to using lorries to transport workers.

The decision to apparently resolve the safety issue by installing canopies and railings and, then, spread its implementation over an unjustifiably long period of three years conveys the glaring message that saving lives is less crucial than profit margins.

* First, it is questionable whether canopies and railings do keep passengers safer in the event of a road accident. Has the Land Transport Authority (LTA) conducted tests or studies to verify this? Would LTA transport its own workers in such improvised lorries? The issue is not the history of accidents, but the high risks of this mode of transport.

* Second, if this is the only solution LTA finds feasible, why does it require such a long period to roll out? Some companies will feel the pinch if they have to implement immediately, but that does not explain why lives come second to profits. If cost (estimated at less than $3,000 per lorry) is the main deterrent, we should consider incentives for companies which take transport safety seriously?

The fact that more stringent rules on transport safety for cars and buses have been implemented makes these measures all the more questionable.

One cannot help but suspect that a different scale is used to determine the worth of putting safety first, especially where most passengers are migrant workers. If we aspire to be a society in which ethics demands more than lip service, and one which does not apply values selectively, it seems we still have some way to go.

Tan Chui Hua (Ms)

The way we move workers doesn't do us proud

The following letter was published in ST Forum Online on 24 August 2009.

The way we move workers doesn't do us proud

NEEDLESS to say, I was very happy to read Wednesday's report, 'Workers on lorries get more protection'.

It was a tragic accident on the Pan-Island Expressway on Aug 23, 2007 ('13 workers flung out of crash lorry; one dead'), that led to my first letter to Forum ('Better mode of worker transport needed', Aug 28, 2007). The letter drew some positive feedback, even to the point where some people came to identify me as the 'advocate' of the cause of workers' transport safety.

Unfortunately, not much progress has been made since then.

On Feb 22 last year, The Straits Times published a well-documented and richly illustrated report on the subject, stating that 'safety takes a back seat for lorries' live cargo'.

The statistics in the most recent report further underline the sorry state of affairs: In 2007, there were 210 injuries and casualties, a 300 per cent increase over 69 of 2005.

The new safety measures come none too early. I am glad that MP Halimah Yacob questioned the appropriateness of a three-year period to fully implement these new rules.

Granted, slow and partial as it is, increased safety is still an improvement. It is also heartening to note that one aspect of the plight of hundreds of thousands of non-citizens in our midst got front-page coverage.

But I regret that, even after these new measures, we remain stuck with a mode of transport - visible to all, citizens and visitors alike - that is not flattering in a First World country like Singapore. Such treatment is not good for our public image. It is not dignified for our fellow men, nor is it good for ourselves as human beings.

Paul Staes

Lorries are designed to carry goods, not people

Lorries are designed to carry goods, not people

The following letter was published in ST Forum online on 24 August 2009.

I WRITE in support of last Thursday's letter by Ms Isabel Vadivu Govind, 'Safer? Workers shouldn't be on lorries at all'.

In 2006, I moved from the Netherlands to Singapore to experience a marvellous time living in your beautiful country. However, the first time I saw a lorry packed with people in the back, I was astonished and was convinced this must be an illegal way to transport people.

This is certainly not the norm in my home country. We do not even transport animals this way. Soon I learnt this is common practice to take foreign workers in Singapore to their workplace, but every time I saw it, I could not believe it was legal and accepted.

I did not want to think what would happen to the men if the lorry had to make an emergency stop or, even worse, was involved in an accident.

This should not be the way to transport people, especially when the men are so vital to Singapore's construction work. I had a hard time explaining this back home.

I read in the newspaper that in three years' time, lorries will have to meet new guidelines. These may appear to protect workers but they are far from sufficient and will not safeguard workers in the event of hazard.

In the long run, these small improvements may actually delay implementation of what is really needed: passenger vehicles, with seats and belts.

This is a requirement for all others in Singapore, so why these different standards?

Lorries remain designed to transport goods, and people should not be transported in this way.

Nel Broers (Ms)

Why the double standards when it comes to foreign workers?

The following letter was published in ST Forum online on 24 August 2009.

Why the double standards when it comes to foreign workers?

I REFER to last Thursday's letter by Ms Isabel Vadivu Govind, 'Safer? Workers shouldn't be on lorries at all'.

I have always been baffled by the fact that passengers in enclosed private cars are required by law to put on seat belts, but workers are allowed to travel in open lorries and pick-up trucks. Many accidents and deaths involving foreign workers transported this way have occurred over the years.

Higher cost has been cited by both employers and the Government as the main reason a safer arrangement cannot be provided. I cannot understand the logic of comparing human life with economic costs.

When a life is lost, it is lost forever and no amount of money can bring it back. Would we have accepted the argument if those dead were Singaporeans? Would we not have asked (or demanded) safer protection for workers on the road?

Every one of those lives lost is someone's father or son or brother or husband. If we can make seat belts compulsory for all car passengers, we should expect equivalent safety measures for foreign workers who have come all the way here at considerable expense to earn a living and help us build our nation.

Tan Thiam Soon

They're Not Cargo

The following letter was published in TODAY on 21 August 2009.

They're not cargo
Letter from Stephanie Chok
TODAY, Aug 21, 2009

I REFER to "Greater safety in phases" (Aug 19).

It is important that worker safety is emphasised. However, the new measures do not recognise that humans are being transported on the cargo decks of lorries - spaces meant for cargo, not people.

Modifying spaces not meant for transporting humans is not innovation to be welcomed - it is an attempt to be "cost-effective".

Most of us travel to and from work by buses, taxis, MRT, private buses or cars. These are modes of transport designed for people. How then can we, with a clear conscience, designate hundreds of others to sit on cargo decks as if they were goods, often squashed between mounds of equipment?

Fitting in railings and canopies do not transform a goods vehicle into a passenger vehicle. People sitting on cargo decks could still sustain injuries if they are flung against one another or to the back of the lorry.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck has said in Parliament that safety is paramount. If safety is the chief concern, why is the option of carrying workers in passenger vehicles not considered?

A colleague from Germany commented that seeing workers being transported like cargo on goods vehicles is shocking and does not fit in with Singapore's international reputation.

High safety standards may cost more but it is the socially-responsible thing to do. In other developed countries, it would be unthinkable to see workers transported like this.

It is one thing for a person to choose to work in a dangerous job, quite another for them to be exposed to daily risks and physical discomforts, with no choice in the matter.

Safer? Workers shouldn't be on lorries at all

The following letter was published in the Straits Times Forum on 20 August 2009.

Safer? Workers shouldn't be on lorries at all

I REFER to yesterday's report, 'Workers on lorries get more protection'. I am deeply disappointed with this decision to keep transporting workers on the cargo decks of goods vehicles and urge its reversal.

Are these goods vehicles meant for passenger transport? No. So they are inherently unsafe and as Dr Joseph Thambiah, head of National University Hospital's orthopaedic trauma division, has said, those sitting on cargo decks could still sustain injuries if they are flung against one another or to the back of the lorry.

The death rate in accidents arising from this mode of transport is reported to be six times lower than in other accidents. But this category of casualties should not even exist. Singaporeans who take other modes of transport choose to do so, but workers have no choice but to risk death or injury while transported in this manner.

I believe most developed nations do not transport workers in this manner.

According to the Land Transport Authority website, the work group which reviewed this practice did not include the voice of the most important stakeholders - affected workers. Migrant workers' non-governmental organisations were not included. Given a choice, it is clear that workers would choose passenger vehicles over cargo decks of goods vehicles.

I support Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's far-sighted call for workplace safety in April last year during the launch of the National Workplace Safety and Health Campaign.

He said Singapore felt bad if it was a Singaporean worker, 'but even more so if it was a foreign worker, who had come all the way here at considerable expense to earn a living and support his dependants back home, but whose efforts to improve his life had instead ended in disaster for himself and his family'.

PM Lee also rightly linked safety in the workplace to sound business sense and pointed out that injuries and deaths result in not only costs but also 'loss of reputation'. He urged employers to see 'good safety and health practices as an investment for the future, not an additional cost burden'.

I believe these comments are equally applicable to the safe transport of workers.

I also agree with the point made by Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Community Development, Youth and Sports and Transport) Teo Ser Luck that safety is paramount. If it is, then it should be the final determining factor, not cost.

Isabel Vadivu Govind (Ms)

“安全”与“成本”无法真正两全

The following letter was published in Zaobao on 20 August 2009.

“安全”与“成本”无法真正两全

做为一个从美国搬到新加坡居住的台湾人，常有远方的朋友问我：比起美国与台湾，新加坡有什么特别？我总回答：新加坡的绿化工作做得非常彻底，远胜于美、台两地各大都市。然而我也注意到，新加坡美丽的城市景观中有一个特殊的景象却一点也不美丽，那就是此地普遍以罗厘车斗运载外籍劳动者上下工的景观。我与我的朋友们都怀疑：把设计上用来运送货物与动物的车辆拿来做为运载乘客的交通工具，这样的做法真的安全吗？

　　果然，近几个月以来小型罗厘利用车斗运载工人发生意外的事件频传。报载昨日政府已针对加强运载工人的罗厘行驶安全做出决议，将从下月起至2012年逐步推行一系列的安全加强措施。政府对于工人安全的关怀值得喝采，然而决策者仅只决议加强罗厘的安全措施、而非全面禁止以罗厘运载工人，这样的决定引人深思。

　　在运输上， “安全”与“成本”是无法真正两全的。关于这一点，我们只需思考一个非常简单的问题：如果仅只透过颁布的补强措施就能够使得罗厘成为安全的运输工具，并且又维持其“成本低廉”的好处，那么交通部为什么不乾脆把所有的公车都改装成罗厘，或者鼓励一般民众使用罗厘来接送他们的孩子上下学呢？

　　显而易见的，无论安全设备如何升级，罗厘的安全性就是低于一般载客型的运输工具。而既然没有人会主张工人的人身安全比起一般乘客的安全要来得不重要，那么政府就不应允许业主基于成本理由牺牲工人的安全。换句话说，如果工人的人身安全是不可以打折扣的，那么为了工人安全所付出的成本也就该被视为一个企业的基本营运成本，不可打折。要让新加坡真正里外兼美---既有外在环境的美，也有关怀其每一个住民基本人身安全的人性之美---请全面禁止以罗厘运载工人。

　　作者：蔡晏霖

Company fined for death of worker

The following article was published in TODAY on 19 August 2009.

Company fined for death of worker
By Esther Fung 

TODAY
19 August 2009

CORROSION prevention services company See Hup Seng was fined $80,000 by the Subordinate Courts yesterday, following summons from the Ministry of Manpower in connection with the death of an employee hired by its contractor and subsidiary.

The mainboard-listed firm had been charged under the Workplace Safety and Health Act with failing to take necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of employees hired by a contractor when at work.

In a filing to the Singapore Exchange, See Hup Seng did not provide details on how the employee died, but said the accident took place at its factory in 81 Tuas South Street 5 in August last year.

Executive director and acting chief executive officer Lim Chee Kong said the firm has made provisions for the fine in its financial statements for the six-month period ended June 30, 2009.

The firm could have been fined a maximum of $500,000.

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Foreign worker quota won't be eased or tightened

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 19 August 2009.

Foreign worker quota won't be eased or tightenedd
By Kor Kian Beng
19 August 2009
Straits Times

NOMINATED Member of Parliament Teo Siong Seng yesterday called for a relaxation of the foreign worker quota in sectors where firms face difficulty hiring locals willing to work long, irregular hours.

The plea from Mr Teo, who is president of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, arose because of concerns among some bosses that the quota might be tightened to save jobs for locals.

However, Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong allayed such concerns, saying the quota system has not been tightened.

But to improve the quality of the workforce, the Government wants to raise the quality of foreign workers through measures like tighter accreditation.

Mr Gan said it would be unwise to relax foreign manpower policies now. This is because the labour market remains soft and is likely to remain so this year, given the cautious economic outlook.

He instead urged firms with manpower problems to consider hiring fresh graduates. They should work with government agencies and the labour movement, which will help look for suitable workers.

Mr Teo said later that Mr Gan's assurance will address concerns in some industries over the quota - the number of foreign workers a firm can hire for each local worker employed. It varies across industries. He said companies such as those in the food and beverage sector operated round the clock and found foreign workers more willing to take up the jobs.

Separately, Minister of State (Manpower) Lee Yi Shyan gave an update on the foreign worker situation during the downturn. Among other things, he informed Madam Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC) that in the first six months of this year, the ministry handled complaints of unpaid wages of about 4,500 foreign workers.

These violations affected just 0.5 per cent of the one million foreign workers here. 'In other words, the vast majority of foreign workers are working in Singapore, and are being treated fairly by employers,' he said.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

‘Unwise’ to relax foreign worker policies, says Manpower Minister

The following article was published in TODAY on 19 August 2009.

‘Unwise’ to relax foreign worker policies, says Manpower Minister
By Lin Yan Qin
TODAY
19 August 2009

WHILE a downturn may not be the time to relax quotas for hiring foreign workers, businesses are concerned about the tightening of quotas, said Nominated Member of Parliament Teo Siong Seng yesterday.

Responding to Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong who said it would be “unwise” to relax foreign manpower policies given the soft labour market, Mr Teo pointed out that businesses found it difficult to recruit Singaporeans willing to work long hours.

Mr Gan clarified that the overall quota framework system has not been tightened, but the more stringent skills requirements to qualify as S-pass holders and skilled workers may have resulted in employers finding it difficult to find qualified foreign workers. “Over the long term, we must ensure that the overall quality of the workforce must be raised gradually,” he said.

Hence, criteria such as qualifications and experience must be tightened.

Should the ministry then — at the same time — get employers to improve the remuneration and working conditions in sectors heavily dependent on foreign manpower, as well as to step up efforts at job redesign and improve productivity, so as to pay workers well, asked Aljunied MP Yeo Guat Kwang.

Employers, he added, ought to be more transparent in their recruitment process to ensure foreign manpower hired had the necessary job and language competencies.

Mr Gan agreed, saying the tripartite are cooperating to train and improve the productivity of Singapore workers. He also said an interministerial workgroup is currently studying this, and that employers have to make sure they hire qualified foreign manpower.

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Greater safety in phases

The following article was published in TODAY on 19 August 2009.

Reproduced photo caption: Foreign workers crowded on the back of a pick-up truck. (Photo from TODAY)

Greater safety in phases
By Lin Yanqin

TODAY
19 August 2009

AFTER nearly 18 months of consultation and study, the measures to enhance the safety of workers being transported in the open back carriages of lorries have at last been finalised.

However, it will be another three years before the full slate of measures — which include installing canopies and higher side railings on the back of lorries — are rolled out, as they will be implemented in phases, beginning next month.

This led some Members of Parliament to wonder aloud yesterday if three years were too long a lead time, given that “life and limb” are at stake.

“(Installing railings) is a very simple job, so why do you need three years to do that?,” asked Aljunied MP Cynthia Phua.

The three-year time period, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck, is necessary to give lorry owners time to comply.

“We have to consider the businesses and the small and medium enterprises as well, cost factors are also a consideration for them, and we also have to know in the medium term what they can do (or can’t do),” he said.

In the meantime, some new measures will take effect next month, and lorry owners also face stiffer penalties if they do not comply. For instance, the penalty for carrying more workers than allowed has been raised to $500 for the first offence, up from $200, with harsher penalties for more serious cases.

In announcing the new measures, Mr Teo pointed out that the current measures have been “generally effective”, with annual average fatality and injury rates at about six times lower than the corresponding rates for all vehicles over the past few years.

“The evidence from the accident figures does not suggest that a drastic change to the policy is warranted,” he said.

But how could this be, given that a case in which 16 foreign workers were injured occurred just two weeks ago, questioned Jurong MP Halimah Yacob.

Mr Teo did not respond directly to her query but stressed that safety is “paramount”.

With the cost of installing side railings estimated to be $400 to $800, and the cost of installing canopies about $1,500 to $3,000, industries will no doubt feel some pain.

But the Singapore Logistics Association’s land transportation committee chairman Poh Key Boon said it is better than imposing a total ban on the transportation workers on the back of lorries, as it is not always cost-effective to charter vans and buses to transport a few workers.

Companies should do more to incentivise safe driving, such as giving cash bonuses, Mr Poh said.

NEW MEASURES

From next month:

• No part of a seated worker may be more than 1.1m from the carriage deck

• Passenger seats of lorry cabins must be filled before workers occupy the rear carriage

• Enforcement operations and outreach efforts to be stepped up

• Penalties for non-compliance enhanced

• LTA hotline (1800-CALL LTA) for public to report instances of non-compliance

From next January:

• New lorries to carry workers on carriage deck must be fitted with higher protective side railings

• Canopies must be installed

• Lorries have until Aug 31, 2012, to comply with new rulings

From Sept 2012:

• Minimum deck space required per seated worker will be doubled to 8 sq ft so that fewer workers can be transported on one vehicle

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Workers on lorries get more protection

The following story was published by the Straits Times on 19 August 2009.

Reproduced photo caption: Rails along the backs of lorries will have to go higher so that there is less chance of a worker being flung out in case of an accident. The decks will also have to be fitted with canopies as a safety measure and to shield them from rain. -- ST PHOTO: LIM SIN THAI

Workers on lorries get more protection
By Teh Joo Lin
19 August 2009
Straits Times

Safety rules tightened and will be phased in over a three-year period

ACTION is finally being taken to ensure that foreign workers are ferried more safely to and from their workplaces.

Rails along the backs of lorries will have to go higher so that there is less chance of a worker being flung out in an accident. The decks will also have to be fitted with canopies as a safety measure and to shield them from rain.

The Government wants all lorries which double as worker transport to have these features installed in three years. They should also provide more seating space, which effectively halves the number of workers each vehicle can carry.

In the meantime, stop-gap measures will kick in from next month: No part of the worker can be more than 1.1m higher than the cargo deck when he is seated. Among other things, the penalties for breaches will also be increased and enforcement intensified.

The changes, announced in Parliament yesterday by Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Teo Ser Luck, come more than 16 months after a workgroup was set up to look at the safe ferrying of workers.

A total of 210 passengers on the cargo decks of lorries were injured or killed last year, up from 69 in 2005. There have been public calls for a ban on using lorries to ferry foreign workers or to have seat belts installed on their decks.

Mr Teo told Parliament that the injury and fatality rates of those ferried on the backs of lorries were low - about six times lower than that of all vehicles. The workgroup found that the existing measures - such as a speed limit of 60kmh - were generally effective.

'Specifically, the evidence from the accident figures does not suggest that a drastic change to the policy is warranted,' he told the House, adding that the recommendations were put up to 'further enhance' the safety of workers.

The changes were a relief to those in industries such as construction and logistics, who had feared an outright ban or the introduction of new safety measures that would add to their cost.

Mr Simon Lee of the Singapore Contractors' Association yesterday praised the practicality of the measures.

'We think it is reasonable and we are supportive. To go for a total ban, I don't think our public transport system is ready to have about 200,000 workers - or part of that number - use public transport.'

Mr Steven Soo, a vehicle retrofitter, estimated that it will cost about $1,800 for a 10-foot-long lorry to be installed with the higher railings and a metal hood.

Unlike the retrofitting of mini buses that ferry school children which are partly subsidised by the state, lorry owners will have to pay their own way.

Mr John Gee, president of Transient Workers Count Too and a vocal critic of the current practice of ferrying workers, said the new measures were 'a step forward'. But transporting workers in buses should still be the ultimate goal, he said.

'If a lorry overturns, even with higher sides, the results are likely to be pretty well as serious as they are now. There's added protection but there's still quite some way to go,' he said.

Dr Joseph Thambiah, head of National University Hospital's orthopaedic trauma division, said the absence of restraints or seat belts means that those sitting on the cargo deck could still injure themselves if they were flung against each other or thrown to the back of the lorry.

President of the National Safety Council Tan Jin Thong welcomed the tightened rules, but thinks a 'safety mindset' among workers, drivers and employers is key to reducing the casualty count.

'Once we have that, the accident rate will automatically be reduced,' he said.

When contacted, Jurong GRC MP Halimah Yacob, who had asked for an update of the workgroup's report in Parliament, said she was glad there was 'some progress' on the issue, but wondered if the three-year time frame - designed so businesses could phase in the changes - was too long. 'The other challenge would be enforcement. It'll be a big challenge - there are thousands of lorries all over Singapore, thousands of work sites. How do you ensure compliance?'

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Complaints rise 40%, violators taken to task

The following article was published in TODAY on 19 Aug 2009.

Complaints rise 40%, violators taken to task
By Lin Yan Qin
TODAY
19 August 2009

A SPECIALISED task force was set up in January, and in the first six months of this year, the Manpower Ministry (MOM) has handled complaints of unpaid salaries from some 4,500 foreign workers.

This is an increase of 40 per cent from the second half of last year, said Minister of State for Manpower Lee Yi Shyan, giving an update on the situation of migrant workers in Parliament yesterday.

He was responding to questions from Member of Parliament Halimah Yacob (Jurong GRC).

The cases came mainly from nine companies, which were detected by the task force.

Despite the increase, Mr Lee stressed that the incidence of violation is less than 0.5 per cent of the total foreign workforce, and that the “vast majority” of foreign workers in Singapore are working and treated fairly by their employers.

MOM has also stepped up on enforcement in various areas, with more than 7,100 foreign workers relocated to proper housing from March to June this year, and 157 foreign workers were found to have been illegally deployed by employers in the first half of this year.

So far this year, seven companies have been prosecuted in relation to unpaid salaries, 26 employers in relation to phantom worker scams, 28 companies for not providing proper accommodation, and six companies for illegal deployment.

The taskforce has also been monitoring companies for signs of inability to pay the foreign worker levy or salaries to detect potential problems earlier and prevent salary arrears from snowballing, added Mr Lee.

Meanwhile, action has also been taken against foreign workers who have committed offences, with 74 prosecuted between January and April this year for providing false information, and four for working illegally without a valid work pass this year.

To assist legitimate workers who had been affected by errant employers, MOM has helped to arrange for settlement packages and repatriation, and helped more than 400 workers to find new employers here.

But what about the possibility of errant companies simply registering as a different legal entity to continue to hire foreign workers? asked Mdm Halimah.

Mr Lee did not confirm if there had been such cases, but stated that action would be taken against such companies, as with any company that violated conditions for hiring foreign workers.

“MOM, through our task force set up this year, has stepped up enforcement paying attention to this kind of companies,” he added.

(c) 2009. MediaCorp Press Ltd.

Migrant Dreams

The following documentary, Migrant Dreams, was made by Lynn Lee & James Leong of Lianian Films (http://lianain.blogspot.com), for Al Jazeera.

Summary: Each year, tens of thousands of migrant workers travel to Singapore hoping for a better life. When the economy was booming, those promises were largely fulfilled. But as a global recession takes hold, horror stories are emerging.

LTA Press Release - New Measures on Safety of Workers on Lorries

More Stringent Measures To Enhance Safety Of Workers Transported On Lorries

1. The Workgroup 1 , co-chaired by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), in consultation with various stakeholders - industry groups, safety experts and transport operators, has completed its review on measures to enhance the safety of workers transported on lorries. Among the set of stringent measures recommended to enhance the safety of workers transported on lorries are stiffer penalties for errant lorry owners and drivers who flout safety regulations, ramping up of enforcement activities and tightening of rules for carrying workers on the carriage deck of lorries.

2. These measures have been accepted by the Government and will be rolled out progressively in the next three years.

Workgroup Recommendations

3. Findings from the Workgroup show that the current safety and enforcement measures have generally been effective in keeping the fatality and injury rates of workers transported at the back of lorries low (please see Annex A for details of current measures). Fatality / injury rates involving workers transported on the carriage deck of lorries were much lower compared to all road accidents 2 . However, the Workgroup recognises that as a significant number of workers (estimated to be more than 200,000 workers) are transported on lorries daily across industries, there is a need to enhance existing measures to further improve the safety of workers.

Recommended Measures

4. The Workgroup has recommended various measures that would be phased in over 3 years. Measures that would be implemented are:

From 1 September 2009

i. Lower maximum allowable height of a seated worker
To further lower the risk of a worker falling off from the back of a lorry, no part of the worker when he is in a sitting position shall be more than 1.1 metres from the carriage deck. This is lower than the current requirement which specifies that no part of the worker, when he is in a sitting position, shall be more than 3.2 metres above the road surface.

ii. Passenger seat(s) in the lorry's cabin must be filled up before workers can be carried at the rear carriage of lorries
All the passenger seat(s) in the lorries' cabin must be filled up before workers can be transported on the carriage deck. Aside from the benefit of having more passengers seated in a safer environment, the front seat passenger(s) can also assist the driver by ensuring that workers carried on the carriage deck area, if any, are properly seated, and remind the driver to abide by the speed limit.

iii. Enforcement operations further stepped up
Enforcement activities have been intensified against lorry drivers who do not observe safety regulations since 2008. This will be further stepped up.

iv. Penalties for non-compliance enhanced
Penalties will be enhanced for drivers and owners who fail to comply with safety regulations, including carrying excess workers above the vehicle's Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC).

v. Hotline to report non-compliance with safety regulations
The public can help by calling the LTA Hotline (1800-CALL LTA) to report any instances of non-compliance spotted on the road, such as lorries carrying excess workers or in a dangerous / precarious manner.

vi. Expand outreach programmes
Ensuring safety is the joint responsibility of the Government, employers, drivers, workers and other road users. Government agencies such as LTA, MOM, Traffic Police and the various associations will continue in outreach programmes to educate employers and workers on their responsibilities and showcase welfare and safety best practices.

From 1 January 2010

vii. Lorries registered from 1 January 2010 and used for carrying workers on the carriage deck must be fitted with higher protective side railings - up to a height of at least 700 mm (up from 550 mm) from the carriage deck, and at least 300 mm (up from 150 mm) from the top of the side-boards. To effectively shelter workers from inclement weather, lorries will also need to be fitted with canopies if they are to carry passengers on the carriage deck.

From 1 September 2012

viii. Minimum deck space required per seated worker will be doubled to 8 square feet from the current 4 square feet from 1 September 2012. This will reduce the number of workers that can be transported on lorries as compared to what is stipulated today, and will lower the risk exposure in the event of an accident. The lead time of three years will also allow businesses to phase in operational changes and make decisions on their existing assets.

Measures for existing lorries

5. For existing lorries, owners will be given a lead time of three years (i.e. up to 31 August 2012) to install the higher protective side railings and canopies, if they are to continue to be used to transport workers.

6. For more details of the new measures, please see Annex B.

7. In addition, current safety regulations as follows will continue to apply:

i. Vehicle must not travel faster than the posted road speed limit or the vehicle speed limit of 60 km/h, whichever is lower

ii. Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC) label must be displayed on the lorry.Owners who wish to use their lorries to carry their workers must display a Maximum Passenger Capacity (MPC) label on the right side of the rear tailboard indicating the maximum number of workers that can be transported.

iii. Goods transported must be properly secured
If goods are also transported, they must be properly secured such that they will not endanger the workers carried or other road users 3 . Industry Stakeholders Support New Measures

8. Mr Jeremy Yap, co-chair of the Workgroup and Group Director, Vehicle and Transit Licensing with LTA, said, "The more stringent measures took into account various considerations. These measures prioritise safety within practical and reasonable limits. We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with stakeholders to ensure the safe transportation of workers."

9. Mr Chan Yew Kwong, co-chair of the Workgroup and Deputy Director of MOM's Construction and Equipment Safety Branch, added, "The measures recommended by the Workgroup will help to enhance the safety of workers traveling on lorries. All stakeholders, including employers, drivers and workers, need to do their part to implement these measures, follow safety rules and keep our workers safe as they are ferried to and from the worksites."

10. Mr Poh Key Boon, Chairman, Land Transportation Committee, Singapore Logistics Association supported the new measures, stating, "We recognise that lorry owners, drivers and workers will be affected due to the more stringent measures. However, great care and consideration went into ensuring minimal impact and maximising the safety and welfare of workers being transported on the back of lorries. We encourage lorry owners, drivers and workers to start taking an active role today to ensure safety comes first during the journey."

11. Mr Tan Jin Thong, President of the National Safety Council of Singapore affirmed, "Safety is of course a primary concern. At the same time, we are glad that the workgroup's recommendations are reasonable and practical such that it does not paralyse the affected industries. Although the industries will require some form of adjustment such as displaced workers and stiffer penalties, this is supported because the lives of everyone including workers are precious and we see the importance of making their journeys as safe as possible."

12. Mr Chua Chee Wai, Head, Operations and Training, Traffic Police, and Workgroup member said, "Everyone has a shared responsibility to make journeys safer for workers. This includes lorry drivers who also need to exercise care for their passengers and observe safe driving habits. So, let's all play our part and keep our roads safe."

Enclosures

* Annex A: Existing Safety Measures for Workers Transported on Lorries
* Annex B: Details of Measures to Enhance Safety of workers
* Annex C: Executive Summary of Workgroup's Review

______________________

1 The Workgroup, co-chaired by LTA and MOM, was formed in 2008 to review and further enhance the safety of workers transported on lorries. Members comprise of Association of Singapore Marine Industries (ASMI), Defence, Science & Technology Agency (DSTA), Ministry of Transport (MOT), National Safety Council of Singapore (NSC), Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL), Singapore Logistics Association (SLA), Singapore School & Private Hire Bus Owners' Association (SSPHBOA), Singapore School Transport Association (SSTA), Singapore Transport Association (STA), and the Traffic Police (TP).

2 Over the past several years, both the fatality and injury rates were about 6 times lower than the annual average fatality and injury rates of all road accidents over the same period.

3 Open lorries with a maximum laden weight not exceeding 3,500 kg which are only used to transport goods (i.e. not used to transport workers) will still be required to have side protective railings along the sideboards of the rear carriage deck to prevent goods from falling off the carriage deck.

2nd death at Sentosa IR in 1 month

This article was published by the Straits Times on 10 Aug 2009.

Falling metal pipe kills worker at Sentosa IR
10 Aug 2009
By Kimberly Spykerman

It is second industrial death at Resorts World site in a month

ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

A 300KG metal pipe came crashing down on the head of a foreign worker at the Resorts World worksite at Sentosa, killing him instantly.

It is believed that Mr Annamalai Chandramani was taking a break from work on Saturday evening when the pipe, which was being moved above him, fell right onto him.

Mr Annamalai, 33, suffered multiple fractures to his neck and was pinned under the heavy pipe.

A 30-year-old worker who was at the scene told The Straits Times that there was a lot of blood.

It was the second industrial death at the Resorts World site in Sentosa in a month since work began there about two years ago.

Just last month, another foreign worker, a China national in his late 40s, died from head injuries sustained when he fell from a height of about 4.5m.

Two months ago, Lian Beng Construction was fined $100,000 for a safety lapse at the other integrated resort (IR), Marina Bay Sands, which led to the death of a worker in January last year.

The 39-year-old China national died after a brick wall collapsed on him.

The latest IR death comes amid a drive by the Government to shore up safety at worksites.

In 2007 and last year, 130 workers died on-site, with more than half of them from the construction and marine industries.

About 20 of Mr Annamalai's friends and colleagues were at the mortuary yesterday as their manager identified his body.

They all described him as a very nice and good person.

Mr Annamalai had come to work in Singapore six years ago from Pondicherry in India. He is married with two young children, aged four and seven.

Resorts World said the accident would not delay the completion of the integrated resort as no stop-work order had been issued so far.

The management is also working with the contractor, Siong Yu Seng Construction, and the Manpower Ministry in the investigations.

A spokesman added that they were 'deeply saddened' by the incident and were helping Mr Annamalai's family with the funeral arrangements.

His body will be flown back to his hometown.

Aside from the safety inspectors hired by the contractors, Resorts World also has an independent safety officer on-site who enforces safety measures on a daily basis, such as ensuring that workers always don their personal protection equipment and wear safety harnesses when working from height.

Mr Annamalai was supposed to have attended a special National Day dinner prepared by the Resorts World management and the contractors back at the dormitory that same evening.

2nd Death at IR construction site within 2 weeks

This article was published in TODAY on Monday, 10 Aug 2009.

THERE has been a second death of a construction worker in the space of two weeks at the Resorts World at Sentosa worksite, the Police confirmed yesterday.

On Saturday, a 300kg metal pipe fell on the head of a 33-year-old foreign worker. Mr Annamalai Chandramani was pinned by the heavy pipe and suffered multiple fractures. He died on the spot.

Just two weeks ago, a Chinese man in his late 40s fell to his death from a height of about 4.5 metres at the construction site.

The Manpower Ministry did not issue a stop-work order for the earlier incident, and has not done so after the latest death.

Foreign worker cuts 'not solution'

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 8 August 2009.

Foreign worker cuts 'not solution'
By Sue-Ann Chia, Senior Political Correspondent
8 August 2009
Straits Times

Sliding productivity cannot be addressed totally by tweaking quotas, say two ministers

TWO ministers yesterday cautioned against calls to reduce employers' access to foreign workers as a way to improve the productivity of the Singapore worker.

Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said it may be too simplistic to assume that such a move will automatically lead to higher worker output.

Echoing this view, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said at another event: 'Just zeroing in on foreign workers alone is not the total solution.'

But he conceded that 'it is something that needs to be looked at'.

Their comments come a day after labour MP Josephine Teo called on the Government to re-tune foreign worker policies, saying easy access to foreigners could be a reason productivity is sliding.

It dipped 15.4 per cent in the first quarter, compared with the same period last year, continuing a steady decline since the last quarter of 2007.

Responding to Mrs Teo, Mr Gan said such policies must be calibrated carefully.

'If we are not careful, it will instead create rigidity and distortion in the labour market, add costs to businesses and undermine their competitiveness,' he said in a speech at his ministry's National Day observance ceremony.

'To achieve real sustainable growth in productivity, there is no alternative to concerted efforts by all parties and a lot of hard work on the ground.'

The issue of reducing reliance on foreign workers also cropped up at the National Day ceremony at NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute, which Mr Mah attended.

Citing the construction sector, he told reporters: 'Just reducing the dependence on massive amounts of cheap labour is not the answer to our productivity problems...We need to make the job more attractive, make the industry more attractive.'

The Government has begun to boost productivity with an inter-agency task force.

Set up in February, it is focusing on raising output in three industries in the service sector. They are retail, hotels, and food and beverage.

The issue is also being tackled by the Economic Strategies Committee which, among other things, is looking at having a 'sustainable foreign worker population that complements the local workforce and supports a high productivity economy'.

Mr Gan heads its labour sub-group.

Yesterday, he also responded to a finding of a new survey by government feedback unit Reach, released on Thursday. It shows that some Singaporeans were dissatisfied with employment policies relating to older workers and foreigners.

Said Mr Gan: 'Their anxiety is expected given the severe downturn and the uncertainty we are facing this year.'

But he assured Singaporeans there are jobs available and new ones will continue to be created. For two years, from January this year, about 45,000 new jobs are estimated to come onstream.

Some job seekers, however, may not have the skills for the new jobs, he noted.

'It is therefore very important that we help job seekers in a targeted way, by addressing their skills gap, managing their expectations and preparing them better for their new jobs.

'I also encourage job seekers to be patient and work with us so that we can help them more effectively.'

Government measures such as the Jobs Credit scheme and Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (Spur) have also helped people cope with the downturn, he said.

Citing Jobs Credit, he said the subsidy for employers' wage bills has minimised or deferred layoffs at three-quarters of companies polled in a new survey.

'This means most companies viewed retrenchments as a last resort,' said Mr Gan, referring to the survey his ministry did over the last three months.

About 4,200 companies, employing a total of 930,000 workers, were polled.

Another finding is that more than 70 per cent of the companies know of Spur, which provides subsidised training.

But four in 10 have no plans to send their workers for such training. Some felt it was not relevant while others said they have in-house training programmes.

Said Mr Gan: 'There is no one-size-fits-all solution but refinements, if any, can be done for Spur to reach out to more companies and workers.'

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Nine foreign workers contract malaria at Jurong Island

The following article was published by Channel NewsAsia on 8 August 2009.

New malaria case at Jurong Island
8 August 2009
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Another foreign worker has contracted malaria at Jurong Island, bringing the total number of cases there to nine.

The 25-year-old construction worker stays and works at Jurong Island. The Health Ministry (MOH) said he has no recent travel history and did not contract malaria before coming to Singapore.

He fell ill on July 26 and the MOH was notified on August 3. All nine malaria victims at the Jurong cluster are foreign workers aged 24 to 46.

Malaria is a serious and potentially deadly disease that is transmitted through bites from infected Anopheles mosquitoes.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has not detected Anopheles breeding since June 12, and no adult mosquitoes have been caught since June 11 from NEA's weekly adult mosquito trapping operations.

Chemical fogging at Jurong Island was carried out from August 4 to August 6, and residual spraying of dormitories was conducted on August 4.

NEA will continue with intensive surveillance and adult mosquito trapping to monitor the population of Anopheles mosquitoes in the area.

(c) 2009 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Simplistic to assume cutting off foreign workers would improve productivity

The following article was published by Channel News Asia on 7 August 2009.

Simplistic to assume cutting off foreign workers would improve productivity
07 August 2009
Channel NewsAsia

SINGAPORE: Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said it may be too simplistic to assume that reducing employer's access to foreign workers will automatically lead to an improvement in productivity.

If Singapore is not careful in its policy response, it would instead create rigidity and distortion in the labour market.

This would add costs to businesses and undermine their competitiveness.

Mr Gan's comments came a day after a call from NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Josephine Teo for the government to rethink its foreign workers policy in a bid to boost productivity.

She said the steady decline in productivity in recent quarters is an unintended consequence of the foreign worker policy.

Mr Gan said to achieve real sustainable growth in productivity, there is no alternative to concerted efforts by all parties and a lot of hard work on the ground.

He stressed all stakeholders need to take ownership of the productivity challenge.

Mr Gan said: "If we are not careful, it will instead create rigidity and distortion in the labour market, add costs to businesses and undermine their competitiveness.

'To achieve real sustainable growth in productivity, there is no alternative but to concentrate our efforts by all parties and a lot of hard work on the ground. We need all stakeholders to take ownership of the productivity challenge."

Mr Gan was speaking at a National Day Observance Ceremony on Friday.

He added that a joint taskforce involving the Manpower Ministry and the Trade and Industry Ministry has been set up to look at ways to enhance productivity in Singapore.

Mr Gan added: "The taskforce has identified key strategies to spearhead the productivity drive in three sectors, namely retail, hotels and F&B. On the ground, we are now working closely with the industry through SPRING and STB to implement these strategies.

'For employers, higher productivity means higher profits. For workers, higher productivity growth translates into more sustainable wage increases and a bigger take-home pay at the end of the month.")

Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Manpower, Mr Lee Yi Shyan is overseeing the taskforce. - CNA/vm

(c) 2009 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved

Call to tweak foreign worker policy

The following article was published by the Straits Times on 7 August 2009.

Call to tweak foreign worker policy
By Kor Kian Beng
07 August 2009
Straits Times

Labour leader suggests changes in 3 areas to tackle fall in productivity

LABOUR leader Josephine Teo wants the Government to 'retune' its foreign worker policy to arrest the declining productivity of Singapore workers.

Mrs Teo, who is also a Member of Parliament, has three suggestions on how to tweak the policy to reduce the over-reliance on foreign labour in sectors where the problem is rife.

Doing so will force the companies to review their work processes and improve their standards and this will lead to a boost in productivity, she said yesterday.

Mrs Teo, an assistant secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), was speaking to about 150 workers of Tien Wah Press at the printing company's ceremony to mark National Day.

Her call echoes a growing chorus in the labour movement for measures to halt the slide in labour productivity, or output per worker. It dipped 15.4 per cent in this second quarter, compared with the same period last year, continuing a steady decline since end-2007.

But the fault does not lie with Singaporean workers because they 'have been working as hard as they have been in the past', she said.

She pointed a finger at local companies, saying they failed to work smarter during an economic boom, choosing instead to hire foreign workers as an easier, cheaper option to meet higher orders.

Singapore has around one million foreigners in its workforce. About 870,000 are unskilled work permit holders labouring in construction and as domestic helpers. But falling productivity is an 'unintended consequence' of the foreign worker policy, she said, which she described as fundamentally sound.

She proposed changes in three areas:

One, reduce the foreign worker quota in sectors with stagnating or falling productivity. She declined to identify the sectors, saying the Manpower Ministry is examining the productivity on a sectorial level.

The Government has set up a high-level Economic Strategies Committee to explore new ways for Singapore to grow its economy. One of its aims is to cut the reliance on foreign labour.

For every local worker employed, the construction sector can hire seven foreign workers; the marine sector, five; manufacturing, roughly two; and services and landscaping, one.

Two, raise the quality of foreign workers allowed in, by setting higher skills standards and tightening regulations to ensure their superior qualifications are what Singapore requires.

Third, reward industries or firms that are productive with a higher foreign worker quota. Mrs Teo cited Tien Wah Press as one company that is doing things right.

The Japanese-owned firm prints commercial titles like coffee-table books and children's books. Despite the downturn, it invested in new machinery that could raise output by 40 per cent, as well as focused on reducing wastage by 30 per cent.

Mrs Teo, who had urged the Government to re-look the foreign worker quota during last year's Budget debate, said she is re-visiting the issue to offer another option as a solution.

She stressed she is not casting her call as a 'foreign versus local' debate. 'The real issue is of productivity, standards and quality,' she said.

(c) 2009 Singapore Press Holdings Limited

Worker who lost fingers wins suit

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 6 August 2009.



Aug 6, 2009
Straits Times
Lost fingers: worker wins suit
Sub-contractor liable but not his direct employer, whose costs it will pay
By K.C. Vijayan, Law Correspondent


A CHINA worker who lost three fingers at work was offered $88,200 in Workmen's Compensation, but he said no thanks, and jointly sued his employer and another company.

Mr Ma HongFei's decision was vindicated last week, when he won an unusual judgment in court - he won one part of the suit, but lost the other.

But though he lost part of his case, he will not have to pay legal costs. The judge ordered that these will be borne by the company he sued successfully.

Mr Ma's troubles began two years ago, while he was working at a site in Gul Road, Tuas.

He was using a grinder when a 4m-long metal pipe fell from above and hit the index, ring and little fingers on his left hand.

The impact thrust his fingers into the grinder, and crushed them.

He was taken to the National University Hospital for treatment, but doctors could not save his fingers, and they were amputated.

After investigations by the Ministry of Manpower, Mr Ma was offered Workmen's Compensation.

But he refused, as he felt the sum was too low for the permanent disability he had suffered.

Mr Ma decided to sue both his employer, U-Hin Manufacturing, and the company he was sub-contracted to, BT-Engineering, which fabricates offshore equipment.

Last week, Justice Lai Siu Chiu found BT-Engineering negligent. However, U-Hin was not to blame, she said.

In the grounds for her judgment published yesterday, Justice Lai said U-Hin was merely a labour supplier and could not be blamed.

BT-Engineering, on the other hand, was held liable because a temporary shoring at its worksite that would have held the pipe in place had been removed.

This caused the pipe to fall and hit Mr Ma, the judge ruled.

She thus ordered the company to pay damages, which would be assessed by the Registrar, as well as costs.

Mr Ma was also allowed to recover from the company the legal costs he had to pay U-Hin.

Mr Ma's lawyer, Mr N. Srinivasan from Hoh Law, said he would make submissions on the quantum of damages in due course.

Yesterday, when contacted by The Straits Times in Shanghai, where he now lives and works, Mr Ma said the skills he had acquired over many years as an electrical technician are now useless, as no one would hire him for such work.

Instead, he now works as a watchman earning 1,100 yuan (S$230) a month - less than a third of what he drew before he left for Singapore in 2007.

Mr Ma, who is married and has a four-year-old son, said the loss of his fingers made doing even small chores such as washing his own clothes, difficult.

But he still counts himself lucky.

'It is just the fingers and not the head or leg that got hit, and I can say my kid still has both parents,' he said.

Former public servants charged with graft

The following article was published in TODAY on 5 August 2009.

Former public servants charged with graft
Aug 05, 2009

TWO former public servants were in court yesterday to face corruption charges in two separate cases.

The first case involves Gordon Tan Hock Lye, a former Senior Investigation Officer at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

In January 2006, Gordon, 33, had corruptly obtained $1,000 from Wu Huixia, a female Chinese national, according to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

The money was an inducement to provide a passport to Wu so that she could leave Singapore illegally.

At that time, Wu was required by MOM's Foreign Manpower Management Division to remain in Singapore in connection with an on-going investigation.

Investigations also showed that earlier, in Sept 2005, Gordon had on two occasions performed unauthorised modifications to the contents of the Foreign Manpower Management Division's computer.

This was to change the renewal period of the Special Pass for Wu and another female Chinese national.

The second case involves a former police officer with Bedok Police Division, Tan Chee Kwong.

According to the CPIB, in July 2006, Chee Kwong had corruptly accepted gratification in the form of companionship with a nightclub hostess paid by a person identified as Loh Chien Wei.

This was in return for rendering assistance in police-related matters to Loh.

In May 2007, Chee Kwong, 34, again allegedly accepted gratification in the form of entertainment and companionship with a nightclub hostess from Loh.

Investigations also showed that Chee Kwong had, without authority, accessed data in the Police's system to locate the particulars and address of a particular individual.

Anyone found guilty of corruption can be fined up to $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to five years.

As for the charges related to computer misuse, Chee Kwong can be fined up to $5,000 and/or jailed for up to two years.

As for Gordon, he faces a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years on each computer misuse charge.

Ex-MOM officer charged for corruption

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 4 August 2009.

Ex-MOM officer charged
By Elena Chong
Aug 4, 2009

A FORMER Ministry of Manpower investigation officer was hauled to court on Tuesday for corruption and computer misuse.

Gordon Tan Hock Lye, 33, a former senior investigation officer at the ministry's foreign manpower management division, is said to have modified data in the computer relating to a Chinese masseuse's renewal of her special pass from one day to 14 days on Sept 6, 2005.

Twenty days later, he allegedly modified another Chinese masseuse's renewal of her special pass from 14 to 28 days.

Tan is also alleged to have obtained a $1,000 bribe from Wu HuiXia to provide her a passport so that she could leave Singapore illegally.

The alleged offence took place at a coffeeshop along Joo Chiat Road on Jan 23, 2006.

Ms Wu, whose passport had been seized, was at the time required to remain in Singapore in connection with an ongoing investigation.

If convicted, he faces a fine of up to $10,000 and/or a jail term of up to three years on each computer misuse charge.

For corruption, the maximum penalty is a $100,000 fine and a five-year jail term.

His case has been fixed for a pre-trial conference on Sept 10.

Lorry carrying foreign workers crashes, 16 hurt

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 3 August 2009.

Lorry carrying foreign workers crashes, 16 hurt
Mon, Aug 03, 2009
The Straits Times

Last year, 210 workers riding in the back of lorries were injured and two died in road accidents.

A GROUP of foreign workers riding on the back of a lorry were injured yesterday morning after it collided with a bus, in yet another of such accidents.

An accident in May killed four workers perched in the back of their lorry after it crashed into a trailer in Tuas. Last year, 210 workers riding in the back of lorries were injured and two died in road accidents.

Yesterday's crash was also in Tuas and 16 workers from Bangladesh and Thailand were hurt, one of them seriously, with fractures to his legs. A passenger from the private bus was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The accident yesterday took place at about 6.50am after the lorry collided with a private bus at the junction of Tuas Road and Pioneer Road.

The workers are believed to be working for Edmund Dawn Marine Engineering, a shipbuilding and repairs company. A company representative at the hospital refused to comment.