PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES SINGAPORE SECOND READING BILLS FOREIGN EMPLOYEE DORMITORIES BILL Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Madam, I declare my interest. I work in a local bank, which provides financing for foreign workers dormitories. Thank you for allowing me to join this discussion. Presently, all foreign workers’ accommodation has to meet regulatory standards set by no less than five Government agencies, namely Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and National Environment Agency (NEA). These comprehensive rules set minimum space allocation, fire and structural safety, environmental health and hygiene, water and sewage standards to ensure the safety and well-being of workers. However, in reality, enforcement of these standards has been a challenge. As there are so many foreign worker housing all over our small island, regular inspections of all of them are not possible. Errant employers and housing operators take advantage of this and their workers’ helplessness to flout the law with impunity. Violations have been persistent and range from overcrowding to fire safety. Hence, I agree with the government’s decision to increase the number of Purpose-Built Dormitories (PBDs). Monitoring the standards of these PBDs will be more practicable and sustainable. However, employers are naturally concerned that such a decision might favour dorm operators and lead to higher business costs. They are worried that with no alternative accommodation for their employees, they would be at the mercy of dorm operators. Would the Ministry consider setting up an independent council similar to the Public Transport Council to regulate pricing of dorms so that operators will compete instead on non-price factors? This Bill encompasses additional regulations for dormitories with 1,000 or more beds. They address the management of public health and safety issues, security and public order issues and the maintenance of social and commercial facilities and services. While I support these additional measures, I would like to ask the Minister how the figure of 1,000 was arrived at. Whether it is a smaller dorm with a few hundred residents or a bigger one with 1,000, similar problems could arise. In the event of an infectious disease outbreak, racial or national tension, for example, the tipping point can be reached at 100 or 200 workers. In any dorm with a couple of hundred workers from a wide mix of countries, there should be measures to ensure harmonious living. Should the hundreds of thousands of workers housed in smaller dormitories, especially those within worksites, not be protected as well by the new regulations? In addition, how will it be possible for the Ministry to ensure a level playing field for all dormitory operators with different requirements for dorms of different sizes? Next, I would like to check if it is compulsory for Work Permit holders working in certain sectors to be housed in PBDs. If this is indeed the case, what the reasons are. Mdm Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): This Amendment is targeted at dormitories with 1,000 beds or more. Should the Government also consider setting a limit on the maximum number of beds for these facilities? This is because we must make sure if a conflict unfortunately breaks out, the Government can quell the unrest effectively, in the shortest possible time, so that workers staying there and the managers are safe. In my view, congregating the dormitories at one location or spreading them to different places, each has its pros and cons; same with putting the majority of workers up at one dorm or separating them at different dorms. How to balance? The two is very important. Besides guidelines on hardware facilities, “software” issues such as the proportion of dormitory staff and managers to boarders, and the staff training is also important. The communication between the dormitory staff/managers and the boarders is important, so is the care and concern shown towards the workers. This can effectively prevent unhappy incidents from happening and will help employers raise productivity. Every now and then, we would hear about how awful the living conditions of some foreign workers’ dormitories are. Unscrupulous employers and dormitory owners, in order to profit, knowingly put up the workers in over-crowed, unhygienic and unsafe dormitories, taking advantage of the fact that the workers are not familiar with Singapore and helpless. The reason why we keep seeing this kind of problems is because the possibility of being caught is low and the punishment is not severe enough. This Bill is in tandem with the long-term measures taken by the Government. At the same time, MOM should conduct surprise inspections, and mete out punishment accordingly against those who flouted the rules and make sure employers to comply. Hope we can effectively solve this thorny problem once and for all. (In English): Madam, I support the Bill.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 09:28:49 +0000
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