Following a succession of traffic accidents in 2021 involving migrant workers transported on the rear decks of lorries, 47 organisations and members of the public called upon the Ministry of Transport to secure migrant workers’ safety on roads. It was then met with a joint statement by business and trade associations that cautioned against higher operational costs and challenges of alternative transportation.

In pragmatism-driven Singapore, economic viability is almost always found at the centre of contention, although it raises fair but oftentimes morally grey questions. In this survey conducted by Milieu Insight in October 2023, we find out what young Singaporeans aged 16-35 think about the transportation of migrant workers on lorries’ rear decks, offering a glimpse of Singapore’s relationship with its migrant workers.

When distance makes the heart less fond

Singapore’s relationship with migrant workers is hardly more than transactional, for they are generally seen as mere means to the country’s economic needs, and are the ones who take up jobs that are never part of a Singaporean’s career plan A, B or C. As such, migrant workers tend to be seen as foreigners who warrant poorer treatment, as acknowledged by 62% of our respondents.

Our survey found that only 31% agreed with the practice of transporting migrant workers on the rear decks of lorries. However, when we probed further on whether this practice should continue as long as rear decks are fitted with canopies and higher side railings — measures that were introduced over a decade ago, an information that was not included in the survey — the percentage of respondents who agreed with this practice increased to 55%. 

This alludes to a lack of knowledge among Singaporeans about what’s being done or not done to protect migrant workers’ safety, and also an oblivion to the inadequacy of existing measures as evident in recent traffic accidents. It highlights the longstanding disconnect between citizens and migrant workers, and a resulting indifference or ignorance towards the very different realities that migrant workers experience.

Who pays for the price of life?

As transactional as the relationship with migrant workers, the discourse on their transportation safety has largely centred around economic viability, where safer but more operationally costly and complex transport options give little incentive for businesses to make the switch. 

The response to calls for more safety measures triggered questions to whether the additional cost of safety is worth putting a bigger price tag on migrant workers, and of course, who should have to pay for it. According to our survey, 81% of young Singaporeans think that businesses should bear the additional costs, followed by the government (41%). Meanwhile, only 7% think that they themselves should do so. 

That said, the price tag that is attached to every migrant worker is not always payable in dollars - in the event of an accident, injuries, much less death, can have lifelong impact on their livelihoods.  The majority of respondents (90%) supported the provision of safe and reliable transportation for migrant workers, but as we’ve seen earlier, more conversations and more education on the plight of migrant workers are needed to continue to push for a long overdue change.

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