Lorry Load of Trouble

The New Paper ran this article on 26 May 2009:

Lorry load of trouble
By Ho Lian-Yi

It's common to hear Singaporeans gripe about having to be packed like sardines on trains and buses during peak hours.

But take a look at these pictures - and see how foreign workers are being transported daily.

They put up with bumpy rides and battle the elements. Worse, it is dangerous.

Four workers were killed last Monday after the lorry that was carrying them crashed into a trailer at Tuas.

We spoke to a few foreign workers to find out what it's like to travel on the back of a lorry.

Mr Arman, 29, a Bangladeshi, told The New Paper that he gets to sit in the front of the lorry these days - one of the perks of being a supervisor.

But he still remembers vividly the "scary" rides at the back.

The ride from his workers' quarters in Yishun to his worksite in Haig Road takes 25 minutes.

When the drive brakes suddenly, "those behind also come to the front", he said.

He has also seen workers getting hit by low-lying branches - causing injury in some cases.

What is really dangerous, Mr Arman said, is when companies carry equipment and men on the same lorry. When it's overloaded, workers have to sit on the machinery.

He said his workers bought a 5m-long canvas sheet to protect themselves from the rain. When it pours, they huddle under the sheet, holding hands.

Despite the recent accident, nothing has changed, Mr Arman said.

Another Bangladeshi workers, 38, who declined to be named, said that recently, one of his colleagues injured his leg falling off a lorry when it surged forward before he had properly climbed onboard.

Although he has worked in Singapore for 19 years, he said he had to take lorries only in the last two years. Previously, he lived onsite.

The lorry rides are very bumpy, he said. And that hurts his spine.

"One year, two years, so much damage to my back," he said.

Sometimes, when the lorry ends up behind a rubbish truck, the stench is unbearable, he said.

He added that when the workers get caught in the rain and fall sick, some foremen are unsympathetic.

Other workers though, had better experiences.

Indian national Muthu Senthil, 28, who has worked in Singapore for five years, takes the lorry from Tuas to Marina Bay at 7am every day. It's a 45-minute ride.

While there are no seat belts, he said everyone holds on to the handlebars at the side tightly. And people do not fall off as the driver moves off only after the workers have told him that everyone is secure.

No mixing

They also do not mix equipment with workers.

"If they need to get equipment, they'll make a second trip," Mr Senthil said.

Singapore roads are straight, he added, and not dangerous.

Mr Bala Supramaniam, 27, said his driver, a Singaporean, was "very good" and cleans his lorry every day.

"He follows the speed limit, even on the highway," he said.

His lorry has plywood planks securely bolted to the sides for the workers to sit, and handles to grasp.

Mr Bala deals with the dust and smoke of the roads with a handkerchief over his mouth.

What he is unhappy about is the way many workers get on or off a lorry while it's still moving.

All the foreign workers we spoke to said they preferred to be transported by bus. But most were not optimistic that there will be changes any time soon.

Said Mr Arman, "If I tell my boss, buy a bus for us, he'll say, 'waste money for what?'"