Rights groups welcome ban on caged lorries for worker transport, but say more can be done

“My feeling is that they’re like animals in a cage,” he said. “I think this ban is good.”

But rights groups say the ban does not go far enough. 

Dr Stephanie Chok, executive director of migrant worker rights group Humanitarian Organization for Migration Economics (HOME), described it as “a small step in the right direction in signalling that migrant workers deserve dignified transport”. 

She cautioned that lorries themselves remain an unsafe mode of transport regardless of whether they are fitted with cages.

These caged lorries also constitute just 1 to 2 per cent of the 50,000 lorries in Singapore, she said.

“As such, this measure will affect only a small fraction of workers, who will still continue to be transported on the back of lorries and exposed to the same risks as before,” she added. 

Mr Ethan Guo, executive director of migrant workers rights organisation Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), said the “ultimate goal” should be to phase out goods vehicles entirely for worker transport in favour of passenger buses.

“There will be costs involved in doing the right thing, yes, but in return, the workers arrive at work in peace and consequently perform better in their jobs the rest of the day,” he said.

“This isn’t something that should be viewed through the lens of profit and loss, but the value of a human life.”