Singapore to build new dormitories, set rules on migrant workers’ living standards

At least 11 new dormitories will be completed within the next two years, housing some 60,000 workers, with plans to construct more down the road for another 40,000 workers. These purpose-built premises will come equipped with amenities including mini-marts, barber services, and indoor recreation facilities.

Describing the plan as a “major building programme”, national development minister Lawrence Wong said at a virtual press conference that the aim was to reduce the density of the dormitories and to design new ones that would be “more resilient to public health risks”.

The authorities will also introduce new rules, including increasing the living space of workers, limiting the number of occupants per room, and having more sick bays and isolation facilities.

“The changes will be necessary to better protect the workers from widespread transmission, and to strengthen the resilience of the dormitories against pandemic risks,” said manpower minister Josephine Teo.

The announcement comes amid concerns over the cramped and poor living conditions of commercially-operated migrant worker dormitories that house some 300,000 of the country’s 1 million low-wage workers – a factor some critics cite as having led to the dramatic surge in coronavirus cases in Singapore.

The infections have sparked a broader discussion on whether the island nation should rely less on foreign labour in the post-coronavirus era, with second minister for finance Indranee Rajah saying that Singapore should accelerate automation of some tasks. But trade minister Chan Chun Sing had said last week that unlike other countries, it would be hard for Singapore to cut down on foreign labour due to its size and the lack of natural resources.

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Singapore Land Transport Authority workers now living on-site after Covid-19 outbreak in dorms

Singapore Land Transport Authority workers now living on-site after Covid-19 outbreak in dorms