SCDF should keep closer eye on overcrowded housing

This letter was published in TODAY on 15 April 2015.

We refer to the report, “Two workers dead, three injured in Geylang fire” (April 4).

In the aftermath of the fire, which killed two Bangladeshi workers and destroyed the possessions of another 30, the landlord and the employer both denied knowledge of the workers’ overcrowded living conditions.

Their ignorance is no excuse. Urban Redevelopment Authority rules mandate that landlords of private residences, regardless of the size, limit the number of occupants to eight. Employers should know better than to claim innocence, since the Manpower Ministry requires them to submit and update details of their foreign workers’ addresses.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), which has uncovered nearly 70 unauthorised dormitories in Geylang alone in the last four months, should be on the alert for more illegal dormitories across the country.

In December, another blaze in Geylang killed four Malaysians who were working as cleaners. A review of our enforcement practices is in order. For instance, the SCDF should consider setting up a hotline to be alerted to illegal dormitories.

Overcrowded housing has been exacerbated by the construction boom and influx of foreign workers. It is time to recognise that our economic growth is also fuelled by the low wages and lack of welfare of our foreign workforce. More preventable tragedies would recur if we do not treat these workers with the dignity they deserve, and provide them with adequate protection.

Even as we call for punishments for those whose negligence cause the loss of lives, the issue of victim compensation must be raised. Families are left to bear the victim’s debt even as they mourn their loss. Workers whose belongings were destroyed in the fire deserve as well to be compensated for the loss of their hard-earned money.