Residents of Eunos can be assured that strict safety protocols will be enforced at the temporary dormitory for migrant workers on the Bedok North Secondary School site, said Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Pritam Singh.
Mr Singh, who is also the chief of the Workers’ Party, said in a Facebook post on Wednesday (20 May) that the residential protocol at this point “requires workers to return to the dormitory immediately after work” and prohibits them from leaving the premises upon their return.
Buses will also be deployed into the school grounds “to pick up and disembark the workers each morning and evening” or depending on their shifts, said Mr Singh.
This is to avoid creating traffic congestion along Jalan Damai, he explained.
Employers, said Mr Singh, will be made responsible for their workers’ upkeep and are expected to make arrangements for their migrant workers to have “access to groceries and sundries as required”.
Mr Singh said that based on the Ministry of Education (MOE) Dormitory taskforce’s on-site briefing for him and the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council on Tuesday evening, workers are set to begin moving in “shortly” at an unspecified date.
“I walked through the completed rooms yesterday – apart from beds and cupboards at a safe distance, there is a water dispenser in each room, including a WiFi point. Additional piping has been affixed to provide for showers in toilet cubicles as school toilets are not commonly outfitted with showers,” he observed.
The makeshift dormitory, said Mr Singh, “has been catered for around 400 workers”.
Mr Singh also noted that part of the MOE Dormitory task force team will be residing with the workers “in shifts”.
The members are from Outward Bound Singapore, which is part of the network of Outward Bound centres worldwide.
“I was heartened to hear of this partnership and spoke to the assigned dormitory manager for the Bedok North Secondary School site, Wilfred from OBS.
“I introduced the dormitory task force members to the Town Council staff in Eunos, including Alan, the Aljunied-Hougang Town Council’s relationship manager in Eunos.
“I felt the introduction was important so the dormitory team could reach out for any support/assistance as required and vice-versa,” he said.
Mr Singh also called upon Eunos residents to extend their “full support to this initiative” during the necessary period and to submit to him any questions regarding the temporary dormitory.
“I understand some of you may have questions on the activation of Bedok North Secondary School as a temporary dormitory.
“Please do not hesitate to reach out to me, and I will do my best to give you as much information as I can on this matter.
“In the event I do not have the information you require, I will seek the same from MOE or the relevant authorities,” said Mr Singh.