To better house foreign workers, the government plans to build a substantial number of dormitories over the next two to three years, revealed media reports quoting Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
“We believe that foreign workers in Singapore ought to be treated fairly and properly. We do not stand for ill treatment or unfair treatment of foreign workers. We have to make sure they are well treated, they are paid properly on time, their safety is taken care of, their living conditions are up to standard, and they are given full protection of the law,” he said.
Despite efforts to limit the inflow of foreign workers, Mr Lee noted that their population still needs to be managed. In fact, an on-going Inter-Ministerial Committee has been set up to look into their welfare.
“One of the focuses was to try our best to see how we could speed up the construction of more dorms, so that the workers who are now housed in HDB estates or private properties, which have been rented out, they can be put in proper dorms.”
“Then I think they can be better taken care of and there can be less impact on the community,” he added.
In an earlier report, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the government was open to the idea of housing a number of foreign workers on nearby offshore islands.
In a written response to a query made in Parliament, the Minister also said not all offshore islands are suitable, due to the lack of supporting infrastructure such as sewers and other planning considerations.
Mr Khaw added that the government will continue to house foreign workers properly, without causing inconvenience either to them or to Singaporeans.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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