Singapore — Workers’ Party Member of Parliament Jamus Lim updated the public on the performance of the new cleaning contractor at Anchorvale, noting that while there have been some improvements, there are elements that he remains dissatisfied with.
Cleanliness has been an issue at Anchorvale, and Dr Lim wrote in a Jun 15 Facebook post that “The feedback from residents was that the state of estate cleanliness was not as high as it used to be.”
This led to the decision to change Anchorvale’s cleaning contractor sometime last month, at around the same time that a Covid-19 cluster had been detected at a coffee shop there.
And on Jun 28, nearly a month since the new contractor had been hired, Dr Lim wrote a Facebook post to let the public know how things are going.
“While there have been elements where we remain dissatisfied with regard to quality (and being fully cognizant of the challenges faced in operating without a full complement of foreign workers), we believe that, in most cases, the team is steadily getting better, and conditions have improved significantly,” wrote the MP, adding that they would continue to monitor the situation closely “offer points of feedback for improvement, and hold the crew to account, where necessary. Our residents expect no less.”
Many netizens commented their approval on Dr Lim’s post, and some continued to ask specific questions from the MP.
One netizen commented on the importance of feedback rather than frequent complaints.
On Jun 16, Dr Lim posted a photo compilation of all the trash bins in Anchorvale, adding in a comment later that the transition between the cleaning crews has been “rocky.”
And in another Facebook post from the day before, he sought to explain why there’s been more trash than before.
One of the reasons Dr Lim mentioned is the increase in people working from home due to the pandemic, which has “meant a surge in trash generation, leading to more rubbish and higher workloads.”
The MPs have had to balance the prices quoted by cleaning contractors and the quality of service they provide, noting the manpower-to-household ratio contractors offered.
He wrote that the shift to the new cleaning crews has had its challenges.
“The transition has, predictably, been disruptive, and cleaning was set back in the interim, as a new team had to come in, learn the ropes, and develop a routine. Their job had been further complicated by the islandwide labor shortage, which has afflicted other town councils, too.
Over the past week and this one, I spent time with the new contractor’s director and our respective property officers, visiting different clusters, to discuss standards, point out issues, and highlight idiosyncrasies. I took what seemed to be an inordinate number of photos of estate issues (including hundreds and hundreds of trash bins), both to report for rectification, and to track progress.”
Dr Lim admitted that there would be “additional teething challenges in the months ahead,” and said that the goal is to “not only to meet but exceed the quality that our residents have come to expect.”
Encouraging residents to continue to send in feedback, he asked for some patience in the meantime.
/TISG
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