Clarifying Regulations Restricting Employed Delivery Riders from Undertaking Food and Parcel Deliveries

Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Manpower in light of recent enforcement actions against illegal platform work (a) whether the Ministry can clarify what are the regulations restricting employed delivery riders from undertaking food and parcel delivery; and (b) how will the Ministry ensure that legitimate workers and businesses are not inadvertently penalised by regulatory or enforcement actions.

There are no regulations restricting Singaporeans and Permanent Residents from taking on food and parcel delivery work, whether by becoming platform workers or working as employees for firms that deliver items, or both. In contrast, foreigners may only take on delivery work under an employer-employee relationship if they have a valid work pass. They are not allowed to be platform workers as the Ministry does not issue work passes for such work.

As announced earlier this month, the Platform Workers Trilateral Group has issued recommendations to address illegal activities in the platform sector, such as foreigners using local platform workers’ accounts to perform platform work. Under the recommendations, the Government and platform operators will strengthen enforcement and set stringent penalties to stamp out such illegal activities. These efforts are targeted at individuals performing illegal platform work as well as those who have abetted the illegal work. Legitimate workers and businesses that do not run afoul of the law will not be penalised.

Nevertheless, as part of the increased enforcement checks, we acknowledge that legitimate workers and businesses may also need to be checked and inconvenienced. The Ministry appreciates our local delivery riders who took time to assist in our enforcement checks over the past few months. We seek our delivery riders' understanding to work with us to deter illegal activities in the platform sector.