The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has been conducting island wide operations for the past few months, and four foreigners have been arrested for working illegally as delivery riders here.
In a Facebook post on Monday, September 8, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon stated that, in response to complaints from the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), enforcement checks were conducted in more than 30 potential hotspots.
In recent MOM operations, 269 delivery workers were checked. A foreign national was detained and is being investigated for allegedly working illegally without a valid work permit.
Koh said, “In total, we have checked 644 delivery workers in the past few months, leading to the arrest of four foreigners for working illegally without valid work passes.”
To address the problem of foreigners working illegally as delivery riders and how it impacts local platform workers’ wages, a trilateral work group was established in July.
By the end of the year, the group—which includes MOM, Grab Singapore, the Ministry of Transport, and the National Trades Union Congress and its affiliated associations—hopes to submit its recommendations.
Koh stated in his Facebook post that during MOM’s operations, delivery personnel from conventional logistics firms, restaurants, and other retail establishments were also inspected.
He said, “Among the delivery riders checked, 22 were work pass holders performing deliveries for their companies,” adding, “Some of them used their own transport which can include foreign-registered motorcycles. These are allowable and would not be considered illegal.”
This comes after a number of social media posts featuring delivery riders riding motorcycles with license plates registered in Malaysia raised concerns among local platform employees.
Foreign nationals who work illegally without a valid work permit risk a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years in jail, or both.
According to MOM’s earlier statements, these people will be permanently prohibited from working in Singapore if found guilty.
The same penalties may be imposed on platform companies or local delivery riders who are found to have enabled illegal employment by permitting foreigners to use their accounts.
In his Facebook post, Koh also stated that MOM will keep working with NDCA to carry out routine inspections at possible hotspots and urged people to report any suspected instances of foreigners engaging in illegal delivery work.
