Delivery riders meet Pritam Singh over platform worker issues

About 20 delivery riders gathered in Bedok Reservoir Road on the evening of July 7 to meet Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh.

They raised concerns such as the outsourcing of delivery jobs to contractors which can hire foreign workers, and how the algorithm for various delivery platforms works.

The dialogue at the void deck of Block 615 Bedok Reservoir Road - where Mr Singh holds his Meet-the-People Sessions - took place three days after the Government announced the formation of a work group to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on delivery work and affecting the earnings of platform workers.

The work group comprises the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Transport, technology firm Grab and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

NTUC had flagged reports of foreigners illegally completing delivery jobs without work permits, adding that this created illegal or unfair competition for delivery workers.

Riders who attended the dialogue with Mr Singh, secretary-general of the opposition Workers' Party, told The Straits Times that they voiced concerns that some foreigners working for contractors could be taking away delivery jobs made available to them.

The session took place from around 7.15pm to 7.45pm right before a Meet-the-People Session for Mr Singh's Eunos residents in Aljunied GRC. It was organised by former delivery rider Danny Teh, 40, who contacted Mr Singh via e-mail.

Reporters were not allowed in at the half-hour dialogue, which Mr Singh described as a private session.

Now a business owner, Mr Teh said the main issue riders faced was not foreigners illegally taking on platform work, but contractors - who, in turn, hire foreigners - potentially taking away delivery jobs from the riders.

He said he has been engaging the authorities and various MPs on issues faced by delivery riders for the past year, as his brother is a full-time delivery rider.

Mr Teh said he approached Mr Singh as he felt the WP chief was the right person to bring up these issues in Parliament.

A delivery rider who attended the session, Mr Luqmanul Hakim Othman, 27, spoke of riders who purportedly create many accounts on a single platform, thereby decreasing the probability of other riders getting a delivery job.

He said many riders who attended the dialogue showed positive reactions. "As workers, it is very difficult for us to express our opinions... so in a way, this may help improve our welfare," he added.

According to those present, Mr Singh told the riders that he will raise the issue in Parliament.

When approached by reporters after the dialogue, Mr Singh said he has heard only one side of the story and would need to consider the other side before weighing in.

Grab had said on July 4 that it is committed to working alongside the Government and NTUC to safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers and stamp out illegal delivery services. It said it has measures to prevent foreigners from registering as platform workers.

Food delivery firm foodpanda told ST it takes "a zero-tolerance stance towards fraudulent activity and account misuse". It said that at present, its riders have to verify their identities through facial recognition at the start of each work session, and that only Singaporeans and permanent residents can register on its platform.

"We have robust controls to prevent the use of foreign-licensed vehicles and are continuously improving our platform security features to mitigate illegal riders accessing our platform," it added.

Deliveroo, another food delivery provider, said it does not tolerate unauthorised account sharing on its platform. As part of its onboarding process for riders, Deliveroo said, all prospective riders must provide documents verifying their eligibility to work in Singapore as a citizen or permanent resident.

Mr Singh did not comment when asked after the July 7 dialogue about his appearance on popular Malaysian podcast Keluar Sekejap, which prompted the ruling PAP to question why he discussed Singapore politics there.

WP had said Mr Singh is not part of the executive, and no legal convention had been communicated to him that limits his speech, here or overseas.