Four foreigners have been arrested for working illegally as delivery riders here, after islandwide operations conducted by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) over the past few months.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said in a Facebook post on Monday (Sept 8) that enforcement checks were carried out in over 30 potential hotspots following complaints from the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA).

In recent MOM operations, 269 delivery workers were checked. A foreigner was arrested and is under investigation for allegedly working illegally without a valid work pass.

“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,” said Koh.

Work group formed to address illegal platform work 

In July, a trilateral work group was formed to address the issue of foreigners working illegally as delivery riders, and how it affects the earnings of local platform workers.

The group, consisting of MOM, the Ministry of Transport and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress and its affiliated associations, aims to submit its recommendations by the end of the year.

 

In his Facebook post, Koh said that delivery workers from traditional logistics companies and eateries and other retail businesses were also checked during MOM’s operations.

“Among the delivery riders checked, 22 were work pass holders performing deliveries for their companies,” he said. 

“Some of them used their own transport which can include foreign-registered motorcycles. These are allowable and would not be considered illegal.”

This follows recent concerns from local platform workers after a series of social media posts showed delivery riders using motorcycles with Malaysia-registered licence plates.

Foreigners who work illegally without valid work passes face a fine not exceeding $20,000, imprisonment of up two years, or both.

MOM had previously said that upon conviction, these individuals will be permanently barred from working in Singapore.

Platform companies or any local delivery riders found to have abetted illegal employment by allowing foreigners to use their accounts may also face the same penalties.

Koh also said in his Facebook post that MOM will continue to partner NDCA to conduct regular checks at potential hotspots, and also encourages members of the public to report suspected cases of foreigners performing delivery work illegally.

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Chingshijie@asiaone.com