Trilateral work group formed to address allegations of foreigners illegally taking on platform work

SINGAPORE – A work group has been formed by the Government, following a call by the labour movement to tackle the issue of foreigners illegally doing delivery work here and impacting the earnings of platform workers.

The trilateral work group consists of the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Grab Singapore, as well as the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) along with its affiliated associations.

In a joint statement on July 4, MOM and MOT said that the group will be overseen by Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Sun Xueling, NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng, and Grab’s group managing director of operations Yee Wee Tang.

This comes after Mr Ng had earlier on July 4 called on the Government to form such a work group to address the issue, as well as other challenges facing platform workers, who contract with platform operators to provide services, primarily in ride hailing and delivery.

Their ranks here include private-hire drivers working for companies like Grab and Gojek, and delivery riders for services like GrabFood, foodpanda and Deliveroo.

Mr Ng said in a statement: “Our platform workers are vulnerable, as they face a variety of challenges in making a living. It is not right that they suffer from reduced earnings due to competition from illegal workers.”

NTUC said it had received feedback about such illegal practices through its regular engagement with platform workers.

“Some of these foreigners illegally take on delivery jobs directly on platforms by misusing accounts,” said NTUC. “This is not allowed, as platform work can be undertaken only by Singaporeans.”

NTUC also noted that platform operators here are allowed to outsource delivery jobs to other companies, which can hire foreigners with work permits to fulfil the jobs.

However, there have been reports of some foreigners illegally performing such jobs without work permits, it said.

“This creates illegal or unfair competition for our delivery workers, and it has a direct impact on their earnings,” it added.

This latest problem comes on top of other challenges that platform workers already face, such as income instability, noted NTUC.

Such instability can be caused by drivers or riders having a lack of clarity on what kind of jobs they will be allocated and how much they will earn, as these are determined by algorithms.

Platform companies also have incentive schemes that encourage longer working hours, which can lead to safety issues, NTUC added.

The labour movement noted that, in the past year, unauthorised ride-hailing services have also sprouted up on messaging apps like Telegram, eating into the ride-hailing pie and reducing the earnings of private-hire drivers.

MOM and MOT said the trilateral group will collectively address these challenges faced by the workers, and “safeguard their well-being in view of the rapidly evolving platform economy”.

The ministries added that the proactive participation of Grab, a key player in Singapore’s platform economy, sends a strong signal on the commitment of platform operators in collaborating with the Government and NTUC to address salient issues.

“We will explore bringing the other platform operators into the discussions subsequently,” said the ministries.

A Grab spokesman said in a statement that the company is committed to working alongside the Government, NTUC and other platform operators to stamp out illegal delivery services and safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers.

The spokesman added that Grab has measures in place to prevent foreigners from registering as platform workers, and will work as part of the group to share and co-develop best practices.

The ministries also said that the new trilateral group will be a regular platform for the Government to support efforts to resolve issues that may require regulatory intervention.

In a Facebook post, Mr Ng said that NTUC and its associations – the National Delivery Champions Association, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association and the National Taxi Association – have successfully championed the rights of platform workers through the passage of the Platform Workers Act, which came into effect in 2025.

Under the Act, platform operators are required to provide work injury compensation insurance for platform workers, and to pay more in Central Provident Fund contributions, among other things.

“But more must be done, and quickly,” Mr Ng added.

This is as challenges such as foreigners doing delivery jobs illegally make it harder for platform workers to earn a stable income to support themselves and their families, he said.