Ng Chee Meng: Urgent action needed to address foreign workers taking delivery jobs illegally in S'pore

NTUC secretary general Ng Chee Meng said on Jul. 4, 2025 that he's calling for a trilateral workgroup to address the issue of foreign workers doing delivery jobs illegally in Singapore.

"We need to take urgent action to address this issue and I've asked our senior-level work group to address this issue urgently," he said.

NTUC and their associations will work with Grab, the Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry of Transport to find solutions for these platform workers.

He noted that some may be misusing accounts on platforms, while others are reportedly taking on delivery jobs from outsourced companies despite not having work permits.

Ng said this has a direct impact on legitimate Singapore delivery workers.

"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," he said.

He said this would add on to the challenges platform workers are currently facing, including long hours, lack of uncertainty of earnings, and dealing with increased competition from illegal hitch services.

A media statement by NTUC echoed these calls.

The labour union pointed to their work with affiliated Platform Work Associations (PWAs) which resulted in the Platform Workers Act being passed in September 2024.

In response to NTUC's call for the formation of a platform workers trilateral group, the Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Transport, together with NTUC and Grab, have formed a trilateral group.

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, and Group Managing Director of Operations of Grab Yee Wee Tang.

In the two ministries joint statement, they said the trilateral group will collectively aim to address platform workers’ challenges and safeguard their well-being in view of the rapidly evolving platform economy.

They also called Grab’s proactive participation a strong signal on the commitment of platform operators in collaborating with the government and NTUC to address "salient issues".

They will also explore bringing the other platform operators into the discussions subsequently.

The statement said the trilateral group provides a regular platform where the government can support partners in their efforts to resolve issues that may require regulatory interventions.

Grab also said they were committed to work alongside the government to safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers.

"We are committed to work alongside the government, NTUC, and other platform operators to safeguard the livelihoods of platform workers and create solutions to stamp out illegal delivery services.

Grab has measures in place to prevent foreigners from registering as platform workers, and we will work as a trilateral group to share and co-develop best practices to protect platform workers.

Together, we will support the development of a sustainable platform economy that continues to deliver value to both platform workers and consumers."

Image from NTUC