A Facebook page set-up to report about the wrongdoings of McDonald’s restaurants’ delivery riders and also of the wrongs done to them, ‘Above the Law’, has said in a post that McDelivery riders are overworked, and suffer from not being able to rest appropriately during their breaks. We republish their post in full.
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We received feedback alleging that McDelivery Riders are often required to work long hours that include compulsory overtime.
A McDelivery Rider who approached us alleged that his Malaysian colleagues residing in Johor are made to take breaks of up to 3 hours during lull periods so that the actual hours worked do not exceed the maximum allowable hours set out by the Singapore Ministry of Manpower. This practised is known as “SPLIT-SHIFT”. According to him, these Riders are often tired as they are unable to get proper rest even during long breaks as they cannot return home and are not provided with proper sleeping facilities. He explained that Malaysian Riders have to leave their homes in Johor very early to get to work and take a long time to return home after work.
He described three specific recent incidents involving Malaysian Riders that he was concerned about:
1. A Malaysian Rider who had worked from 1800hrs to 0400hrs was required to report back to work 6 hours later at 1200hrs. If true, how much rest could this Rider possibly get considering time it would take for him to travel to and from his home in Johor?
2. A Malaysian Rider who was on shift from 1200hrs to 2200hrs was instructed a couple of hours before his shift ended to report at 0800hrs for his next shift. When he tried to explain that he would be too tired to report as instructed, he was shouted at. He decided to take medical leave instead as he was feeling fatigued after days of working long hours and travelling to and from his home in Johor.
3. A Malaysian Rider who had reached his limits had expressed his intention to immediately resign. However, he was warned that he would have to pay a penalty of approximately S$800.00 if he chose to resign without giving sufficient notice. As the Rider could not afford the penalty, he continued to work.
We have also learnt that the actual working hours recorded in the computerised attendance system can be adjusted/manipulated. The practice of adjusting the hours worked usually for rounding off purposes is known as “SHAVING”.
Too many McDelivery Riders have met with accidents. Several have lost their lives while working.
Delivery Riders spend a great deal of time on the road during which they must be alert so that they can react promptly to any unexpected hazards/situations. We are of the view that it is dangerous for Delivery Riders to work 12 hour shifts. Stakeholders must take immediate action to prevent another accident.