'This is our way of saying thank you, we really appreciate the partnership of all riders'
McDonald's Singapore marked on Monday its first-ever Delivery Riders' Day in a bid to pay tribute to the gig workers.
In a statement, the food chain said the day aims to "commemorate, celebrate, and appreciate food delivery riders for their hard work, commitment, and contributions."
McDonald's celebrated the event by gifting a total of 15,500 free meals for delivery riders across all the food chain's 140 branches on Monday afternoon. The meal consists of a 2pc Chicken McCrispy Salt+Pepper, Banana Pie, and Dasani Water.
Benjamin Boh, managing director of McDonald's Singapore, said that they recognise the challenges faced by food delivery riders amid the pandemic, and they hope to express their appreciation through the event.
"As an early pioneer in the delivery business, we have become a brand with a key delivery presence in Singapore. We pride ourselves on delivering feel-good moments to our customers and are incredibly grateful to all food delivery riders in Singapore who support us in this delivery experience," said Boh in a statement.
"We know that these past two years of the pandemic have been challenging for food delivery riders – and this is our way of saying thank you, we really appreciate the partnership of all riders."
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The tribute for food delivery riders came as the government continues to look into more ways of offering them employment protections, a concern as platform riders do not receive the same level of protections compared to regular employees.
The Singapore government last year launched the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers to look into three areas of concern for platform workers, such as enhancing housing and retirement adequacy, providing financial protection in the event of work injury and strengthening representation.
The committee's findings revealed that the platform workers raised the issue of Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions.
"This is not surprising, as platform workers today only make CPF contributions to their Medisave Accounts for their healthcare needs. In the coming months, we will continue with our engagement efforts, and encourage all stakeholders, including platform workers, to share their views," said Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon back in April.
