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CNA
3 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Bukit Canberra hawkers contractually bound to provide free meals under pay-it-forward scheme, lawyers say
SINGAPORE: Hawkers' participation in a scheme to provide free meals at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre is mandatory based on the language of their tenancy agreements, said lawyers consulted by CNA. A 2024 version of the contract seen by CNA states that a stall tenant 'shall participate' in the pay-it-forward programme 'as implemented and/or directed by the company', requiring them to set aside 100 meals at their own cost for the scheme. Another clause requires the tenant to provide at least two menu items below S$3 and display them prominently. The tenant shall also offer a 10 per cent discount on their other menu items to CHAS Blue, Pioneer Generation and Merdeka Generation card holders, another clause read. Managing partner of Lighthouse Law Adrian Wee said it does not appear from the wording of these clauses that the hawkers' participation in the scheme is voluntary. "The use of the word 'shall' suggests that the tenant is obliged to participate in the scheme and that this is one of the several obligations imposed on the tenant under the tenancy. "The fact that the scheme has not yet started has no bearing on whether the tenant will eventually be obliged to participate if and when the scheme starts," he added. Lawyer Chooi Jing Yen also agreed that the word "shall" means the hawkers legally have to participate in the scheme. "Technically, if the hawkers fail to comply, that would be a breach of the contract," he said. Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre is one of several social enterprise hawker centres in Singapore. In 2024, then-Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said that all social enterprise hawker centre operators must propose ways to ensure affordable food options are available as part of their tender proposals. "So far operators have committed that all stalls in their centres will provide at least one value meal option. This is not an attempt to force hawkers to sell all of their dishes at low prices. "Instead, the intent is for operators to work with hawkers to offer a range of food offerings at different price points," he had said at the time. Value meals only account for about 5 to 20 per cent of meals sold in social enterprise hawker centres, he noted. "Hawkers are not expected to make a loss selling value meals." The operator of Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre took to Facebook on Tuesday night to address the free meals programme. According to Canopy Hawkers Group, it received 'overwhelming interest' during the stall application stage three years ago, and it was 'not easy' to select tenants. "Other than offering affordable and quality meals, we also incorporated into our selection criteria hawkers who shared our vision to pay-it-forward to the community, through the offering of free meals to the low income. "As hawkers were selected on this basis, we incorporated Pay-it-Forward into the tenancy contract," the operator said in its post. After the hawker centre opened, the operator discussed the programme with the stallholders further, and reduced the original arrangement of 30 meals per month to a total of 100 meals over the three-year tenancy period, the post read. This revised arrangement was reflected in a contract variation around August 2023, said Canopy Hawkers Group. In the Facebook post, it noted that the programme has not officially started and the preparatory work has not been done yet. "So there is no obligation on the part of the hawkers, and no penalties to speak of. "While hawkers have voluntarily agreed to participate at the point of selection, we also acknowledged the view that charity should not be contractual, and this is something to be reviewed again when the Pay-It -Forward programme is ready." Member of Parliament for Sembawang GRC Ong Ye Kung had said on Monday that there are no penalties if hawkers "do not or are unable to provide the meals". The health minister also said the initiative had yet to start. Mr Wee said if the tenants were selected on the basis that they were willing to participate in the programme to provide free meals, then it is not surprising that their participation is written into the tenancy agreement in the form of a "binding obligation". "In general, if something is voluntary, meaning the tenant has the option of not doing it, then that choice should be reflected in the terms of the agreement between parties, or, better yet, omitted altogether," he said. Mr Chooi pointed out that accepting tenants based on their willingness to participate in the programme and the operator's decision not to enforce the scheme seemed contradictory. If Canopy Hawker Group later decides to enforce the contract or the relevant penalties despite having said publicly that they will not do so, hawkers may rely on the legal principle of 'estoppel' as a defence, he added. "(This means that) the hawkers can say, 'sorry, despite what has been written in the contract, you have separately and publicly stated that this is a voluntary obligation'," said Mr Chooi. The fact that the hawkers are not providing free meals in accordance with the contract does not mean that the operator can penalise them for not keeping to the terms, he added. From its post on Facebook, it appears that the operator has also acknowledged this point, Mr Chooi said. He added that the post seems to imply that a voluntary charity scheme need not or should not have been included in the contracts in the first place, especially if they were not going to enforce it against the hawkers. Amarjit Singh of Amarjit Sidhu Law said if the scheme is for charity, it should be voluntary. 'If hawkers agree to participate and set aside free meals, then it should be ok. But the imposition of penalties is unreasonable,' he added, noting that Mr Ong has also confirmed that the hawkers will not be penalised for not giving out free meals. The terms of a contract need to be reasonable, fair and not onerous, and should not put either party at a disadvantage, he said, adding that in general, the courts would decide on the reasonableness of a contract.
Independent Singapore
11-06-2025
- Business
- Independent Singapore
‘My brother treats our parents like an ATM' — Singaporean worries as parents lose their retirement funds
SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user whose brother has a lot of their parents' money took to the platform seeking advice as to what they can do to help not only their brother, but perhaps more importantly, their parents. In a post on r/askSingapore, u/Impressive_Oven_6099 wrote that since they were young, their brother has 'always stolen and borrowed money' from their parents, who are in their 70s and have not yet retired. They described their family as on the lower end of the income class, as evidenced by their once having had CHAS Blue. Their brother was recently hired by a friend, a company CEO. For a while, it looked like the brother was turning his life around with a high-paying job, and his parents, who felt happy and proud of him, gave him money for a BTO and a car. On their part, the post author created a website for the company where his brother worked, for which they were never paid, despite promises to do so. But what is more alarming is that the brother asked their family to invest money into the company, and to make a long story short, they lost S$100,000. At the moment, the family continues to lose money, as the brother keeps asking for more, claiming he needs it for lawyers' fees. 'Our parents are worried sick for him every day, and have no more retirement funds… I'm worried sick as well. I've been suggesting not to give him more money because he doesn't seem to treat us as family, more like an ATM,' the post author wrote, asking what he can do to help his brother and his parents, who still hope the brother will succeed. 'Does hiring a lawyer even require so much money? I posted this here to see if anyone will know how much lawyer fees are, etc/ways to sell cars or help a person with no money sense build their wealth without splurging.' While the top comment on the thread contained advice for the post author's family to simply stop giving money to the brother, another Reddit user wrote that neither the brother nor the parents can be convinced to change their ways, and advised the post author to cut all financial ties with them. 'If you are earning enough, decide how you want to support your parents one day when they are really destitute and have stopped supporting your brother financially (this is critical). Put the money aside for it, but never tell them you have this fund at all, or else they might go back to old ways. And when you do help them, always let them know how much you are sacrificing for them; otherwise, they will take it as their due. I never believe in silent suffering when dealing with adults, I'm not a saint,' they added. Others chimed in to say that lawyer letters can be quite costly, sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars. And while others advised the post author to call the police, they wrote that they were afraid this would make their brother angry and violent. 'Sometimes, you go to an ATM to try to draw money, and the ATM tells you that it has run out of cash. Then you cannot get any money,' commented a Reddit user. 'It could be any potent combination of love, fear of failing as parents, desire to take pride in the elder son, etc. It is a hard topic to raise with parents without making it sound like you are resentful of the sibling. Better to have a convo focused purely on their retirement finances and planning. In the meantime, you make sure your own finances are in order. If you feel you can talk to your brother, do so lor,' another wrote. /TISG Read also: Wife discovers husband secretly spent S$80k on in-game purchases, plunging family into debt
AsiaOne
03-06-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
In-store navigation and personalised recommendations: FairPrice trials smart trolleys in pilot plan to integrate AI, Singapore News
FairPrice Group (FPG) has revealed plans for a large-scale technology overhaul with its Store of Tomorrow programme that aims to revolutionise the retail experience for customers at their supermarket outlets. According to a press release on Tuesday (June 3), FPG has already begun piloting various digital solutions, such as Smart Carts and digital price cards at one of its FairPrice Finest outlets. "The last few years of global disruption have shown that the only certainty in retail is how quickly consumer needs, tastes, and preferences evolve," said Vipul Chawla, Group CEO of FPG, adding that FPG aims to trial more than 20 new digital solutions within the next three years. The new initiatives will be launched in FPG's Punggol Digital District FairPrice Finest outlet, set to open in August 2025. They will then be gradually rolled out to FPG's 164 FairPrice supermarkets, and eventually, across the Group's wider network of over 570 touchpoints. Smart Carts Currently piloted at FairPrice Finest Sengkang Grand Mall, Smart Carts are shopping carts with built-in displays that can support customers with in-store navigation and highlight promotions for nearby products. Smart Carts can also provide product recommendations and feature scanners that customers can use to scan and pay for products as they go. To use a Smart Cart, customers will have to scan the Pay/Earn QR code on their FPG App. Customers can then use the Smart Cart's display function to search for specific products, which will yield a map and directions to guide them to the product's location in-store. Shoppers can also use the built-in scanner on the trolley's handlebar to add items to their digital checkout basket. Smart Carts will also have their own designated checkout area, where customers can apply relevant vouchers and make payment through the FPG app. MyInfo integration & biometric payment FPG also aims to streamline the checkout process by integrating the FPG app with the government MyInfo database on citizens and permanent residents. By doing so, customers eligible for discount schemes — CHAS Blue/Orange, Seniors, Pioneer Generation, Merdeka Generation — will have their discounts applied automatically to their purchases. Eliminating the need for physical card verification simplifies the checkout process and helps reduce time spent by staff on verifying customer details. FPG is also attempting to further enhance the checkout process by implementing biometric payment. By scanning and registering their palm prints to the FPG app, customers will eventually be able to make payment and earn LinkPoints by scanning their palms at checkout counters. Digital price cards Also being piloted at FairPrice Finest Sengkang Grand Mall are digital price cards which remove the need for physical labels and are part of FPG's wider sustainability efforts. At the same time, digital labels automatically update themselves with any changes to pricing or promotions, reducing the need for manual work, allowing staff to focus on other tasks. If successful, FPG will roll out digital price cards across all supermarket touchpoints within the next three years. FPG is also looking to launch other AI-enabled initiatives focused on improving workflow for staff and customers, such as Vision AI which incorporates data analytics. Vision AI "leverages existing in-store CCTV infrastructure and advanced video analytics to provide real-time updates to staff on where support or intervention is required throughout the store", according to the press release. For example, it can detect potential safety hazards such as spills or obstructions to facilitate a safer shopping environment. The queue management feature is also able to monitor and analyse queue wait times, alerting staff when more manpower is needed to manage the high volume of shoppers at checkout. "Through our Store of Tomorrow programme, we want to re-imagine how innovation and technologies like Gen AI and data analytics can make things easier on the wallet and experience for both physical and digital retail formats," said Chawla. [[nid:718264]]
