By Ang Hwee Min

Copyright channelnewsasia

SINGAPORE: Socially conscious enterprise hawker centres (SEHCs) are designed to balance the interests of stallholders and customers while allowing operators flexibility for their business strategies, said the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment on Wednesday (Sep 24).

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability and the Environment Goh Han Yan addressed questions in parliament about the SEHC model and the government’s role in overseeing tenancy arrangements.

She said that the model was introduced to “harness the experience and expertise” of industry players.

Her comments follow public concern over tenancy agreements at Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, which included a clause requiring hawkers to provide free meals under a pay-it-forward initiative.

The operator, Canopy Hawkers Group, has since announced it will remove the clause when the hawkers’ tenancy agreements are renewed this month.

MP Louis Chua (WP-Sengkang) asked about the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) involvement in the contracts at SEHCs, and how authorities decide who should bear the cost of providing affordable meals to patrons.

Ms Goh replied that NEA maintains oversight of the operators managing these hawker centres, and they must comply with its requirements.

“These requirements strike a balance between ensuring that patrons’ needs are adequately served and safeguarding stallholders’ well-being,” she said, adding that NEA allows operators “sufficient flexibility” to run the hawker centres effectively.

Since 2018, NEA has set out basic guidelines for tenancy terms, including limits on penalties for contractual breaches. The agreements are reviewed by NEA before stallholders sign them and clauses are adjusted if necessary, said Ms Goh.