SINGAPORE – A new network has been formed to develop policies for work injury compensation for platform workers.

Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said on Friday that his ministry will set up the Platform Workers Work Injury Compensation Implementation Network, which will comprise platform companies, platform workers, insurers and tripartite partners. 

This follows the recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers in November 2022 to ensure better injury compensation and financial security for these workers.

The moves are expected to be rolled out in the later part of 2024, at the earliest. 

The recommendations, accepted in November 2022 by the Government, include making work injury compensation insurance a mandatory provision by platform companies if a worker is injured at work. 

The new network will consider perspectives of the various stakeholders when developing processes, such as for claims processing and the reporting of work injuries, said Dr Tan at the start of a dialogue with platform workers that was organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) as part of its Every Worker Matters conversations, together with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Some key operational policy issues the network will look into include the process for reporting work injuries, claims processing in exceptional scenarios where platform workers are injured while at work for more than one platform company at the same time, and how to determine their earnings to compute income loss compensation.

The companies in the network are ComfortDelGro, Gojek, Grab Singapore, Ryde, Tada, Amazon, Deliveroo, foodpanda, GoGoX, Lalamove, Pickupp, Teleport and uParcel. 

The insurers are Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, Chubb Insurance Singapore, Etiqa Insurance, Great Eastern General Insurance, Income Insurance and Singapore Life. 

Dr Tan also spoke on how the recommendations, when rolled out, will provide retirement and housing adequacy for platform workers. One of the recommendations involves making Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions compulsory for platform workers and, correspondingly, the platform companies.

The Government will roll this out in stages, where each worker’s CPF contribution rate will increase by an average of up to 2.5 percentage points over five years until it hits 20 per cent.

Those aged 30 and above when this is implemented can choose whether or not to opt for the scheme, as some workers may already have plans for their housing and retirement, and the Government does not want to disrupt that, said Dr Tan.

“So, you have a choice to opt in… But I honestly do strongly recommend that you opt in, especially in this day and age, if you are concerned about whether you have enough for housing and retirement,” he said. 

Acknowledging that some platform workers have voiced their concerns about lower take-home pay during the transition period, Dr Tan said the Government is studying how best to provide support to those who require more assistance, to reduce the impact of the policy roll-out. More details will be announced when ready.

On how workers can be better represented in negotiations with their platforms, Dr Tan said the Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for Platform Workers, which is discussing the details of a new representation framework for these workers, will announce its recommendations later in 2023.

Friday’s dialogue was attended by about 120 platform workers who posed questions to the panel of four, comprising Dr Tan; Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for Manpower and adviser to the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers; NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng; and Ms Yeo Wan Ling, adviser to the National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association and National Delivery Champions Association.

Some participants raised concerns about companies discriminating between workers who opt for CPF contributions and those who do not, as the companies would face different costs for workers in each category.

They also expressed concern that companies would pass on the costs of CPF contributions to the workers by means of their earnings for each job.

Dr Koh said discrimination is unlikely as companies are already competing for drivers and riders, and the pool of workers who opt in will also keep growing with each cohort. He added that if workers think companies are doing something suspicious, they can come together and bring it up to the unions and MOM.