Proposals to strengthen gig worker protections on track to be finalised by year end

SINGAPORE - Cabbies, private-hire car drivers and freelance deliverymen can expect to see in the next month or two a finalised set of recommendations on how their retirement and housing adequacy, work injury compensation and bargaining power can be improved.

The Advisory Committee on Platform Workers, which was set up by the Ministry of Manpower in September 2021 to look into these issues, is now in the final stages of its consultations, said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon on Tuesday.

"We should, in the next month or two, be able to finalise the recommendations," he told reporters after a dialogue at Wisma Geylang Serai, where 100 cabbies, private-hire car drivers and delivery workers shared their views and challenges.

Dr Koh, who is adviser to the committee, also said the release of the recommendations, which are due in the second half of 2022, is just the start.

"Once we come out with the recommendations, we will need to do a broad series of engagements with the workers to help them understand what the recommendations mean. We also need to continue working with the platform companies to see how they can operationalise many of these recommendations," he said.

He added: "The Government also must look at how, if need be, any legislation needs to be enacted to make sure that what we want to achieve can be enforced as well.

"So there is a lot more work to be done... And I think we will continue to have this conversation for the better part of next year."

Platform workers are those who use online matching platforms to provide transport and delivery services.

In 2020, there were about 79,000 platform workers here, comprising about 3 per cent of Singapore's resident workforce.

Asked if the advisory committee has agreed on any concrete proposals so far, Dr Koh said there is a broad sense of where the committee is converging on, but more discussions are needed so everyone is aligned on the steps that need to be taken.

"Ultimately, it is about seeking consensus," he said.

In the past year, the advisory committee has floated some of the measures it is considering, such as making platform companies here contribute to the Central Provident Fund accounts of gig workers and adapting the Work Injury Compensation Act so that it can be applied to this group.

These measures were also mooted as solutions by Dr Koh and Professor Danny Quah, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the advisory committee's vice-chairman, on Tuesday to some of the concerns raised at the dialogue.

These concerns included a lack of savings, insufficient retirement funds and poor insurance coverage in the event of work-related accidents and injuries.

Other issues raised on Tuesday included a lack of shelters at shopping malls for delivery workers caught in bad weather and a lack of support for platform workers when they face trouble with customers or with their respective mobile apps.

Dr Koh later categorised these as operational issues that he said are best solved by ensuring that platform workers here have suitable representation.

But in a sign that there are still kinks to be ironed out, there were different opinions about the role the Government and the labour movement should play when dialogue participants were asked who is best suited to represent their interests.

Questions were also raised about whether a move to make platform companies contribute to the CPF accounts of platform workers could lead to increased business costs, which could then be passed on to workers via reduced fees and incentives.

Full-time food delivery rider Edwin Lim, 32, who attended Tuesday's dialogue, said the session was useful as it gave him insights into how the authorities are thinking, though many of the issues discussed have been raised before.

While he is worried about his earnings and his safety, he has some optimism that the situation could improve.

He added: "It is better than last time, because last time, people do not really know about us. Now, I think there is some awareness."