Singapore’s platform workers will get more protection in work

The purpose of the Advisory Committee was to look into improving the protections for platform workers in case of work injury, in housing and retirement improvement, and in representation rights.

Mayumi Soh of Pinsent Masons MPillay, the Singapore joint law venture between MPillay and Pinsent Masons said:” Platform companies should review the recommendations carefully and start taking steps to prepare for what is likely to be an extensive overhaul to their existing employment and contracting practices.”

Platform workers are generally not classified as employees in Singapore. Under the new recommendations, platform companies are required to provide the same level of work injury compensation for platform workers as employees’ entitlement under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA); the platform company which the platform worker was working at the time of injury will be responsible for compensation based on the platform worker’s total incomings from the platform sector in which the injury was sustained; platform companies need to keep the advantages of the current WICA system, including offering workers' compensation insurance via existing competitive insurance market.

The Central Provident Fund (CPF) contribution rates for platform companies and platform workers will be the same as those for general employers and employees respectively. In the first year of implementing the rules, platform workers aged under 30 are required to make contributions; platform workers aged over 30 and above are allowed to opt-in if they would like to do so.

Platform companies are required to collect platform workers’ CPF contributions to help them to make timely contribution.

Platform workers will have the right to seek formal representation via a new representation framework designed for Platform Workers. Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for platform workers (TWG) will be created to co-create the new representation framework.