Singapore sets up new workgroup for gig workers

The Singapore government, alongside the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF), have formed a new workgroup to develop a framework for the representation of platform workers, which include cabbies, ride-hailing drivers and delivery persons who work for digital platforms.

Known as the Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for Platform Workers (TWG), the workgroup mirrors Singapore’s tripartite model and includes executives from ComfortDelGro, Grab, Lalamove and foodpanda, each representing the taxi, ride-hailing, goods delivery, and food delivery industries respectively.

The workgroup agreed on three key deliverables. One will be to propose a framework for a representative body to represent platform workers collectively. The others will be to determine the scope of issues that can be negotiated between the body and a platform company, as well as develop a dispute management framework.

Cham Hui Fong, Co-chairperson of the TWG and Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC, noted that platform workers currently do not have the right to representation in the event of disputes with platform operators.

“An enhanced framework will close the imbalance in bargaining powers between platforms and platform workers. As platform workers have unique circumstances and needs, we recognise the need to tailor a representation framework to address these features,” she said, according to Business Times.

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The TWG plans to complete its work in 2023. Ahead of that, the advisory committee expects to submit its recommendations to the government by the end of the year.