Joan Pereira on Platform Workers Bill

The Platform Workers Bill is timely and a step in the right direction to provide more protection for platform workers, said MP Joan Pereira. Speaking in Parliament on Monday (Sep 9), she welcomed the augmented support for platform workers to ensure that they have sufficient financial compensation in the event of work injuries. She urged the Government to extend the protection beyond physical injuries to threats, psychological abuse and unfair reviews from unreasonable customers. She raised concerns about their income progression and the stresses they face due to the volatility and unpredictable nature of their earnings. She also stressed the need to help platform workers transition to careers in other fields. The Government may wish to consider providing more support for platform workers to attend training, with some form of allowance or income support, she said. Such support should be a permanent feature and not ad hoc, she added. She wanted to know if platform workers qualify for the new SkillsFuture Jobseekers Support scheme.