Leong Mun Wai on Platform Workers Bill

Aligning CPF contribution rates for platform workers and companies with those of regular employees and employers is a step in the right direction to ensure that younger platform workers will have adequate protection for housing and retirement, said NCMP Leong Mun Wai. However, he said the authorities must ensure that platform companies do not cut incentives or earning rates for workers to offset the cost of employer CPF contributions. He said the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) proposes that the Ministry of Manpower require regular reports from platform companies on the percentage of jobs completed by workers who opt in for CPF contributions, and the percentage of such workers on their platform. PSP further suggested “the ultimate safeguard” of setting a minimum base fare per delivery or ride. In Parliament on Monday (Sep 9), Mr Leong also urged the strengthening of a draft safety code for platform services by the Workplace Safety and Health Council. He said platform companies should remove penalties for workers who reject or cancel orders in bad weather.