Mariam Jaafar on Platform Workers Bill

Platform work should remain part of the landscape in Singapore and the industry must remain sustainable. At the same time, there is a need to balance the flexibility that workers in the sector need with fairness, security and dignity. It is clear from the Platform Workers Bill that the Government has captured this balance, MP Mariam Jaafar said in Parliament on Tuesday (Sep 10). She had several questions about the Bill, including the following. What are the expected costs of work injury compensation provisions for platform workers and how will the different risk profiles of different platform worker segments be taken into account? How will the Government ensure that any passing on of costs to consumers is transparent, does not create opportunities for profiteering and is efficient, especially as the staggered rollout of CPF contributions will lead to several rounds of this? What is the scope of representation that will be undertaken by platform work associations? Will the Government provide financial literacy programmes or advisory services to help platform workers understand the long-term benefits of CPF contribution and plan for their retirement? How will the Government monitor the effectiveness and impact of these policy changes?