Melvin Yong on Platform Workers Bill

Enhance protection for platform workers by putting in place measures that prioritise their safety and well-being. MP Melvin Yong, who made this call in Parliament on Monday (Sep 9), said all delivery workers should have access to proper training on road safety and the safe handling of packages to prevent injuries. Platform operators must also provide adequate safety equipment such as reflective vests and helmets to protect delivery workers on the job. More importantly, platform operators must not penalise workers for reporting work incidents such as road traffic accidents, he said. Workers should be allowed to prioritise their own safety without having to fear that they will be subject to unfair disincentives or penalties, he added. Mr Yong said the Platform Workers Bill makes clear that platform operators have a duty to provide measures to safeguard the safety of platform workers who work for them. He urged all platform operators to take concrete steps to mitigate the risks to the safety and health of their workers. They can and should set policies that influence and drive platform workers' behaviours, he said. Operators must be required to ensure that the design of their reward and incentives policies does not inadvertently induce their platform workers towards unsafe behaviours, such as driving for long hours or rushing to complete jobs. He stressed the need to codify a safe incentive and reward structure so that operators do not set unrealistic targets.