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Second Reading Speech at Platform Workers Bill

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Dr Koh Poh Koon, Parliament House

A. Introduction and background

1. Mr Deputy Speaker, on behalf of Minister for Manpower, I beg to move, that the Bill be now read a second time.

2. Before I begin my speech, I want to acknowledge the presence of brothers and sisters from the National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association and the National Delivery Champions Association, as well as representatives from the Platform Operators, here with us today. Their presence signals the support they need for this Bill to be passed to ensure a sustainable development of the platform economy.

3. The platform economy has provided opportunities to earn a living for many platform workers who bring convenience to us through their services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, while most of us are safely working from home, and observing safe management measures safely in our homes, many platform workers braved the elements and health risks to deliver goods and services, as well as food items to us. Following the pandemic, there has been broad social support that we need to do more for this group of workers. As of 2023, there are around 70,000 platform workers, comprising about 3% of the workforce. 

4. However, platform work can be precarious. Let me cite 3 aspects of this:

  1. First, platform workers generally have modest incomes that can fluctuate from month to month. In 2023, their median earnings were around $1,500 to $2,500 a month.  
  2. Second, they are also exposed to risks such as traffic accidents due to the amount of time they spend on the roads. Those without sufficient insurance coverage bear the financial risk of getting injured at work and being unable to work. Many of us in our MPS would have come across our residents who work as platform workers who sustained injuries at work and ended up in financial hardships and inability to service their housing loans. In fact, a 2022 poll by the Institute of Policy Studies found that around a third of food delivery workers have been in at least one accident that required medical care.
  3. Third, platform workers also have less control over their work compared to typical self-employed persons or SEPs. For instance, they may not have a say over 
  1. how much to charge for their services,
  2. what tasks to take on,
  3. whether they can grow their own base of clients, etc. 

    This is because platform operators control these decisions, as part of their business models. 

5. When we say “Every Worker Matters”, we are recognising the inherent value and dignity of every worker, regardless of the work they do. We are saying as a society that we are taking a stand that these platform workers also deserve our care, to ensure fairness and equity.

  1. Why should a platform worker who takes the same risks on the road as any other employee working in the delivery or transport sector be denied of fair compensation when they are injured or worse still, lose their lives at work? Are their lives worth less than other workers in the same sector?
  2. Their work generates revenues for the platform operators. Just as the platform operators pay CPF and buy workplace injury insurance for their office staffs, shouldn’t these workers who brave the elements to ensure the revenue stream for the platform operators get the same level of support and protection?

6. I’m glad that platform operators, workers and the broader society agree that we ought to do more for these workers. This is how we strengthen our social compact and not leave these workers behind as the platform economy continues to evolve and grow.  

7. Therefore to strengthen protections for those involved in platform work, MOM set up the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers or PWAC in 2021, to review how ride-hail and delivery workers can be better supported in the areas of 

  1. housing and retirement adequacy,
  2. financial protection in the case of work injury, and
  3. representation. 

8. These are some of the employment rights that employees have today. The PWAC consulted widely, including with platform workers, companies, trade associations and academics, and examined international practices.

9. In November 2022, following a year long process of engagements and deliberations by the PWAC, the Government accepted the PWAC’s recommendations. This Platform Workers Bill will give effect to these recommendations.

10. This is a good example of how tripartite partners in Singapore have worked closely together to enhance labour standards in a sustainable manner. Through close collaboration and discussions in the PWAC, tripartite partners have extensively and actively engaged key stakeholders such as platform operators and platform workers, and effectively represented their perspectives in ironing out policy and implementation details. 

11. There are four key components of the Platform Workers Bill:

  1. First, the scope of entities, including companies, and workers covered under the Bill.
  2. Second, measures to support the housing and retirement adequacy of platform workers through the CPF system. These involve amendments to the Central Provident Fund Act.
  3. Third, measures to ensure financial protection of platform workers if they get injured at work, and to strengthen stakeholders’ responsibilities to prevent injuries. These involve amendments to the Work Injury Compensation Act and the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
  4. Fourth, the legal framework for representation of platform workers. This involves amendments to the Industrial Relations Act.

These matters also require consequential and related amendments to a wide range of other Acts, as well as the Constitution through the Constitution Amendment Bill, which will be tabled at a later sitting. 

B. Scope

12. Let me start with the scope. On the scope of entities covered, in clause 4 of the Bill, a platform operator is defined as an entity that has an agreement with one or more service users to provide platform services, and exercises management control over one or more platform workers.

13. We are covering ride-hail and delivery platform services, as around 93% of platform work is concentrated in these services today, and because such work is precarious. These platform services are set out in the First Schedule of the Bill, and we can consider the need to amend the Schedule to cover other platform services in future reviews.

14. In clause 6 of the Bill, there are two prongs to management control, and if both are satisfied, the entity will be deemed a platform operator. 

  1. First, platform operators use data from service users, such as consumers, as well as their workers, in a highly, if not fully, automated manner to make decisions. 
  1. For instance, this could be through the use of algorithms that determine the fee that ride-hail drivers will receive for a trip, based on data on the demand for rides and supply of drivers at a given time.
  2. The use of data in an automated manner to make decisions is a critical point, as it enables a platform operator to scale its operations significantly and quickly, as well as impose and rapidly change terms of work for platform workers, with little or no room for negotiation.
  3. This is not a new concept - the European Union’s Directive on improving working conditions in platform work uses the same concept to define a digital labour platform.  

b. Second, platform operators impose requirements, prohibitions or restrictions on their workers. These include 

  1. imposing rules on how a task should be performed, or
  2. restricting workers’ ability to negotiate their fees with clients for providing the service.

    The effect of all these is that platform workers cede some autonomy to platform operators in terms of how they provide services, which makes them resemble employees to an extent. However, unlike employees, platform workers are not given employment rights. This is why we are moving to legislate some rights for platform workers, to better support them at work.

15. Looking internationally, countries have taken different approaches to determine the statutory rights of platform workers:

  1. Countries like Spain, Belgium and Portugal have presumed certain groups of platform workers to be employees, entitling them to employment rights including fixed hourly wage, sick pay and vacation leave. But this means that they also lose the flexibility they had, such as deciding when and how much to work.
  2. Some like Greece have presumed that platform workers are not in an employment relationship, but have given them some rights pertaining to welfare, health, and safety, similar to employees.
  3. Others such as the UK have left it to the Courts to determine whether platform workers are “employees” or “workers” on a case-by-case basis. This led to different classifications for the same worker who may use different platforms to work. The downside of this approach is a lack of clarity for both the workers and companies.

16. We have decided that it is better for the Government to provide clarity upfront for companies and workers through legislation, and to do so in a way that preserves the flexibility that both workers and companies wish to retain for platform work.

17. We want to better support platform workers, by providing them with workplace safety and retirement adequacy. But if platform workers are given the full suite of employment rights, such as sick pay and vacation leave, the nature of the relationship between platform operators and platform workers will likely change to resemble an employment relationship, with much less flexibility, which neither party wants. 

18. We have thus struck a finely balanced middle ground. Clause 5 of the Bill defines platform workers as individuals who have contracts with and are subject to the management control of a platform operator in their provision of services, but who are not employees of the platform operator, in effect creating a middle category of workers in between employees and SEPs. 

19. Singapore is among the first in the world to take this approach of providing statutory protections for platform workers as a distinct group. This approach preserves the flexibility of platform work that both sides want, and achieves our aim of better protecting platform workers.

20. If the Bill is passed, companies that meet the definition of platform operator must comply with their statutory obligations and provide protections to their platform workers once the Bill comes into effect. The same applies to 

  1. new companies,
  2. existing companies that change their business models later on,  
  3. and companies in subcontracting arrangements if the company satisfies the definition of a platform operator vis-à-vis a worker.

22. Just like how companies today are responsible for assessing whether they are an employer and need to comply with employment laws, companies are also responsible for assessing whether they are a platform operator, as they would be the most familiar with their own business models and their relationship with their workers. That said, to support companies, MOM will provide resources such as a checklist for companies to self-assess if they are platform operators. Tripartite partners will also engage the ground to educate companies and relevant workers.

  1. If we find out that the company is a platform operator, we will require the platform operator to pay any outstanding CPF contributions or work injury compensation owed to the worker, as we currently do with employers.
  2. Additionally, the platform operator may face penalties for not making CPF contributions or not providing work injury compensation in a timely manner for platform workers, and for failing to notify MOM that it is a platform operator. 

C. Supporting housing and retirement adequacy

23. The Fourth Schedule of the Bill makes amendments to the Central Provident Fund or CPF Act to support the housing and retirement adequacy of platform workers. 

  1. Today, platform workers are treated as SEPs and are only required to make MediSave contributions of up to 10.5% of their net earnings.
  2. To meet their housing and retirement needs, platform workers should also contribute to their CPF Ordinary and Special Accounts. 

24. The proposed amendments enable platform workers to achieve the same level of housing and retirement adequacy as employees who earn the same amount. We will do this gradually. 

  1. Starting in 2025, platform operators will contribute 3.5% of platform workers’ net earnings, and platform workers will contribute up to an additional 2.5%-pt. This will increase by the respective percentage quantum yearly until 2029.
  2. By then, it will bring platform operators’ and workers’ CPF contribution rates to the same level as employers’ and employees’ contribution rates by 2029.
  3. For platform workers in the ages of 55 to 65, the timing of the increase will be synchronised to the senior worker CPF contribution rate increases for employees in the same age group. 

25. The increased CPF contributions will be mandatory for the cohort of platform workers born from 1995 onwards. 

  1. In all our engagements, younger cohorts have indicated the greatest need and desire for CPF contributions as it can help with their housing needs. Many are starting their families and getting their BTO flats.
  2. Older cohorts can choose to opt in anytime from November onwards, with no deadline. Opt-ins are not reversible. I encourage older platform workers to consider opting-in to boost their housing and retirement savings and benefit from our CPF system. 

26. Overall, platform workers will experience an increase in their total earnings, after factoring in CPF contributions from platform operators. Nonetheless, I appreciate that some platform workers will be concerned about reduced take-home pay. The Government will provide support.

  1. First, we will enhance the Platform Workers CPF Transition Support or PCTS to provide greater support to lower-income platform workers who see an increase in their CPF contributions. 
  1. We had previously announced in 2023 that the PCTS would offset 75% of platform worker’s increase in CPF contributions in the first year and 50% in the second year.
  2. We will enhance this to offset 100% of the increase in 2025. This means that the Government will pay fully for these platform workers’ increased CPF contributions and they will have no decrease in their take-home pay in 2025.
  3. We will also enhance the offset in 2026 from 50% to 75%.
  4. The offset will taper down gradually thereafter and cease in 2029.
  5. We will also increase the PCTS qualifying income cap from $2,500 a month to $3,000 a month, in line with the increase in the Workfare Income Supplement qualifying income cap from January 2025. This will allow more platform workers to benefit from PCTS. 

b. Second, we will enhance Workfare for lower-income platform workers. 

  1. Today, platform workers are treated as SEPs for Workfare payments. 
  1. This means that those who are eligible for Workfare receive Workfare payments annually after making annual CPF contributions.
  2. As an SEP today, they receive two-thirds of the Workfare payments that employees receive, as they make lower CPF contributions than employees.
  3. 10% of Workfare is paid in cash and 90% goes to their CPF accounts. 

ii. From 2025 onwards, after this Bill is passed, platform workers will receive Workfare payments monthly instead of annually as they will make CPF contributions on a monthly basis. This will help with their cash flow.

  1. In addition, from 2029 onwards, platform workers who contribute CPF at the same level as employees will receive employee-level Workfare, instead of two-thirds the amount like SEPs.
  2. This means that they will benefit from higher Workfare payments of up to $4,900 a year, with a higher proportion paid in cash – 40% instead of 10% today.  

27. As an illustration, a 35-year-old platform worker earning $3,000 in net monthly income (after deduction of expenses) who opts in to increased CPF contributions from 2025.

  1. He will receive around $2,250 of PCTS over the four-year period (2025-2028), which will offset part of his increase in CPF contributions.
  2. He will also receive $18,720 in CPF contributions from the platform operator over a five-year period (2025-2029).
  3. Including Workfare payments, the platform worker will receive a total of $23,830 in additional cash and CPF savings for his work from 2025 to 2029. 

    This will be a substantial boost to the retirement adequacy and the ability to afford housing for these workers. All this will be helpful towards their housing mortgage payments and retirement savings. 

28. We have consulted platform operators and platform workers extensively in the design of the computation and collection of CPF contributions from them. 

  1. We want to ensure that the CPF contribution process is seamless, cost-effective and protects the interest of platform workers.
  2. We have aligned generally with the employer-employee model while catering for flexibilities to account for the unique circumstances of platform work.
  3. These implementation parameters will apply to all platform workers, including those who have not opted in and only make Medisave contributions.

 

Computation

29. Amendments to the CPF Act will specify how the computation of CPF contributions for platform operators and workers will be aligned to the employer-employee model in terms of how it is tiered based on age and income, and applied to monthly earnings from each platform.

30. However, unlike employees, platform workers incur work expenses which are not reimbursed, such as fuel cost. Hence the computation of CPF for platform workers will be based on earnings less a Fixed Expense Deduction Amount or FEDA. 

 

  1. Both platform workers and platform operators have provided feedback that they want a simpler and seamless way to compute CPF contribution. To this end, we will use a prescribed FEDA that reflects expenses for the majority of platform workers.
  2. The use of FEDA provides significant convenience for both platform workers and platform operators. 
  1. Platform workers will not have to keep receipts to track and compute actual expenses for their platform work.
  2. Platform operators will not have to incur additional operating costs to re-compute the CPF contribution based on actual expenses.

c. The prescribed FEDA also takes reference from the Fixed Expense Deduction Ratio developed by IRAS for the computation of net earnings for tax purposes. This is based on actual expense ratios, including industry feedback and surveys on workers’ expenses, and reflects expenses for the vast majority of platform workers.

d. The use of FEDA will apply for the computation of work injury compensation as well. 

Collection

31. Like in the employer-employee model, the onus is on platform operators to pay both the platform operator and platform worker share of CPF contribution to CPF Board (CPFB) monthly. 

  1. During the month, the platform operator may make deductions and refunds to the platform worker based on the applicable CPF contribution rate.
  2. It is an offence for platform operators to make a deduction from a platform worker’s earnings and not pay it to CPFB. This protects the interest of platform workers.
  3. Platform operators will be required to reflect the deduction of the platform workers’ share of CPF contribution clearly within their earnings slip for transparency and accountability, and platform workers can check these contributions in their CPF accounts.

Other CPF-related Amendments

32. The Fifth Schedule of the Bill carries amendments to the Income Tax Act to align the tax reliefs and deductions for CPF contributions to the employer-employee model.

33. Finally, the Government will also reimburse platform workers for the platform operator’s share of CPF contributions under the Government-Paid Leave Schemes, such as Government-Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave, when platform workers take time away from work to care for their newborns. 

 

  1. This is at clause 105 of the Bill, which amends the Child Development Co-Savings Act.
  2. Today, before the Bill is passed, eligible platform workers get reimbursement from the Government for their lost income when they take parental leave.
  3. The Government does not reimburse them for any platform operator share of CPF contribution as this is not applicable to them today. They do not get CPF contributions from the platform operator to begin with.
  4. Moving forward, for platform workers who are mandated or have opted-in to boost their CPF savings, Government will also reimburse the platform operator share of CPF contribution, on top of their lost income, when platform workers seek reimbursement for parental leave. This is part of Government’s strong commitment to support parenthood. 

D. Financial protection for work injury

Recap objective and importance of Work Injury Compensation (WIC) for PWs 

34. Platform workers’ financial protection for work injury is currently inadequate compared to employees in similar sectors such as logistics. Delivery employees and goods delivery partners both ply the roads to get deliveries to us and are exposed to the same risks.

35. Some platform operators voluntarily compensate platform workers for work injuries, such as through personal accident insurance. But the coverage is uneven, and at lower levels than what employees are entitled to under the Work Injury Compensation Act. It is important that platform workers, like employees, can recuperate and recover from their injuries without worrying about putting food on the table, and get back to work in good health. 

 

PWs and employees will have the same scope and level of WIC 

36. The Ninth Schedule of the Bill will amend the Work Injury Compensation Act in relation to platform workers and platform operators. Under the amended Act, platform operators will be required to provide work injury compensation to platform workers at the same level of coverage as employees, comprising: 

  1. Reimbursement for medical expenses;
  2. Income loss compensation for medical leave and hospitalisation leave; and
  3. Lump sum compensation for permanent incapacity or death. 

37. The same compensation caps and minimum sums for compensation for permanent incapacity or death for employees will now apply to platform workers after the Bill is passed. To assure platform workers of work injury compensation payouts and to ensure platform operators can discharge their liabilities, platform operators will be required to purchase work injury compensation insurance for their platform workers from MOM-designated insurers.

38. With your permission, Mr Deputy Speaker, may I ask the Clerks to distribute an infographic on the key features of work injury compensation for platform workers. Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGPARL App.

Key features of WIC-PW regime 

39. Let me now take Members through the key features of the Work Injury Compensation for platform workers. I will focus on three areas – exclusions, what stage of the work is covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act, and which platform operator is liable in the case of injuries.

40. EXCLUSIONS. Given the flexibility of platform work, liability for work injury compensation should be scoped to risks that stakeholders can practically address. As platform workers have the autonomy to choose the vehicle used to perform platform work, under the amended Work Injury Compensation Act, platform workers will not be eligible for work injury compensation 

 

  1. if the injury was caused by their use of an illegally modified vehicle, or
  2.  if the platform worker was not licensed to operate the vehicle used. 

41. WHAT STAGE OF THE WORK WILL BE COVERED. Some platform workers take platform work as their main job and do this throughout the day, while others do so on a part-time or ad-hoc basis. As platform workers do not have fixed working hours or conventional workplaces, the circumstances under which platform workers will be eligible for work injury compensation will be more scoped, compared to employees. 

42. The work injury compensation regime needs to account for the unique features of platform work. 

  1. In a typical day, a platform worker would log onto the platform app to wait for jobs, before accepting a suitable job.
  2. Then, the platform worker would set off to pick up the ride-hail passenger or the item to be delivered and complete the ride or delivery.
  3. Hence we can divide platform services broadly into 3 stages:
    1. Waiting for jobs
    2. Picking up goods or passengers
    3. Delivering and completion of tasks

d. With reference to paragraph 31 of the Ninth Schedule of the Bill, amendments to the Work Injury Compensation Act specify the work stages of platform services. 

  1. Platform workers will be eligible for work injury compensation when they are performing pick-up and delivery of passengers or goods. These are the key activities that take place after a platform job has been accepted.
  2. Outside pick-up and delivery, platform workers can wait for jobs or pursue their own activities. It would not be fair to extend platform operators’ liability to activities which are not work-related.

43. WHICH PLATFORM IS LIABLE. With reference to paragraph 17 of the Ninth Schedule of the Bill, for platform workers injured while performing a job for one platform operator, that platform operator will be liable.

44. For platform workers injured while performing tasks for different platform operators at the same time, liability will be confined to one platform operator where possible to simplify claims processing. This will be determined by a prioritisation of work stages.

  1. First, if the platform worker was performing “pick-up” and “delivery” tasks for different platform operators at the same time, only the platform operator behind the “delivery” task will be liable. This is because the platform worker can still choose to reject jobs during the “pick-up” stage but is committed to fulfilling the job at the “delivery” work stage when the passenger or goods are already with them. 
  2. If multiple platform operators are liable, liability will be apportioned based on the platform worker’s earnings from each liable platform operator. If the platform worker was performing “delivery” for two platform operators A and B, compensation liability will be apportioned among both platform operators based on the platform worker’s earnings with each platform operator over the past 90 days on lookback. For example, if the platform worker earned $1,000 from platform operator A and $2,000 from platform operator B, A will bear 1/3 of the compensation liability and B will bear 2/3 of the compensation liability. 

45. A platform worker could be performing work in 2 different platform services, meaning both ride-hail and delivery. If a platform worker gets injured while performing a task in a particular platform service, compensation will be based on the platform worker’s past earnings from all platform operators that they had worked for in that platform service. The platform worker’s compensation will reference his earnings over a lookback period of 90 days before the date of the accident. Platform workers injured while completing ride-hail and delivery jobs at the same time (i.e. both platform services simultaneously), will be compensated based on earnings from their higher-earning service. Scoping platform operators’ compensation liability to one platform service facilitates sustainable insurance premiums.   

POs and PWs can make platform work safe

46. While platform workers will be protected in case of work injuries, platform operators and workers should work together to reduce the possibility of work injuries in the first place and take remedial actions where necessary. Today, all companies and workers are responsible for safety and health outcomes under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.

47. Recognising the unique features of platform work, such as the use of different modes of transport for platform workers, we will introduce separate duties for platform operators and for platform workers through amendments to the Workplace Safety and Health Act under the Tenth Schedule. This will clarify platform operators’ responsibility for the safety and health of platform workers when at work, and platform workers’ responsibility to cooperate with platform operators on safety measures. 

D. Enhanced representation

48. Next, let me talk about enhanced representation. Today, a group of employees who want to represent their fellow employees must register themselves as a trade union, and seek mandate to represent their members in negotiations with the employer and to resolve disputes.

49. For platform work, the National Private Hire Vehicles Association, National Delivery Champions Association and National Taxi Association have been actively working to understand the challenges that platform workers in the ride-hail and delivery sectors face, and champion their interests. However, as platform workers are not employees, there is currently no legal framework for the representation of platform workers.

50. While there has been constructive dialogue between the associations and platform operators, tripartite partners agree that the process can be strengthened through a legal framework that sets out the rights and obligations of both platform work associations and platform operators in dealing with each other. Many of the challenges encountered by the platform workers are operational in nature and would be better resolved collectively through representative bodies that could work with various stakeholders including mall operators, F&B chains etc to find resolution.

51. As the framework for employers and employees has worked well in preserving industrial harmony, the Bill largely adopts this framework for platform operators and platform workers. In other words, platform work associations will be analogous to trade unions.

Key aspects of the representation framework 

52. I would like to highlight three important aspects of this framework for platform work associations.

53. First, we will appoint a Registrar, and Assistant Registrars, of Platform Work Associations under clause 20 to assess the applications of platform work associations for registration and ensure the responsible administration of platform work associations. Similar to how trade unions may represent employees or employers, platform work associations can represent platform workers or platform operators.

  1. Once registered, platform work associations of platform workers must obtain mandate from their members working with a platform operator to represent them in negotiations with that platform operator. 

54. Second, once a mandate is obtained, platform work associations can work with platform operators to discuss and agree on areas for negotiation. Thus far, companies and associations have raised various areas they may be interested in negotiating, such as safeguarding the health and safety of workers, how earnings are computed, and more. Given that platform work is quite diverse and dynamic, tripartite partners agreed to leave it to each platform work association and platform operator to decide what to negotiate on, rather than to pre-determine a list of issues that they can or cannot negotiate.

55. Third, it is important to preserve industrial harmony in Singapore. Therefore, amendments to the Industrial Relations Act under the Sixth Schedule of the Bill will extend existing channels for dispute resolution to platform work associations and platform operators. For instance, disputes can be brought to MOM for conciliation, and if it fails, the dispute can be heard by the Industrial Arbitration Courts. 

56. While platform work associations can organise industrial action just like trade unions, any decision to organise industrial action must be a considered and justified decision. As such, under clause 36(1) of the Bill, a platform work association must not organise or commence industrial action if it has not obtained the consent, by secret ballot, of the majority of members affected by the industrial action. Doing so would be an offence. This is similar to the framework which governs trade unions today.

E. Managing impact on stakeholders

57. We recognise that there may be concerns around costs arising from these measures. The Government will put in place measures to manage the impact on stakeholders.

  1. For work injury compensation, the existing open and competitive insurance market for work injury compensation insurance will facilitate sustainable insurance premiums for platform operators based on claims history and safety records.
  2. Today, there are 26 insurers offering competitive insurance products for the employee regime. We have worked with 7 of them to develop operational policies as part of the Platform Workers Work Injury Compensation Implementation Network including providing data for more accurate risk assessment, reducing uncertainty for insurers and platform operators.
  3. For CPF, we will pace the increase in CPF contribution over five years and give older platform workers the choice to opt in to higher CPF contributions. We will also introduce the enhanced PCTS for lower-income platform workers.
  4. To mitigate concerns around costs being passed down to platform workers, there will be provisions under the amended CPF Act and Work Injury Compensation Act that prohibit platform operators from recovering the cost of the platform operators’ share of CPF contributions and work injury compensation from platform workers, similar to existing provisions that apply to employers.
  5. Consumers also have a critical role to play. The introduction of CPF and WIC protections will unavoidably lead to some increase in business costs, but I think as a society, if we believe that we should provide some core protections for our platform workers, we should be prepared to pay just a little bit more to help platform workers secure their future. In fact, our surveys show that many consumers are indeed prepared to do so, and I am heartened by this reflection of our strong social compact. 

58. Mr Deputy Speaker Sir, let me say a few words in Mandarin.

59. 平台经济为平台员工创造了谋生的机会，也让许多国人的生活更便利。然而，平台工作相当不稳定，所以政府会从三方面加强平台员工的保障：

  1. 住房和退休保障、
  2. 工伤赔偿保障、
  3. 以及让平台工作协会代表平台员工，维护他们的利益。

60. 首先，平台员工将可获得与收入相同的雇员同等的住屋和退休保障。我们将分五年逐步调高平台业者和员工的公积金缴交率，以降低对平台业者和员工的影响。

61. 1995 年及之后出生的平台员工, 将必须缴交公积金至普通和特别户头。较年轻的平台员工表示有意缴交额外的公积金，以便应付住屋需求。年纪较大的平台员工可能已经有自己的住屋和退休计划，所以他们可以选择是否要加入。

62. 平台员工的总收入，包括公积金，会有所增加。我理解一些平台员工还是会担心手头上的收入会减少。对此，我们将提供支援帮助低收入平台员工：

  1. 政府加强了《平台员工公积金过渡援助计划》，全额支付平台员工在 2025 年须多缴的公积金。这代表平台员工明年手头上的收入不会受影响。
  2. 2026年的补贴也将从百分之五十调高至百分之七十五，随后逐年减少。
  3. 同时，计划的月入顶限也从原本的2500元调高至3000元，让更多的平台员工受益。

63. 其次，平台业者必须为平台员工提供相等与雇员应获得的工伤赔偿保障。赔偿包括医疗费用、病假和住院期间的收入损失赔偿，以及永久丧失工作能力或死亡的一次性赔偿。

64. 最后，我们将制定一个法律框架，允许平台工作协会代表平台员工，就像工会代表雇员一样。平台工作协会能与利益相关者，比如平台业者和商场业者，进行沟通和协商，更好地解决平台员工所遇到的问题和挑战。

F. Conclusion

65. Sir, let me conclude. If the Bill is passed, we plan for the Bill to take effect from 1 January 2025 as the intention is to allow platform workers to benefit from the protections as soon as possible, while bringing more convenience to platform operators and platform workers by having the increased CPF contribution rates and tax relief computed from the start of the calendar year.

66. Singapore is one of the first countries to provide statutory protections for platform workers as a distinct group from employees. Many other jurisdictions are similarly grappling with the challenge of how to better protect their platform workers. In this regard, the International Labour Organization has reached out to Singapore to better understand our considerations and experiences in making these policy changes. This signals how important this issue is, and shows that we are at the vanguard of developing innovative and sustainable ways to better protect these workers.

67. As Singaporeans, we can all be proud that we are doing this to uplift social security protections for our platform workers who face precarity due to the nature of platform work. The measures in the Bill will 

  1. improve their housing and retirement adequacy,
  2. provide them with financial protection for work injuries,
  3. and enable platform work associations to act as a bridge between platform operators and platform workers so that industrial relations remain stable and conducive to the platform economy.  

68. This would not have been possible without our tripartite partners and the close tripartite collaboration we have in Singapore. I would like to thank NTUC and SNEF for journeying together with us to strengthen our social compact in this new area. Everyone must play their part, including platform operators, platform workers and consumers. The Government will also put in place transition measures to support stakeholders in implementing the changes. Sir, I beg to move.