REACH (Telegram) 21 - What are your views on the proposed Platform Workers Bill? How can we continue to better support platform workers?

(SK)

10 Sep 2024 (10am - 7pm)

REACH (Telegram)

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 9:45 AM]

Dear contributors,

Welcome back! 😊

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Megan 😊

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 10:01 AM]

📢 Topic 📢

The Platform Workers Bill was put up for debate in Parliament on Sept 9. It proposes to place ride-hailing drivers and freelance delivery workers here in a distinct legal category of their own, and afford them greater labour protections.

The Bill proposes to increase the amount of contributions paid into the Central Provident Fund (CPF) accounts of platform workers born after Jan 1, 1995, and older workers who opt in, and also a standardised work injury compensation regime for these workers, with the same level of coverage as employees. 

Additionally, platform workers will be able to bargain collectively through union-like representative bodies.

💬  What are your views on the proposed Platform Workers Bill? How can we continue to better support platform workers?

📌 Why is the Bill needed?

MOM said platform work can be precarious as platform workers are subject to risks, such as uncertain earnings, traffic accidents and limited CPF savings for housing and retirement.

Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon said platform workers have modest incomes that can fluctuate from month to month, adding that their median monthly earnings were around $1,500 to $2,500.

Also, while platform workers have more flexibility than regular employees in deciding when to work and who to work for, they do not have the full autonomy that other self-employed people enjoy, due to the management controls that platform operators exert. This is why a new distinct category is needed for them, in between employees and self-employed people.

📌 Higher CPF contributions

Currently, platform workers are only required to make MediSave contributions of up to 10.5 per cent of their net earnings.

If the Bill is passed, the CPF contribution rate for platform workers will go up in 2025 by up to 2.5 per cent and savings will go into the Ordinary, Special and MediSave accounts.

This will continue to rise over the next four years so that by 2029, platform workers will contribute at the same rate as employees, which today is 20 per cent for those aged 55 and below.

Platform operators will also be required to contribute their share to the CPF savings scheme, starting with 3.5 per cent of net earnings in 2025. This will also go up in steps to reach parity with what employers contribute in 2029.

📌 Work Injury Compensation

Under the Platform Workers Bill, it will be mandatory for all platform operators to provide platform workers with work injury compensation insurance with the same level of coverage as employees.

This means reimbursement of up to $45,000 in medical expenses, compensation for income loss due to medical leave or hospitalisation, as well as lump-sum compensation of between $76,000 to $225,000 for death, and between $97,000 and $289,000 for permanent incapacity.

The compensation amount will be calculated based on how much the platform worker had earned in the 90 days prior to the date of the accident.

Under the Bill, platform workers will be eligible for work injury compensation when picking up or delivering a passenger or item. However, they will not be covered while waiting for jobs. They will also be ineligible for compensation if they were unlicensed to operate the vehicle being used or if the injury was directly caused by illegal modification of the vehicle.

MOM said the platform operator that the worker was working for at the point of injury will be responsible for providing compensation.

👉🏼 [ST] https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-platform-workers-bill

👉🏼 [CNA] https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/platform-workers-food-delivery-riders-protections-faq-4595416

👉🏼 [CNA] https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/platform-workers-bill-food-delivery-riders-ride-hailing-protections-parliament-4596531

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REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 11:01 AM]

[ Poll : How supportive are you of the proposed Bill? Share your reasons in the chat! ]

- Very Supportive

- Supportive

- Unsupportive 

- Very Unsupportive 

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 11:03 AM]

Dear Contributors,

We want to HEAR MORE from you!

💬 What are your views on the proposed Platform Workers Bill? How can we continue to better support platform workers?

We have had good feedback from this group, and we hope that we can keep the discussion robust and active! 

Do also share your opinion by participating in our polls! The poll questions are pinned for easy reference. 

Thank you!

Megan 😊

G, [10/9/2024 11:04 AM]

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/founders-memorial-gardens-bay-east-development-cost-million-edwin-tong-4596241

The $335mil memorial is such a big waste of taxpayer money on supposedly prime land. And that is just the cost of developing the site, not including the costs of maintenance and upkeep. How much more taxpayers money is expected to be spent to upkeep this white elephant every year?

Truly a fine example of one-time and continuous profligate spending, and irresponsible and unsustainable plan

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 11:09 AM]

1. Wish to comment on the CPF contribution to medisave - whereby yearly, an amount will contribute as medishield premium.

2. MOH is trying to revamp the scheme to cover nine in 10 large subsidised bills incurred at public hospitals. 

3. However, I feel there is still a loophole in the proposed revamp because insurance companies will make every effort to push and justify hospital bills as the 10th bill that is not covered under the medishield insurance scheme.

This is very apparent in the current medishield scheme whereby most hospital bills submitted are classified as "not covered" - and patients have to fork out out of pocket money to pay hospital bills.

Then there is no value coming under the mandatory medishield insurance - because insurance companies will try every effort to avoid payout for hospital bills.

4. I suggest a variation to the medishield insurance revamp on the hospital bills coverage.

That's all public hospital bills will be covered under the medishield insurance scheme and insurance companies must pay 90% of all the public hospitals bill.

Patients will co-pay 10% of the hospital bills to prevent abuse.

5. Only then I feel that subscribing to medishield insurance scheme is useful and helpful to the patients.

Else Insurance companies will again exploit the loopholes in the revamp scheme to avoid payout to the detriment of the patients.

G, [10/9/2024 11:40 AM]

Will this supposed new union be politically independent or affiliated?

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 12:29 PM]

This is especially important for platform workers that may not be compensated under the workman compensation injuries.

With guarantee 90% coverage under the medishield insurance scheme of all public hospital bills, insurance companies will not be able to exploit loopholes not to compensate the platform workers - such as justifying the injuries or illness as fall under the "not covered" categories and refuse to make payout.

xXx.SCAR.xXx, [10/9/2024 12:33 PM]

Regarding the platform workers, what matters to me is whether they have been consulted and properly informed about the pros and cons; and do they have further needs but are not heard because the conversation had effectively been concluded.

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 1:00 PM]

[ Poll : How supportive are you of the proposed Bill? Share your reasons in the chat! ]

- Very Supportive

- Supportive

- Unsupportive 

- Very Unsupportive 

Jun Ming, [10/9/2024 1:11 PM]

I would like to revote my vote to supportive

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 1:14 PM]

Under the Bill, platform workers will be eligible for work injury compensation when picking up or delivering a passenger or item. However, they will not be covered while waiting for jobs. They will also be ineligible for compensation if they were unlicensed to operate the vehicle being used or if the injury was directly caused by illegal modification of the vehicle.

Looking at the written English statement and the above caveat - a high chance the Insurance companies with the assistance of their legal will exploits the caveat and justify no payout to the platform workers under the "not covered" clauses.

Hence I am getting more and more sceptical about how useful health insurance are helping patients.

A few insurance agents approach me to sell me healthcare insurance.

I ask them, is there guaranteed payout to all hospital bills.

Then the insurance agents will come out with all sorts of caveats such as old illness not covered lah, this not covered, that not covered.

Then I asked them, what is the benefits to me for paying yearly premium and so many things not covered - and the insurance companies are just trying to milk free money from me.

So I am never convinced health insurance are designed to help people - but in fact a "con job".

My experience with medishield insurance - with 0 payout for our hospital bills confirm my suspicions.

Jun Ming, [10/9/2024 1:15 PM]

I am not a platform worker but I can imagine if the platform worker is just working it as a part time job, their earning for extra pocket money will need to go to cpf and hence lesser cash on hand.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 1:15 PM]

You can press the right side of the poll text and select "retract vote".

Then vote again.

G, [10/9/2024 1:20 PM]

/stat@combot

Combot, [10/9/2024 1:46 PM]

Total messages:2308

Caleb, [10/9/2024 1:46 PM]

Which bill

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 2:01 PM]

📢 Topic 📢

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 2:03 PM]

📢 Train and bus fares are going up from Dec 28

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/mrt-bus-fares-to-go-up-by-10-cents-for-adults-who-pay-by-card-from-dec-28?utm_medium=social&utm_source=telegram&utm_campaign=sttg

Jun Ming, [10/9/2024 2:07 PM]

Noo....

Jun Ming, [10/9/2024 2:07 PM]

Lucky I am still a student. Nowadays fares are expensive

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 3:00 PM]

[ Poll : How supportive are you of the proposed Bill? Share your reasons in the chat! ]

- Very Supportive

- Supportive

- Unsupportive 

- Very Unsupportive 

G, [10/9/2024 3:01 PM]

After all the taxmoney poured into make the public transports more efficient, adult commuters still have to pay ever rising fares.

Jun Ming, [10/9/2024 3:04 PM]

I am not supportive by the fare increase

Nicholas, [10/9/2024 3:54 PM]

If the CPF contribution rate goes up for both workers and platform operators, assuming the total pay package remains the same, it means the take-home pay of the worker will go down significantly. While helping to save for the future, likely there will be unhappiness from platform workers, as most live from pay cheque to pay cheque with minimal savings.

Hanny, [10/9/2024 4:01 PM]

I support the bill for platform workers. This workers are future liability for the government in the future. Liability to government means liability to everyone. As much as many workers may not like it, we need to implement this. Working for platforms is no longer a temporary stop gap solution. It is becoming full time and lifetime employment.

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 4:01 PM]

📢 Topic 📢

Hanny, [10/9/2024 4:04 PM]

Working for platforms should be taken as temporary thing. Unfortunately, it is no longer the case. People gets comfortable with it and it becomes very hard to move away from this platform.

Hanny, [10/9/2024 4:07 PM]

Platforms should be the one that cut workers commission and contribute to cpf.

Hanny, [10/9/2024 4:08 PM]

We cannot depend on workers to contribute willingly.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 4:21 PM]

Agree that every jobs, including platform jobs must be self sustainable.

That's it must include full compensation package comprising the contribution to CPF and workman injury coverage.

In so doing, no jobs become a liability to the taxpayers whereby come retirement, housing and medical coverage - certain jobs such as the platform workers need to be cover by taxpayers money - because they fail to contribute to their CPF during their course of work with the platform operators.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 4:24 PM]

Even cleaners, part time workers also contribute to CPF.

Cannot see why platform workers should be the exception.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 4:24 PM]

CPF contributions are payable for part-time, casual or temporary employees who are: Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents, Engaged under a contract of service, and. Earning total wages of more than $50 per month.

Source:- Google

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 4:29 PM]

Cleaner, part time workers earn about $1,000 to $1,500 a month and yet they contribute to CPF.

Cannot see why the platform workers earning $1,500 to $2,500 cannot contribute to their own CPF.

The median salary (according to CNA and Straits Times) is $1,925 a month for platform workers.

3.2% earn more than $5,000 - higher than the national median salary of $4,680.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 4:53 PM]

In 2023, the median gross monthly starting salary of Institute of Technical Education (ITE) graduates in Singapore in full-time employment was 2,450 Singapore dollars.

Source:- Google.

ITE graduates with $2,450 a month also contribute to their CPF.

Hence cannot understand the logic why platform workers who do as well, some higher cannot contribute to their own CPF and provide them a peace of mind in their retirement, medisave and housing loans.

LCL (Danny 心), [10/9/2024 5:00 PM]

Notably:- the World Labour Organisation is looking closely at Singapore labour policy in protecting platform workers - a beacon for other countries to follow.

SMOS said that the International Labour Organization has reached out to Singapore to understand the country's considerations and experiences in making the 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."

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 5:00 PM]

[ Poll : How supportive are you of the proposed Bill? Share your reasons in the chat! ]

- Very Supportive

- Supportive

- Unsupportive 

- Very Unsupportive 

Nicholas, [10/9/2024 5:34 PM]

While supportive of the bill, the platform operators will likely pass on any additional cost to end consumers, so this will result in another round of inflation to us.

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 6:00 PM]

📢 Topic 📢

G, [10/9/2024 6:39 PM]

With this the govt can then now use the CPF contributions as a proxy to claim more income tax from gig workers

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 6:44 PM]

Dear Contributors,

⏰ We will be closing the chat in 15 minutes ⏰

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

REACH Singapore, [10/9/2024 7:00 PM]

Dear Contributors

We will be closing the chat for today.

Thank you very much for being part of our Telegram chat and participating actively.

Goodnight!

Megan 😊

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