The Singaporean government has established a network to develop and implement better work injury compensation policies for gig platform workers, according to a report by The Straits Times.
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said the Platform Workers Work Injury Compensation Implementation Network will consider the perspectives of all stakeholders when developing processes for claims processing and reporting work injuries, with platform companies, platform workers, insurers and tripartite partners forming part of the new network.
Specifically, the network will investigate key operational policy issues, Tan said, such as the process for reporting work injuries, claims processing in exceptional scenarios, and determining earnings to compute income loss compensation.
Companies in the network include ComfortDelGro, Gojek, Grab Singapore, Ryde, Tada, Amazon, Deliveroo, foodpanda, GoGoX, Lalamove, Pickupp, Teleport, and uParcel. Insurers Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Company, Chubb Insurance Singapore, Etiqa Insurance, Great Eastern General Insurance, Income Insurance, and Singapore Life are also on board.
The establishment of the new network follows recommendations made by the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers, The Straits Times reported.
In November, the government accepted recommendations to make work injury compensation insurance a mandatory provision by platform companies if a worker is injured while working.
These recommendations involve compulsory Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, which would provide retirement and housing adequacy for gig platform workers.
Tan said policies for workers and corresponding companies will roll out in stages, with the CPF contribution rate increasing by an average of up to 2.5 percentage points over five years until it hits 20%.
Once implemented, workers aged 30 and above can decide whether or not they want to take part in the scheme.
“So, you have a choice to opt in… But I honestly do strongly recommend that you opt in, especially in this day and age, if you are concerned about whether you have enough for housing and retirement,” Tan said.
Tan also acknowledged concerns about lower take-home during the transition period, saying that the government is considering ways to reduce the impact of the policy roll-out that is set to begin in the later part of 2024 at the earliest.
The Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for Platform Workers is currently working on a new representation framework for these workers and will reveal its recommendations late this year, Tan said.
