Government accepts recommendations by tripartite workgroup to enhance representation for platform workers: Allen & Gledhill

28 July 2023

On 12 July 2023, the Ministry for Manpower (“MOM”) announced that the Government accepted all eight recommendations by the Tripartite Workgroup on Representation for Platform Workers (“Tripartite Workgroup”). MOM states that the Government will work closely with tripartite partners, platform workers and platform operators to implement the recommendations from the second half of 2024.

The eight recommendations are set out below.

Recommendations

In relation to the process for a platform worker representative body to obtain mandate to represent platform workers:
- A platform worker representative body can obtain mandate through direct recognition or secret ballot.
- All platform workers can vote in a secret ballot, except those who are very new or who are inactive.
- Voting will be done electronically and conducted by MOM.
- A platform worker representative body obtains the mandate when it has majority support from the platform workers who voted, subject to a 20% quorum of eligible platform workers.
In relation to the scope of negotiations and formalising negotiated agreements:
- Platform worker representative bodies and platform operators should be given the flexibility to determine areas for negotiation.
- Negotiations will be guided by a set of principles agreed by the Tripartite Workgroup.
- A collective agreement must be certified at the Industrial Arbitration Court.
In relation to how disagreements between platform worker representative bodies and platform operators will be resolved:
- Unresolved collective disputes can be surfaced to MOM for conciliation, and if conciliation fails, to the Industrial Arbitration Court for arbitration.