The Digital Platforms Industry Association (DPIA) acknowledges the review efforts from the Advisory Committee on Platform Workers (ACPW). The recommendations are in line with our members’ ongoing efforts to improve their rider partners’ well-being and safety.
Given the scale of the proposed changes, it is critical that implementation is evenly paced to prevent major disruptions to our ecosystem of merchants, rider partners and consumers. Considering the complexities of business operations and economic pressures, further work is needed to ensure that the new standards and solutions are sustainable for all stakeholders. We will work with the Singapore government on the details of these recommendations.
DPIA welcomes the ACPW’s recommendation that platform workers should not be considered employees. As our members and the Singapore government work on and eventually implement the recommendations, we stress that none of these additional protections should be construed as acknowledgement of an employment relationship.
- On work injury compensation, DPIA members agree that riders should be afforded necessary protections, and currently have policies in place. DPIA members will work with insurers and the government to enhance the financial protections for our rider partners in a way that is congruent with the flexible nature of gig work.
- On housing and retirement adequacy, DPIA members have started providing feedback on the potential implementation. However, given the nature of gig work, including complications such as the flexibility of on-demand payouts, this will not be a simple plug-and-play effort and will require significant work from all stakeholders to finetune the implementation details, to minimise the overall disruption for all parties involved. These measures will place upward pressure on business costs, and we must recognise that this will impact the wider ecosystem, including merchants and consumers who may see increased prices, and our rider partners whose take-home earnings may be reduced.
- On representation, most riders already share their concerns directly to the platforms, and platforms will continue to adequately address riders’ needs. As we work to enhance this, DPIA appreciates the ACPW and the Tripartite Working Group’s (TWG) willingness to work with our members to balance the needs of our rider partners and the platforms.
It is also critical that the government ensures that there is a level playing field for all digital platforms in Singapore. The potential exclusion of some third-party logistics and taxi street-hail platforms, which also use platform workers for their business needs, could lead to price and market distortion.
DPIA members will take comprehensive steps to address the ACPW’s recommendations through continued partnership with the Singapore government, our merchants, our rider partners and other industry stakeholders.