Grab and 2 platform worker groups team up to boost skills, productivity and dialogue
PLATFORM worker associations National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA) and National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA) have inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with platform operator Grab Singapore.
The two National Trades Union Congress (NTUC)-affiliated associations and Grab will collaborate as part of the MOU to provide training programmes to develop skills and raise productivity for improved earnings opportunities.
The trio will also facilitate dialogue to better understand platform work.
“Importantly, platform work is here to stay,” said Yee Wee Tang, managing director at Grab Singapore.
As part of the Tripartite Working Group on Representation for Platform Workers’ (TWG) recommendations, the trio will also work towards enhancing representation under the new legislation expected to come into effect at the end of 2024.
“We all know the gig economy is on the uptrend not just in Singapore but around the world,” said NTUC secretary-general Ng Chee Meng. “We will ensure that we are ahead of the curve, and representation of this group of workers is key for NTUC.”
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The NPHVA and NDCA have said that the No 1 issue they will be working on after the MOU is protections for both private-hire drivers and delivery riders. Currently, the NDCA has over 2,000. The NPHVA declines to disclose how many members it has.
“When we are alone and something happens, we don’t really matter – but if we come together as an association, we have a bit more substance,” said NDCA president Goh Yong Wei.
While both associations are actively recruiting members, being able to represent drivers and riders to the various platforms will help boost numbers, said Joseph Goh, general secretary of NPHVA.
“The membership (numbers) will go up ... because everyone will see the good point of having an association represent them to the various platforms,” he said.
Private-hire driver Peh Hock Chuan hopes to see better benefits and earnings in the current tough economic conditions after the MOU. Cooperation between Grab and the two associations should allow for quicker time to address gaps in the current business models.
“So there will be no roundabout way, but a direct channel to address these gaps. This is what we are looking for. This is our living; driving is tough,” he said.
The MOU comes after the government accepted TWG’s eight recommendations on allowing platform worker representative bodies to seek a legal mandate and negotiate with operators.
“This progress also demonstrates the spirit of tripartism in uplifting the platform economy – a win-win outcome for all,” said Senior Minister of State for Manpower Koh Poh Koon in a Facebook post.
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