Platform Workers Trilateral Group Releases 10 Recommendations to Safeguard Platform Workers' Livelihoods, Safety and Well-being

1.     The Platform Workers Trilateral Group, comprising the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Transport (MOT), National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Grab Singapore released its recommendations today to safeguard Platform Workers (PWs)’ livelihoods, safety and well-being. The Trilateral Group is overseen by Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower Dr Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of State for National Development and Transport Ms Sun Xueling, Secretary-General of NTUC Mr Ng Chee Meng, and Group Managing Director of Operations of Grab Mr Yee Wee Tang. The ten recommendations are in the Annex [PDF, 132 KB].

2.     The Trilateral Group’s recommendations address two key areas of concern raised by PWs:

a.     Illegal activities in the platform sector: Unauthorised activities in the form of illegal point-to-point (P2P) rides1, as well as foreigners using local PWs’ platform accounts to illegally perform platform work.
b. To advocate for fairer and safer payment and incentive schemes: Concerns about the lack of transparency in the design of Platform Operators (POs)’ payment and incentive structures, which may induce PWs to work long hours and compromise safety in pursuit of uncertain earnings.

3.     The Trilateral Group’s efforts are made possible because of the representation framework for PWs set out in the PW Act, which was implemented from 1 January 2025 to strengthen protections for PWs. NTUC-affiliated Platform Work Associations (PWAs) – National Delivery Champions Association, National Taxi Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association – have played a critical role in highlighting and addressing areas of concern raised by their members and the wider PW community. In addition, the constructive views provided by PWs, other major POs2 in the ride-hail and delivery sectors, as well as the Singapore National Employers Federation, were vital in helping the Trilateral Group shape its recommendations and build a strong consensus to tackle common challenges.

4.     The Trilateral Group’s recommendations are based on these principles:

a.     Recommendations should be practicable and sustainable, and retain the advantages of the platform ecosystem;
b.     Recommendations should safeguard PWs’ livelihoods, safety and well-being; and
c.     Recommendations should foster close collaboration between Government, PWAs, POs and PWs to jointly tackle challenges faced by PWs.

5.     The recommendations will be adopted by all the POs engaged by the Trilateral Group, and implemented in phases given the varying complexities of the issues. The Trilateral Group has already launched dedicated reporting channels for PWs and members of the public to report potential violations to the authorities. This complements the enhanced enforcement actions undertaken by MOM and MOT to stamp out illegal platform activities across P2P transport services and delivery work.

6.     The Trilateral Group is committed to implementing the other recommendations expeditiously. With the strong partnership between POs, PWAs and the Government, and the commitment of POs to address salient issues raised by PWs, we can better safeguard the well-being of Platform Workers in the rapidly evolving platform economy.