Are we sacrificing the well-being of delivery workers?
The debate surrounding the Platform Workers Bill, which passed into law on Sept 10, has ignited a crucial conversation about the true cost of convenience.
Under the new law, platform workers such as delivery riders and private-hire and taxi drivers will be better protected from 2025.
While many argue that increased protection for platform workers will burden consumers and businesses, former president Halimah Yacob highlighted the distorted reality of platform work and its impact on workers.
"Platform work has greatly distorted the price of goods and services," Madam Halimah wrote in a Facebook post. "As consumers, we expect cheap and fast delivery."
This expectation, she argued, is fuelled by a system that places the cost of this convenience on the shoulders of the very people who deliver it – the platform workers.
"Platform workers are employees after all," she said. "They cannot charge their own price and are subject to the companies' operating hours and schedules and other conditions of work."
Yet, unlike traditional employees, they are not afforded the same protections. They lack access to sick leave, benefits, and social security, leaving them vulnerable to financial instability and unable to plan for their future.
Madam Halimah wrote: "We cannot have a segment of our society not able to buy homes, provide for their health and retirement and other basic needs. They can't plan for their future which affects their children, our next generation."
This vulnerability not only harms individuals but threatens the very fabric of our society.
She added that for all its upsides, information technology and algorithms have their downsides too.
She cited an example of a US fast food chain where algorithms force workers back to work, disrupting their personal time and undermining their right to rest.
"Workers bear the cost of technological disruption," she stated, highlighting the dehumanising effects of technology in the pursuit of efficiency.
Madam Halimah advocated for a decisive approach, urging policymakers to classify platform workers meeting certain conditions as employees, granting them automatic access to labour laws, social security protection, and union representation.
"Some countries have already done this," she pointed out, highlighting the feasibility and effectiveness of this model.
"It's all about the business operating model that has fundamentally changed with the availability of platforms."
While the current model prioritises convenience at the expense of workers' well-being, she believes that a fairer approach is possible.
This shift requires a fundamental reassessment of our values, acknowledging that the pursuit of cheap and fast delivery cannot come at the cost of human dignity and financial security.
During the debate on the Platform Workers Bill, one point raised was who should bear the cost of providing more...
Posted by Halimah Yacob on Tuesday, September 10, 2024
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