Vulnerable workers like the platform workers, senior workers, persons with disabilities and ex-offenders!
If you got follow the news hor, it was recently announced that starting from the second half of 2024, platform workers and platform companies’ CPF contribution rates will progressively rise over five years, at about 2.5 percentage points per year for workers and 3.5 percentage points per year for companies.
On top of that, platform workers earning up to $2,500 per month and who increase their CPF contributions will be eligible for a transition support provided by the Gahmen.
What is this transition support?
This support is provided to help those platform workers who worry that the impact of the CPF changes on their take-home pay.
In the first year when this CPF contribution kicks in, the Government will pay 75% of the additional contributions. This will be reduced to 50% of the increase in the second and third years, and then to 25% in the fourth year, which is the last year of this transition support.
Labour MP Yeo Wan Ling Jie Jie arrows platform companies to DO MORE
Since the announcement of the implementation of the CPF contribution last year, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has also been pushing and asking the Gahmen to make sure that some form of support must be provided for this group of platform workers when the CPF contributions are enforced, to mitigate the impact on their take-home pay.
NTUC calls for transitional support for Platform Workers when Gahmen introduces CPF contribution!
During the Committee of Supply debate, Labour MP Ms Yeo Wan Ling jie jie, who is also an advisor to the NTA, NPHVA and NDCA, said that while the Labour Movement welcomes the move to introduce the Platform Workers’ CPF Transition Support (PCTS) which helps to offset part of the platform workers’ share of CPF contributions, and at the same time, also help this group of workers their build up their long-term retirement and housing adequacy, she added that more should be done to support the platform workers.
In particular, Ms Yeo Wan Ling jie jie arrow the platform companies, and say that these platform companies can play an important role in mitigating the risks their workers potentially face by sharing the increased costs that will be incurred in the provision of the additional support.
To simply put it, Ms Yeo Wan Ling jie jie is basically asking these platform companies, earn so much money liao, please don’t be niao and kiam ka na, support these platform workers who are working for you a bit won’t die bah.
On top of the platform workers, Ms Yeo Wan Ling jie jie also asked for support to be given to the other vulnerable workers such as those workers with disabilities and ex-offenders. She said that many of them desire the opportunity to earn a living wage and contribute back to Singapore.
Heart so beautiful ah this Ms Yeo Wan Ling Jie Jie!
More support for the ex-offenders to help them get back into the workforce
Not just Ms Yeo Wan Ling jie jie ah, NTUC’s Assistant Secretary General Patrick Tay also urges the Gahmen to give more support to help ex-offenders to integrate back into the workforce.
His advocacy for this group of vulnerable came after the #EveryWorkerMatters conversation exercise on 13 January 2023, where he interacted with 140 participants including employers, associations, and ex-offenders.
Ex-offender Yeo Yun Luo says that companies and society must be more accepting of ex-offenders
In a separate engagement exercise, which is also a part of the #EveryWorkerMatters conversation, the Labour MP also had an opportunity to engage a group of inmates at Changi prison to share as well as hear their thoughts on jobs, training, skills, and employment and employability in general.
So hor, from his interactions and after hearing the feedback, concerns, and aspirations from the ex-offenders and inmates themselves, in his Committee of Supply debate speech, the Labour MP gave the Gahmen 3 suggestions on how MOM can support Ex-Offenders.
1. MOM should support and better incentivise and encourage employers, businesses, and trade associations to hire ex-offenders as well as offer internship opportunities for them to assist them to assimilate into these jobs
2. MOM and the career placement agencies including the private ones can provide career coaching, advisory and mentoring services for this group of job-seekers so as to minimise the expectation mismatch
3. MOM working closely with Yellow Ribbon Singapore and Singapore Prison Service can support employability skills training including job-readiness programmes such as resume and cover letter writing, navigating the job search and job application before their release
Quite nice lah hor, to know that there are still people who didn’t forget the vulnerable workers and recognise that there is also a need to turn our attention to them!
