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To better understand the needs of workers, NTUC has launched a public engagement exercise, called the "#EveryWorkerMatters Conversations", which aims to reach out to at least 20,000 workers in Singapore.

The engagement exercise was launched by NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng on Aug. 11, and the union aims to engage workers "of all ages, collars and sectors" over a one-year period.

NTUC planning to reach out to "wide spectrum" of workers

The Conversations will take the form of dialogues, focus group discussions and surveys.

NTUC said it aims to engage "a wide spectrum of Singaporeans" across different life stages and socio-economic statuses, in these conversations.

Ng said the Conversations will engage not just workers in Singapore, but also employers, government policymakers and partner organisations over this one year.

"We want to hear their views and aspirations for the social compact around work, including the trade-offs and sacrifices each must make," he added.

Recommendations to be released mid-2023

The Conversations will take place over three phases.

In the first phase of the exercise, NTUC will engage the public to hear their views on work.

This phase will run from the launch date until the end of the year.

The second phase of the exercise, which will begin in 2023, will see tripartite partners, institutions of higher learning (IHLs), civic society organisations, HR practitioners and other partner organisations come together in policy workshops to work on recommendations and "concrete suggestions".

In phase three, NTUC will work with 4G leaders and government policymakers through the "Forward Singapore" exercise, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in June.

NTUC will surface findings from earlier phases and release their recommendations by mid-2023.

Gig economy poses new questions

Ng said that one of the questions he hopes the Conversations will address is how NTUC will be able to protect vulnerable workers.

He noted that the gig economy poses "fresh questions about the balance between independence and security".

He said for vulnerable self-employed persons and freelancers, NTUC is working through an advisory committee on platform workers.

Ng told Mothership that NTUC has gone "very much on the ground" with freelancers, such as food delivery riders and private hire drivers, to understand their worries and concerns.

He said that from NTUC's past efforts in engaging gig economy workers, he understood that there were three areas that these workers can benefit from, through these conversations.

First was the "immediate issue" of workplace injuries and insurance. Ng said that workers are concerned if they will still be able to receive an income if they find themselves out of work due to illness or injury.

Next was "longer term adequacies", such as how to make CPF contributions possible for gig workers.

The third area was in representation for these workers.

Ng highlighted that unions are bound by the Employment and Industrial Relations Acts, and that it may be necessary to "really rethink our current laws" in order to build an "institutional way" for NTUC to work alongside freelancers.

"We need to maybe work together with tripartite partners to innovate so that we can be alongside these vulnerable workers for their welfare, for their interests, in conjunction also with, of course, business interests," he added.

Top photo by Fiona Tan