NTUC grants platform worker groups full affiliate status in first constitutional change since 2017

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has amended its constitution for the first time since 2017, formally recognising three platform work associations (PWAs) as full affiliates – a move that will give them a voice within the labour movement’s leadership.

The amendments were approved after more than 90 per cent of union delegates voted in favour on Friday (Nov 14), bringing the National Delivery Champions Association, National Private Hire Vehicles Association and National Taxi Association into the fold of the labour movement.

This means that they are now full union members with voting rights for Central Committee leaders.

NTUC president K Thanaletchimi said bringing the three PWAs into the labour movement allows it “to be more inclusive and better represent” platform workers, ensuring they have “a voice in shaping our mission where every worker matters”.

In a statement on Friday, NTUC said that the constitutional change responds to the shifting demographics of Singapore’s workforce and the growing prevalence of platform work, “which make it critical for NTUC to protect platform workers’ interests and rights”.

The amendments come after the enactment of the Platform Workers Act in January, which NTUC said it had lobbied for over a decade. 

Under the Act, platform workers are covered by the Work Injury Compensation Act, receive Central Provident Fund contributions for housing and retirement adequacy, and gain formal representation through the PWAs.

NTUC’s last constitutional amendment was in 2017, when it broadened its mandate beyond representing only rank-and-file workers. 

That change clarified that the labour movement could also organise and support professionals, managers and executives, freelancers and other growing worker groups through mechanisms beyond traditional unions.

Friday’s vote took place during the second day of NTUC’s two-day Ordinary Delegates’ Conference. The biennial conference is where NTUC takes stock of its progress and charts its strategies for the years ahead. 

On the first day of the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong highlighted how rapid technological change – from artificial intelligence to automation – is reshaping industries and raising questions about job security and readiness.

NTUC’s leadership, including secretary-general Ng Chee Meng and Thanaletchimi, also spoke about the way forward for the labour movement. 

These include staying relevant through digital and structural transformation, working more closely with the Job Security Council to support workers and companies, and developing a stronger bench of future union leaders.

NTUC will now file the latest constitutional amendment with the Registrar of Trade Unions for approval.

Source: The Business Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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