Calls to better protect digital platform workers
A union group has called on the government to do more to protect the rights of digital platform workers after pointing to a survey that it said highlighted their plight, especially those who suffered work-related injuries. Lawmaker Lam Chun-sing, who's also chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, proposed setting up a committee to allow workers to better reflect their views and give them greater bargaining power, similar to what Singapore has done. Lam said government officials, employer and employee representatives as well as union members could sit on the committee. "Their [the workers'] representatives can participate in the committee and they can discuss the details, for example the amount of each order, and... the time limit of receiving the order online," he said. In a recent survey jointly conducted by the group and the Federation of Hong Kong Transportation and Logistics Industry Unions, just under a quarter of about 360 interviewees – who are mainly courier or food delivery workers – said they had been injured at work, but only 13 percent of them received compensation and most were not satisfied with the amount. The Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions said the workers lack bargaining power because a majority of them are self-employed. Lam also pointed out that even though some companies would purchase casualty insurance, it is not enough. "We hope that the Labour Department and the government can encourage the platform companies to purchase the insurance, maybe the compensation is similar to the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, to provide better protection and compensation, to also include, for example, support them for the medical treatment in hospitals or clinics," he said. Lam said the authorities should also look into requiring the companies to offer workers retirement protection.