New laws considered for temporary workers

NEW laws are being considered to regulate the growing gig economy to protect independent workers such as Food Panda riders, said Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said this was necessary as there are currently no such laws.

“That is why we need laws and regulations as there is a possibility that such workers may be oppressed by their employers,” he said when replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali (PH-Bagan Serai).

Dr Noor had wanted to know if the new laws would also include requirements for food delivery riders to undergo safety classes.

“For your information, I was hit (by a food delivery guy),” Dr Noor said, drawing laughter from the House.

Fahmi Fadzil (PH-Lembah Pantai) estimated that there were about 13,000 Food Panda and 10,000 Grab food delivery riders, excluding some 150,000 e-hailing drivers working in the gig economy.

In his supplementary question, Fahmi wanted to know if the new laws would stipulate that these workers would contribute to social security and the Employees Provident Fund.

Dr Mahathir said the government would look into the type of workers’ interests that were to be protected under the new laws.

“There are many benefits from the gig economy and that is why we need to maintain the system,” he added.

Earlier, Dr Mahathir told lawmakers that the government had set up a committee comprising three ministries to resolve issues related to the gig economy. The ministries involved are Human Resources, Youth and Sports, and the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, he added.

A gig economy involves temporary or freelance workers who are contracted by companies, which utilises a digital platform for their businesses.