Senate urged to look into labor conditions of delivery riders, 'freelance' workers
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday called on the upper chamber to probe reports of unfair working conditions suffered by delivery riders, motorcycle taxi riders, Grab car drivers and others working as freelancers.
Hontiveros last week called attention to the hundreds of complaints filed by food delivery riders before the labor department after they were treated only as freelancers by mobile app operators.
READ: Lawmaker urges guidelines to protect delivery riders from unfair practices
She has since filed Senate Resolution No. 732 which seeks to investigate the employment benefits and other forms of social protection of workers in the emerging gig economy.
"Coupled with the rising demand for part-time and temporary jobs is the prevalence of loss or lack of benefits," a statement from Hontiveros reads in Filipino. "There are also countless reports of unstable working conditions Some of them, are also not considered employees."
The resolution calls attention to the practice of classifying gig economy workers as independent contractors, and not employees, leaving them unentitled to "healthcare benefits, 13th month pay, retirement pay, leave credits, days-off, and other forms of basic labor rights found in the Labor Code."
"Without laws that regulate and define the rights of our gig economy workers, they will certainly be exposed to abuse and exploitation," Hontiveros said.
She also called on Congress to "plan and think more broadly about delinking healthcare, unemployment insurance, and other vital benefits from specific forms of employment."
"No one should be left out, all must all be included in the new normal with adequate protection and dignity in employment, regardless of his employment status."
— with a report from Franco Luna
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