MANILA, Philippines — The imposition by the Clark Development Corp. of a P200 monthly fee for delivery riders within the Clark Freeport Zone will cut further into their income, the Federation of Free Workers, whose members are protesting the move, said.
In a statement, Foodpanda sa Pampanga, Angeles/Clark/Mambalacat-FFW said the fee would affect thousands of delivery riders for app-based services Foodpanda, Grab, Lalamove and Toktok. The fees, announced on February 6, will be collected starting February 13.
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"This is unjust and would add to the burden of riders and workers in the CDC, who already have to the deal with the rising cost of prices of basic commodities and services, with inflation reaching 8.7% in January," the FFW chapter said.
The P200 monthly fee us on top of a P100 that riders also pay for a gate pass.
The Foodpanda riders said they have asked FFW to call the attention of the Department of Labor and Employment to the fees, which they said "would certainly result in deductions from our meager daily income."
In the same release, FFW said its affiliate Vishay Philippines Inc. Employees Union is also calling for a waiver of entrance and parking fees as well as the payment for vehicle stickers at the Food Terminal Inc. Complex in Taguig.
"Waiving these fees will increase the take-home pay of FTI PEZA workers," the union said.
The two sites are under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
Although the rise of e-commerce, especially during the lockdowns, has meant huge profits for app-based shopping and delivery services, these are often not felt by riders and staff, who are often classified as "partners" and independent contractors and not as employees.
"The misclassification of platform workers, particularly those in the ride-hail and food delivery services, as independent contractors deny them enjoyment of legislated labor rights," a unified 15-Point Labor Agenda that 45 trade unions and workers' groups developed with the help of the International Labor Organization and released in late 2022 reads.
They also only earn a small portion of the fees for their deliveries