KUALA LUMPUR — The tabling of the Gig Workers Economy Bill has been deferred.
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim said the decision was made following feedback from stakeholders as well as the need to ensure the ensuing enactment covers all angles.
“It’s a totally new legislation, so we need more time as the drafting proper started in August,” Sim told Scoop.
“The draft is done but of course during consultations we have all sorts of feedback so we decided to take a bit more time,” he said.
The bill was to be tabled in December with it coming into law in March 2025.
Sim explained that during recent rounds of stakeholder engagements involving 1,200 participants, there were many requests from both workers and employers as well as several state governments to defer the bill for further streamlining.
“Want to ensure a good bill which protects our gig workers as well as ensuring vibrancy in the gig economy.
“We aim to table as soon as possible in next Parliament sitting.
“I want a good law tabled. But this is the nearest we ever got to the law since many years of calling for such legislation,” the Minister said.
Yesterday gig industry heavy weights foodpanda, GoGet, Grab, Halo Delivery, Kiddocare and Lalamove called for the deferrement of the bill.
“To ensure a balanced and well-informed framework, we respectfully request the Bill’s tabling in December to be postponed to allow for more comprehensive consultations with both gig workers and industry players,” the industry players said in a joint statement.
In October, Scoop had revealed details of the bill which was to look into the welfare of part time workers, with an emphasis on E-hailing and P-hailing workers.
It focused on the provision and/or enhancement of remuneration, social security, arbitration and health and safety.
With about half a million people in the e-hailing and p-hailing sector alone, the government took the position that more needs to be done to protect this segment of the workforce which contributes 3% of the nation’s GDP. – November 22, 2024