PETALING JAYA: A clear policy is needed to ensure the transparent and fair calculation of all delivery charges and riders’ wages, say p-hailing raider groups.
The Malaysian E-Hailing Coalition said the government must outline new policies or laws to protect the interests of all parties in the industry, be it riders, merchants, consumers or p-hailing operators.
“The best solution is to have a clear and properly enforced policy or law to ensure every service or job carried out is paid fairly and reasonably,” it said in a statement yesterday.
The Malaysian P-Hailing Riders Association (Penghantar), which is seeking a hike in riders’ income and among others, said the move will not happen without specific guidelines or policies or even legislation to oversee the sector.
Its president Zulhelmi Mansor said the main issues faced by the riders are low pay and commissions, and the variation in distances between the digital map and the actual journey.
“We suggested a reasonable fixed rate be paid to the riders to guarantee their income,” he said in response to the outcome of the meeting between Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and 24 p-hailing operators on Tuesday.Zulhelmi said riders also requested that companies take into account the “silent cost” incurred while determining their wages by looking at the maximum distance to pick up an order, incentives for additional distances and waiting time.
He said currently, all these factors are not taken into account.
“It is our hope that companies provide a fairer income guarantee for us and improve the accuracy of the digital map applications,” he added.
After the meeting, which was also attended by five riders to give their views, Anwar said p-hailing companies had committed to being more transparent in reviewing the fees and commissions for riders.
He also announced that more funding will be allocated for riders’ upskilling programmes.
On this, the Malaysian E-Hailing Coalition said the initiative will encourage more youngsters to join the industry.
Meanwhile, Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said a specific guideline for gig operators and platform providers is being drafted to ensure better regulation of the industry.
He said the guideline will cover income, social protection, occupational safety and health, training as well as freedom of work and speech, among others.
“We have proposed a number of measures to address the concerns of p-hailing riders, including increasing the minimum wage, improving the working conditions and providing more benefits to them, such as more sick leave and medical insurance,” he said.
At present, he said, p-hailing riders face a number of issues such as low pay, long working hours, a lack of benefits, unfair treatment by p-hailing companies and safety.
“The gig industry has huge potential and gig workers need to be given appropriate social support.
“Through Employment Social Security Act 2017 (Act 789), the government has implemented a social security mechanism including for gig workers through the Self-Employed Social Security Scheme (SKSPS),” said Sivakumar.
At present, over one million Malaysians are involved in this sector and 97.7% of gig workers are youths.
