Sifting the wreckage: Authorities carrying away parts of the crashed Beechcraft 390 plane in Shah Alam. Transport Minister Anthony Loke had ordered an investigation into all such planes in the country. — KAMARUL ARIFFIN/The Star
PETALING JAYA: The case of the late Muhamad Hafiz Muhamad Salleh, who perished in the plane crash, illustrated the importance of contributing to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) as a gig worker.
As a contributor to the Self-Employment Social Security Scheme (SKSPS), his family will be entitled to compensation under the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 (Act 4), said Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar.
He said Muhamad Hafiz’s family will receive a one-time funeral management benefit of RM2,000, dependent interest payment and survivor’s pension.
“We want to encourage more gig workers to register and sign up for the scheme to ensure they are protected. This is because the percentage of contributors to the SKSPS is still considered low,” he told The Star yesterday.
As at Aug 18, it was reported that only 697,918, or 24.1%, of self-employed individuals have contributed to the SKSPS.
According to the Statistics Department (DOSM), it is estimated that there are 2.89 million self-employed individuals in the workforce.
Malaysian E-hailing Drivers Association president Daryl Chong called for better streamlining of self-contributions by ehailing drivers and p-hailing riders.
“It is understood that this job does come with its own risks, especially when riders and drivers are on the road. As for the Socso contribution, it is hoped that we have a better mechanism to tie up those in the industry so that they can get additional compensation and protection.
“The tie-up between the delivery company and Socso should be seamlessly incorporated once you join. This is because most are self-contributing while some are not interested or lack the knowledge of its benefits.
“So, I think both sides need to work on this, especially in highlighting the importance of being protected,” he said.
On Aug 17, Muhamad Hafiz, a Foodpanda delivery rider who was passing through Bandar Elmina in Shah Alam, was killed when the plane crashed on the road he was travelling on.
Foodpanda has revealed that Muhamad Hafiz had full insurance coverage with the company.
A quick check showed that the insurance scheme is applicable during working hours between midnight and 11.59pm. For deaths (involving accidents), the sum insured is RM100,000.
“All Foodpanda riders are automatically insured for free during working hours. As such the family will be receiving compensation based on the related benefit,” the company said on Facebook.
The company also paid tribute to Muhamad Hafiz.
“Foodpanda extends its condolences to Muhamad Hafiz’s family. He was one of Foodpanda’s best riders,” the company said.
On Saturday, Muhamad Hafiz had a grand send-off from his fellow riders, with a convoy of seven vehicles accompanying his body from Subang, Selangor, to his hometown in Sidam Kiri, Sungai Petani.
A fellow delivery rider, Hashim Abu Hassan, had posted on his TikTok account about how he and his friends had collected funds for Muhamad Hafiz’s family.
During the incident, the Beechcraft 390, which took off from Langkawi, was cleared to land at the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang when it crashed after losing communication with the control tower.
Among the dead was first-term Pelangai state assemblyman and Pahang exco member Datuk Seri Johari Harun.
The others are pilots Shahrul Kamal Roslan and Heikal Aras Abdul Azim; passengers Kharil Azwan Jamaludin, Shaharul Amir Omar, Mohamad Naim Fawwaz Mohamed Muaidi, Muhammad Taufiq Mohd Zaki and Idris Abdol Talib @ Ramali.
The road users killed in the crash were Muhamad Hafiz and Sharipuddin Shaari.
