Riders Demand Enhanced Compensation and Benefits from Service Platform
Rewritten Article:
Great debate brews over classifying digital platform riders as company employees in Thailand's social security law. Right now, these riders often get tagged as "semi-independent" workers, a category specified in the freelance labor bill. This classification shuts them out from the usual work benefits that formal employees usually enjoy.
Professor Kritsada Theerakosonphong, a lecturer at Thammasat University's Faculty of Social Administration and part of a committee developing the Social Security system under Section 40 of the Social Security Act, raises concerns about this classification. He suggests that digital platform riders should be acknowledged as company employees because they adhere to company rules, don their uniforms, and face risks like accidents on the road.
Critics argue that the current classification disallows these riders from getting the protection and benefits they need, pushing them away from the formal labor system. These professionals work much like regular employees but are kept outside the formal structure, according to Professor Kritsada.
The draft bill, pending cabinet approval, has drawn flak from labor networks, who have vocally objected to the bill in an open letter to Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn on April 18th. The bill has been under development even before the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
professor Kritsada states that for "semi-independent" workers, the current classification amounts to a fundamental mislabeling. He points out the misleading label, hinting at the obvious fact that they are not truly independent.
"Riders are in peril every day, battling potential accidents. Yet with 'freelancer' presiding over them, companies are free of responsibility to protect them," he further adds.
The issue of classifying platform riders as company employees often arises, bearing implications for their social security and labor rights.
- Professor Kritsada Theerakosonphong, a Thammasat University lecturer, argues that digital platform riders, who follow company rules, wear uniforms, and face risks like accidents, should be defined as company employees rather than freelancers.
- Despite working similarly to regular employees, digital platform riders are currently classified as semi-independent workers under the freelance labor bill, which denies them many benefits and protections.
- Professor Kritsada suggests that the mislabeling of these riders as freelancers not only goes against their education-and-self-development, but also exposes them to technology-related risks without adequate protection or uniforms.
