MP urges government to promptly discuss and enact Gig Workers Bill

The May Day moment must serve as a reminder that gig workers are part of the labour force who deserve the attention and protection of the state. Jakarta (ANTARA) - DPR RI member Syaiful Huda, on International Workers’ Day or May Day celebrated this Friday, has urged the government to promptly discuss and enact the Gig Workers Bill. According to him, the Gig Workers Bill is crucial to provide legal clarity for both workers and employers amid the massive digitalisation in the economic sector. Moreover, gig workers have characteristics that differ from conventional workers. “The May Day moment must serve as a reminder that gig workers are part of the labour force who deserve the attention and protection of the state,” he said in a statement confirmed in Jakarta on Friday. “The definition of workers in the current Manpower Law only covers formal workers and outsourcing (contract labour, ed.) who have different characteristics, thus making gig workers vulnerable to exploitation,” he stated. Therefore, he said the Gig Workers Bill will regulate the clarity of rights and obligations for workers and employers, such as clear net income thresholds, transparent work contracts, and adequate social security for independent app-based workers. “One of the breakthroughs in this bill is the demand for algorithm transparency, which has so far been a major obstacle. In addition, this regulation will provide a fair and adaptive dispute resolution medium between workers and employers or platforms,” he said. In fact, he added, the gig work model has permeated various fields and is predicted to become one of the largest work models in the future. “Currently, gig workers are spreading across various sectors such as content creators, YouTubers, film workers, music workers, programmers, game developers, hairdressers, to translators. They have so far worked based on contracts that sometimes position the employer as the dominant party,” he said.