Home Editors' Picks Demands of holiday season show need to fast-track bills protecting platform workers
Demands of holiday season show need to fast-track bills protecting platform workers

By Chloe Mari A. Hufana, Reporter
THE heightened demands of the holiday season have exacerbated the challenges faced by gig workers in delivery services, prompting calls for urgent legislative action on bills that would safeguard their rights and welfare, according to a labor expert.
Fairwork Philippines Co-Investigator and Professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman School of Labor and Industrial Relations Virgel C. Binghay noted the insufficient protections for gig workers in the delivery sector.
“The government needs to step up and take action. This is not the time for a ‘wait-and-see’ approach,” he told BusinessWorld in a video conferencing interview in mixed English and Filipino.
He added the government, particularly the legislative branch, must expedite its processes as the rise of atypical work in the Fourth Industrial Revolution will continue to emerge.
He cited progress in the United Kingdom and Spain, which have enacted protective laws for the sector.
“There is a growing prevalence of atypical work, and it’s clear that our regulatory framework, labor code, and laws are no longer aligned with the present times,” he added.
The holiday season brings a surge in demand, offering gig workers a short-term opportunity to earn more income, but at a significant cost to their well-being, Mr. Binghay noted.
“This surge in demand takes a toll on their health because they are constantly on the move,” he said, highlighting that the lack of social safety nets leaves gig workers vulnerable, with their well-being not just at risk but inevitably affected.
“This is part of the future of work, and we can never predict what new technologies or atypical forms of work will emerge, but at the core of it all, they are workers. They deserve protection and should not be marginalized.”
According to Fairwork Philippines’ policy brief published in April, there were seven bills in the Senate and six in the House of Representatives in the 19th Congress regulating and providing for the protection of platform workers. As of this writing, the bills remain pending at the committee level in both chambers.
Geoffrey P. Labudahon, national coordinator of RIDERS-SENTRO, a union for delivery riders across major platforms, urged platforms offering incentives during the peak season to not let the riders struggle to claim the incentives.
“We shouldn’t be made to struggle to get the incentive because this is something we’ve worked hard for the whole year. We didn’t just work hard for it on the holidays. So, it should be retroactive,” he told BusinessWorld in Filipino through a telephone call.
While a few platforms offer accident insurance to their riders, Mr. Labudahon added that a majority still leave the riders alone in this area.
“Even if the fare is high, even if we have incentives, it doesn’t matter if we don’t have insurance,” he said, urging companies to prioritize the well-being of their workers. “We need security in case of accidents. Without insurance, we’re left vulnerable, and that’s not right.”
He noted a rise in accidents during the peak season as vehicles inroads surge, as well as the demand for various services from platform workers.
Lastly, Mr. Labudahon called for better bargaining rights for them to have a stronger voice in negotiations.
“It would be better if the union could have a discussion with the different managements because what we’re asking for isn’t wrong. Maybe that could be their Christmas gift to us, so we don’t have to keep on fighting for it.”