KUALA LUMPUR – The government is set to table a bill on the establishment of a Gig Workers Commission in the Dewan Rakyat in July, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar said the decision to form the commission was prompted by the significant number of youths in the gig economy, adding that the bill would be presented to the lower House in July.
“Recently, there was a proposal to establish a Gig Workers Commission, as hundreds of thousands of youths are involved in the sector.
“The government has endorsed the proposal, and we are now in the process of preparing the requisite details for the bill to be presented in Parliament this July,” he said during his speech at the National Youth Day celebration at Melaka’s Dataran Pahlawan.
Parliament is set to reconvene from June 24 to July 18 for its second meeting this year.
On March 2, during the Bumiputera Economic Congress, Anwar announced the establishment of the Gig Workers Commission to protect the rights of about 1.12 million gig workers.
The initiative aims to prioritise social protection while also handling contract disputes and managing career advancements for gig workers.
The setting up of the commission also seeks to provide a formal channel for workers to voice their grievances related to platform providers’ manipulation and wage rate determination, among others.
Following Anwar’s announcement, the Human Resources Ministry said an interim report on the commission would be presented to the cabinet in June after a team of consultants from Universiti Malaya was appointed in April. – May 25, 2024