KUALA LUMPUR – The Gig Workers Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament in two weeks, said Human Resources Minister Steven Sim.
Sim said he will first bring the latest draft of the act to the Cabinet for approval.
If approved, Malaysia will be among the first countries in the world, along with 15 others, to introduce a specific law to protect gig workers.
“We have been waiting for this draft for a long time, since 2019. Finally, after many obstacles, we have the latest draft of the Gig Workers Act.
“If everyone agrees, I will bring it to the Cabinet and after getting final approval for this law, I will table it in Parliament within two weeks from now,” he said.
He said this during a town hall session with the Human Resources Minister on the Gig Workers Act Bill 2025.
This session involved over 1,000 gig workers from various platforms, following 11 similar sessions held previously.
So far, about 3,000 participants have taken part in the town hall sessions held across the country.
Since the beginning of the process of drafting the act, Kesuma has conducted various engagement sessions including meetings, workshops and town halls with various stakeholders such as Ministries, Departments, Federal and State Government Agencies, platform providers, gig worker associations, employers and trade unions.
Meanwhile, Sim said the bill was supposed to be tabled in December last year but he postponed it to ensure the act was complete and covered all aspects and was able to protect the welfare of gig workers.
“When we have dialogues, there is feedback and based on the feedback from stakeholders, we want a sophisticated law. Don’t rush (so we) postpone (the presentation) and hold more dialogues across the country.
“In preparing the draft, Kesuma has gone all over the country and asked for everyone’s opinion. We want to get feedback. It can be face-to-face or online,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kesuma in a media statement said the bill contains 10 Parts and 101 Clauses covering matters such as Gig Worker Rights, Contract Entity Obligations, Regulation of Terms and Conditions of Service Agreements, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms, Establishment of a Consultative Council, Gig Worker Tribunal, Safety and Health of Gig Workers and Social Security Protection.
In October, Scoop revealed details of the bill aimed at protecting the welfare of part-time workers, with a focus on e-hailing and p-hailing workers.
Four key areas are addressed in this bill: the definition of gig workers, basic compensation, social security protection and dispute resolution through the Gig Worker Tribunal.
Involving about half a million individuals in the e-hailing and p-hailing sectors alone, the government has taken a stand that more needs to be done to protect this segment of the workforce, which contributes 3% of the country’s GDP. – February 19, 2025