Villanueva laments ‘starvation pay’ of food delivery app riders

As essential frontliners, it will be ironic if the government ignores the plight of food delivery workers who are being paid starvation wages, according to Senator Joel Villanueva.

The chair of the Senate labor committee called for an issuance from the Department of Labor and Employment and a directive from the President to ensure protection and just compensation for food delivery riders and other “freelancers in the gig economy” while legislation to cover these workers was underway.

“Trade and commerce have evolved as the pandemic hastened the use of gig platforms from food to grocery shopping,” Villanueva said.

“Our laws must capture new work arrangements which is why in the Senate, we have pushed for the passage of the freelance workers protection bill and the digital workforce competitiveness bill. A directive from the President himself during his SONA this Monday, will help to emphasize the urgency of these measures,” he added.

“Maaari pong atasan ng Pangulo ang DOLE na maglabas ng mga patakaran na gumagarantiya sa karapatan at kapakanan ng mga food delivery riders at mga manggagawang nasa gig economy,” Villanueva said.

“But for urgent and immediate intervention, a department order from DOLE, if not an Executive Order from the President, will provide immediate relief to the workers. For institutional adjustment, the President’s endorsement of the two pending bills as urgent would be very welcome,” he said.

Villanueva has already brought for discussions in the plenary the Freelance Workers Protection bill, or Senate Bill 1810, which seeks to define and recognize workers under freelance arrangement. Freelance workers, under the measure, include food couriers and delivery riders.

“Ang nais po nating po mangyari, may inputs po ang executive branch dito dahil mahirap naman na ipapasa ng Senate at ng House pagkatapos may bubulong sa Pangulo na i-veto yan tulad nang nangyari sa Anti-Endo Bill,” he said.

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Source: Latest Politics News Today (Politics.com.ph)