KUALA LUMPUR – The Human Resources ministry (Kesuma) has informed the Cabinet of the decision to postpone the tabling of the Gig Workers Bill, originally scheduled for December.
Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil confirmed that the matter was discussed during today’s Cabinet meeting.
Fahmi, who is also the Communications Minister, said he received confirmation of the bill’s postponement through Scoop.
“The Cabinet meeting today discussed this, and the ministers were informed that the Minister of Human Resources intends to postpone the bill to allow for more consultation with various stakeholders.”
“For further information, including the timeline, you can contact Steven Sim (Kesuma Minister),” he said at a press conference in Putrajaya today.
Earlier, Human Resources Minister Steven Sim informed Scoop that the presentation of the Gig Economy Workers Bill has been postponed.
He said the decision was made following feedback from stakeholders and the need to ensure that the subsequent enactment covers all aspects.
“This is a completely new law, so we need more time as the drafting should have started in August,” Sim said.
“The draft is complete, but of course, during negotiations, we have received various feedback, so we decided to take some more time,” he added.
The bill was originally scheduled to be presented in December and was expected to come into effect in March 2025.
Yesterday, major gig industry platforms, including foodpanda, GoGet, Grab, Halo Delivery, Kiddocare, and Lalamove, also urged the postponement of the bill.
“To ensure a balanced and informed framework, we respectfully request that the presentation of the Bill in December be postponed to allow for more comprehensive consultations with both gig workers and industry players,” said the industry players in a joint statement.
In October, Scoop revealed details of the bill, which aims to protect the welfare of part-time workers, with a focus on e-hailing and p-hailing workers.
It focuses on providing and/or improving remuneration, social security, arbitration, and health and safety.
Involving approximately half a million individuals in the e-hailing and p-hailing sectors alone, the government has taken the stance that more needs to be done to protect this segment of the workforce, which contributes 3% of the country’s GDP. – November 22, 2024