Ojol Crisis Is Expected to Be a Momentum for the Approval of the GIG Workers Bill

Illustration of the ojol crisis is called the momentum of the enactment of the Indonesian GIG Workers Law. (Ist)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia, Syaiful Huda, hopes that the online taxi (ojol) crisis over the past week will be a momentum to accelerate the enactment of the GIG Workers Draft Law (RUU) in Indonesia.

He assessed that the massive complaints from online transportation users were an indicator of the high dependence of the community on the service. "We encourage both the government and the DPR to immediately complete the discussion and enactment of the GIG Workers Bill as a legal umbrella for independent workers including online drivers," he said, Sunday, March 15.

As is known, complaints about difficulty getting online taxis are widespread on social media ahead of Eid. Many users admit that the waiting time is getting longer because demand is soaring, while some drivers are becoming more selective in taking orders. The surge in orders during Ramadan, drivers who started to return home, to the factor of tariffs and congestion are said to affect the availability of drivers in the field.

According to Huda, the ojol crisis in the last week was not only triggered by the high demand of consumers, but could be due to the reluctance of online transportation driver partners to take orders. This situation occurs because the driver partner feels that the need is not equal.

"Suppose in the distribution of Eid assistance (BHR), of the approximately seven million online drivers who only get 800 thousand. Not to mention the high number of cuts for applications that have long been complained about but have not received an adequate response," he said.

The politician from the PKB Faction stated that the increasing number of GIG workers in the era of economic digitization has not been accompanied by adequate legal protection. As a result, there is an inequality of industrial relations that puts GIG workers in a vulnerable position.

"On the other hand, the public's need for fast, transparent, and on-the-spot digital-based service services is also increasing, so in our view the government must immediately enact the GIG Workers Law," he added.

Huda emphasized that the existence of the GIG Workers Law would protect stakeholders in the national GIG economic ecosystem. Both investors, worker partners, to consumer users. "Currently we have initiated the GIG Workers Bill which ensures the status of workers, social security, net income guarantee for workers, to algorithm transparency. We hope that this initiative will be a common agenda so that the GIG Workers Law can be immediately discussed and passed in parliament," he concluded.