“Riders – Heroes – Chains,” a study from Chula that reflects a fast-growing modern workforce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic but without assurance or protection of their welfare.
“This isn’t just about riders’ careers, but it is an employment model for the future,” stated the “Riders – Heroes – Chains” seminar organized by the Institute of Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University which shone a spotlight on the new group of workers, or gig workers, who, despite their exponential growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, lacking any protection or welfare and who are constantly exploited by their employers.
Akkanut Wantanasombat, Academician of Mekong Studies Center, Institute for Asian Studies, Chulalongkorn University, whose research “Riders – Heroes – Chains — the Working Conditions and Social Security of Food Delivery Workers on the Platform Economy during the COVID-19 Pandemic”, reveals the problem of inequality and the absence of labor protection which requires attention from all parties, including consumers. university in bangkok
Outdated laws lag behind rising numbers of riders
Labor relations between the employers/online platforms and the riders/employees are different from the familiar salaried employment with the place of operation which changed from brick and mortar to a mobile platform (smartphone). Their interaction, if any, is only through online orders. The wages come from the delivery of orders. This means that the more orders a rider receives, the more money that rider earns each day.
As a result, each rider’s income is uncertain and fluctuates according to the daily situation that cannot be determined in advance. Riders’ bargaining power is low because they rely on the platform as their main source of income. And even though there are few competitors in the online platforms, these riders still have no better choices, because each platform can set the conditions for riders’ wages without any governmental regulations to set wage standards, not to mention workers’ welfare or benefits.
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