A group of delivery motorcycle riders has called on the Ministry of Labour to provide them with legal protection and financial compensation if they are involved in road accidents.
Supaporn Phanprasit, a group representative, told reporters that the riders who work with various apps and e-commerce platforms are exposed to constant danger during their delivery rounds.
As they must race against time to deliver food and parcels quickly, they sometimes find themselves involved in traffic accidents, often resulting in injuries. Some lose their limbs or even their lives.
However, many never receive any financial assistance or compensation from either the other party in the accident or platform operators, Ms Supaporn said.
Being a delivery rider is not officially recognised as a part-time job because it comes with legal conditions and agreements attached. Moreover, a full-time labour system governs the income shared between the riders and their platforms.
“As we are considered (by law) to be ‘employees’, we urge the Ministry of Labour to talk with the delivery platform operators to provide rider protection, including accident insurance and cover our medical costs of up to 10,000 baht for each rider (injured in a traffic accident),” said Ms Supaporn.
Crowds of delivery drivers gathered at the ministry recently to seek help from the new government. They asked officials to rein in the delivery platforms and ensure they offer better welfare protection and fair income.
“We want to have a compensation fund set up to improve the welfare of delivery riders,” said Ms Supaporn. “The compensation must be launched immediately to lighten the financial burden on the riders and their families.”
Maneewan Wongsrikham, a 38-year-old former delivery rider, said her leg was amputated after her motorcycle hit a truck that failed to signal before making a turn.
She received 800 baht a month from a government welfare scheme for people with disabilities, adding that no compensation has been forthcoming from the platform she worked for.
Kasemsan Kruecharoen, director of the Informal Labour Protection Division, said delivery platform operators and their riders had been invited to talks to find a solution together.
The ministry has also drafted an informal labour law that highlights welfare protection for delivery riders. The bill is being vetted by parliament, Mr Kasemsan said.
He said some people work as full-time riders while others do not. During their talks, the platform operators agreed to provide riders with financial protection during their working hours. However, the riders want that protection extended around the clock.