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Govt U-turns on commission for gig economies

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Putrajaya had in July said such a commission will improve social protection for gig workers.

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The government had earlier this year proposed a special commission to take care of the interests of 1.12 million gig workers in the country. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA:
The government has no intention of setting up a commission for gig economies, despite the assurance given earlier this year by the deputy prime minister for such a body to be established.

Human resources minister V Sivakumar said the proposed Gig Economy Commission Malaysia (Segim) would overlap the functions of existing bodies, including the National Digital Economy Council, which was formed in August.

A commission like Segim would also overlap the duties of the Fourth Industrial Revolution Council and the Sharing Economy Committee (SEC), he said.

The SEC was set up last year to protect the interests of gig workers and users of such platforms. It comes under the purview of the communications and digital ministry and the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC).

“Setting up (a body like) Segim could cause confusion and lead to inconsistencies in terms of policies and management when it comes to enforcing laws related to shared economies in the future,” Sivakumar said in a written reply.

He was responding to a question by M Saravanan (BN-Tapah) who wanted an update on the status of Segim.

In July, deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had given an assurance that Putrajaya would establish the commission as soon as possible.

Zahid said he had even asked the human resources ministry to submit a memorandum to the Cabinet seeking approval for Segim’s establishment.

The month before, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had agreed in principle to Umno’s proposal for such a commission, which the party said would take care of the welfare of the entire economic chain, including service providers, suppliers, workers and consumers.

According to Zahid, there are some 1.12 million people involved in this industry, with the number increasing by 23% every year.

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