Solon wants probe into plight of online-booked delivery riders

A lawmaker has sought a House inquiry into the present working conditions of online platform-based delivery riders.

In filing House Resolution 1974, TUCP party-list Representative Raymond Mendoza urged the House committee on labor and employment to investigate the working conditions of delivery riders and to determine whether an employer-employee relationship exists between the riders and the online platform.

Mendoza said the investigation aims to cover online platform-based companies such as Foodpanda, Grab, Angkas, Lalamove, and other region-based provinces.

This came after the latest issue involving a food delivery service for suspending some delivery riders in Davao City due to their participation in a unity ride supporting other riders who were suspended and denied access to the mobile app for 10 years.

“We recognize that these online platforms have created thousands of jobs for Filipinos displaced by the recent nation-wide lockdown. But it is the delivery riders and not the online platforms who take the real risks of this exploitative business model, braving the elements amidst constant exposure to air pollution, rain and extreme heat, vehicular accidents, and the threat of contracting COVID-19," Mendoza said.

"Something is wrong with this business model if these workers who have very little discretion in the matter of how their tasks will be undertaken are merely treated as independent contractors,” he added.

Earlier, the TUCP stressed that delivery riders are protected by provisions of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, as well as ILO Conventions 87 and 98 which were both ratified by the Philippines.

"These guarantee our workers’ right to organize, to collectively bargain, and to peaceful concerted activities. What online platforms, like Foodpanda, have done to their delivery riders is not just unfair, it is preposterous and is clearly an unjust labor practice," TUCP vice president Luis Corral said.

In a statement, Foodpanda had said it "offboarded" a few riders "who have violated their agreement with the firm by calling for disruptions that may affect the wider ecosystem (other riders, vendors and customers)."

"As a platform, we are supporting thousands of riders and vendors who earn their livelihood and income with Foodpanda, by delivering food and essentials to our customers’ homes," the company said.

"To ensure that the platform remains reliable for all our users, we sometimes have to take difficult actions to mitigate operational interruptions," it added.

Earlier, Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite also urged the Department of Labor and Employment and Congress to investigate the suspension of the Foodpanda riders in Davao City. —LBG, GMA News