City City councilor asks DOLE to check working conditions of delivery app riders

Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann delos Santos| CDN Digital File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Mary Ann de los Santos has filed a resolution addressing the plight of food delivery riders in Cebu City.

The resolution is included in the agenda of the city council’s regular session this afternoon, Thursday, December 1, 2022.

The resolution requests the Department of Labor and Employment in Central Visayas (DOLE-7) to investigate the working conditions of food delivery riders using digital platforms in the city.

This is intending to come up with the guidelines that will provide riders with appropriate social protection coverage, including basic pay, fair fee structures, Social Security System, PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG coverage, and other benefits.

Last November 10, food delivery riders working for the ride-hailing and delivery firm Grab held a ‘protest ride’ in uptown Cebu City to voice out their grievances against the management.

“There is an urgent need to address these complaints of precarious working conditions that threaten the livelihood of riders of food delivery service apps and other similar digital platforms and acknowledge the principle that these riders are entitled to social justice and fair treatment as frontline essential workers in the country,” De los Santos said in her proposed resolution.

She said these “precarious” working conditions include exposure to occupational risks, such as accidents, pollution, and illnesses in the field.

She furthered that while DOLE issued a labor advisory to ensure compliance with labor and occupational safety, this only “skimmed the surface” of the many issues that the delivery service sector is facing.

Her proposed resolution also urges the city government to review the Cebu City Revenue Code and other ordinances to identify possible measures for the protection of the rights and welfare of delivery riders using digital platforms.

This is to also identify measures for possible giving of incentives, exemptions, and relief subject to existing laws, rules, and regulations.

/bmjo

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