KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today received a memorandum on the establishment of the GIG Economy Commission of Malaysia (SEGiM), which is aimed at protecting the well-being of gig workers in the country.

The memorandum was sent by three representatives of workers’ organisations, namely the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC), Malaysian P-Hailing Riders’ Association (Penghantar) and Malaysian eHailing Coalition (GEM).

"This memorandum was sent to Umno Malaysia for the sake of protecting the well-being workers in the gig industry but I myself through Datuk Sharkar (Umno supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsuddin), non-governmental organisations and MTUC had advocated this matter earlier.

"So, today they came not just to submit a memorandum but also to thank Umno for its initiative in raising this matter, and Umno will champion the fate of gig workers throughout the country, Insya-Allah,” the Umno president told reporters after receiving the memorandum at the World Trade Centre (WTC) Kuala Lumpur.

In his policy speech at the Umno General Assembly 2023 yesterday, Ahmad Zahid proposed the establishment of SEGiM to regulate the gig industry ecosystem in the country.

Ahmad Zahid said this proposal was also to safeguard the welfare of the whole economic chain of the industry, beginning from service providers to suppliers, workers and consumers.

Meanwhile, MTUC president Mohd Effendy Abdul Ghani said SEGiM was expected to benefit gig economy workers as their welfare ‘had not been well taken care of’ lately.

"I think MTUC has been fighting for this for almost four years, and finally it has become a reality following Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi’s proposal.

"I feel this is a manifestation of Madani (compassion), and I am confident it will be realised because the idea came from the Umno president himself,” he said, adding that it would improve the landscape for the gig economy with the cooperation of the government. — Bernama