The Dewan Negara today passed the Gig Workers Bill 2025 after a debate involving 18 senators.
Human resources minister Steven Sim said the bill addresses weaknesses in existing statutes, particularly in enforcement, by introducing automatic deductions through an Application Programming Interface (API) with platforms.
“Gig workers in the e-hailing and p-hailing sectors are required to contribute to the Social Security Organisation. Under the new provision, contributions will be automatically deducted at a rate of 1.25% of income, after commissions and tips are subtracted.
“In other words, only about one sen will be deducted for every RM1 earned. This is more practical than the current method, where workers must pay a lump sum for the self-protection package, which ranges from RM157.20 to RM592.80 annually,” he said when winding up the debate on the bill, Bernama reported.
He also highlighted the difference between the current prepaid model – where workers must pay in advance to secure coverage – and the new postpaid model, where coverage is provided even before payment is made, noting that this would greatly benefit gig workers.
While Sim acknowledged differing opinions on the bill, he stressed that his ministry had engaged with the public directly to obtain feedback from all stakeholders and refined the draft to produce the best version possible.
The bill contains 112 clauses in 10 parts, emphasising four main aspects – the definition of gig workers, the establishment of a tripartite council to determine income and working conditions, a dispute resolution mechanism and social security protection.
Earlier today, it was reported that the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) welcomed the Gig Workers Bill but called for it to be referred to a parliamentary select committee for a thorough review ahead of its passage.
While supporting provisions in the bill to prevent discrimination, unfair dismissal, and provide access to social protection and dispute resolution, NUJ general secretary Teh Athira Yusof said further scrutiny was required.
Malaysian Trades Union Congress president Halim Mansor today said the congress backs the bill – despite an earlier statement by its secretary-general Kamarul Baharin Mansor that the organisation did not support the proposed law.
