TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Union of online motorcycle taxi drivers today are protesting the partnership work system with the provider company of online transportation services. Drivers from online motorcycle taxi (ojol), online taxi (taksol), and couriers go on a strike and do the mass 'bid off' application on Monday today, February 17, 2025.
Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPAI) considers the partnership system with the company has failed to give legal certainty to the drivers as workers.
"Flexibility in the partnership is a platform's pretext to avoid obligations to pay THR (religious holiday allowance) and workers' rights to online motorcycle taxi, online taxi, and couriers," said SPAI Chair Lily Pujiati in a written statement on Monday, February 17, 2025.
Lily said the flexibility in partnership creates unhealthy business competition. Therefore, each platform struggles to apply low tariffs, so the victims are the drivers who only get a fraction of the tariff.
Various incentives given by the platform to drivers, Lily also feels have not succeeded in prospering the online motorcycle drivers. "Therefore, all of these force the drivers to continuously work without rest exceeding the 8-hour working hour provision," said Lily.
Lily claims that there are still online motorcycle drivers who are forced to work 17 hours or even more. The reason is that their income is calculated per order in the application, so they have to work extra to meet their daily needs.
According to Lily, online drivers have contributed significantly to the economy and the online transportation business.
However, she said, throughout this time, the business platform has greatly benefited from high profits at the expense of the welfare of online motorcycle drivers.
Lily stated the platform's profits have increased, among other things, because the company does not pay the minimum wage and other workers' rights. "Such as overtime pay, menstrual leave and maternity leave, 8-hour working hour," Lily said.
She referred to these conditions as economic injustice. Compared to the partnership, she added, companies should provide employment agreements that can guarantee the rights of the drivers as regulated in the Manpower Law.
SPAI stated that they have often protested the partnership issue. However, the system still applies until now. "Therefore, the state must be present, the Ministry of Manpower must issue populist policies that clearly favor online motorcycle drivers and other platform workers," she stated.
In addition to rejecting the partnership system, online drivers also demand the provision of religious holiday allowance (THR). Based on the Minister of Manpower Regulation Number 6 of 2016, companies are only obliged to provide THR to workers who at least have Fixed-Term Employment Agreements (PKWTT). Online drivers are not considered obliged to receive THR because they have a partnership work relationship with the application company.
Editor's Choice: Online Motorcycle Taxi Unions Go on Strike Today, Demanding THR
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