Attached to driving for nearly 8 years, Mr. Tran Van Phat (resident of Thoi An ward, Ho Chi Minh City) is the only economic pillar of his family. Every day, draining energy from 9 to 10 hours on the road, his revenue of nearly 400,000 VND has to be saved for all kinds of expensive expenses, from rent to tuition for his two young children.
Risks are always lurking for the driver, Mr. Phat recalled the time he fell off his motorbike on Pham Van Dong street, having to pay for his own motorbike repair and take a few days off for treatment. Not to mention, kidney stones due to continuous riding caused him to spend millions of VND each time he was examined without health insurance coverage.
If I can participate in social insurance, I am completely ready. With health insurance, I am less exhausted when sick, and social insurance will be a retirement pension so that we do not become a burden for our children," Mr. Phat confided.
Sharing the same feeling, Mr. Ho Vinh Thanh (resident of Phu Lam ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has been sticking with the profession for 12 years. Driving for more than 8 hours a day, earning about 10 million VND per month helps him cover family expenses, but the feeling of insecurity has never diminished.
Mr. Thanh sadly witnessed many colleagues falling off their motorbikes and breaking their bones while delivering goods, the cost of treatment was expensive and they had to bear it themselves, and the days of staying at home to recuperate completely lost income. The biggest wish of this long-time driver is to have a health insurance card to feel secure in treating his illness and social insurance savings as a support when his age is old and he is no longer strong enough to endure rain and sun.
Mr. Pham Mi Son - Vice Chairman of the Binh Tan Technology Motorbike Taxi Union - shared that the biggest difficulty is that drivers have never been recognized as true workers. Bearing the title of "partners", they are outside all welfare regimes. Revenue of 200,000 VND to 300,000 VND for 8 hours of work is actually not deducted from gasoline or repair costs. To have a little extra bonus money, many people have to exert themselves for 12 to 16 hours each day. When accidents or illnesses strike, they are completely alone to manage.
The biggest desire of thousands of drivers at this time is a clear legal mechanism and a flexible social security policy. The companionship and sharing of insurance contribution responsibilities from technology car companies will help the already meager income of drivers not be eroded. Workers making a living on every street corner need a warm social security support to be confident on each journey.
