Partner" is not insured
Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, 50 years old, still "plows" 12-14 hours on the road every day. Mr. Ha said that early in the morning, when the application is turned on, he has to race with each ride, saving every penny of the discount to cover gasoline, rent, children's tuition, daily grocery money...
At the age when my bones and joints are starting to ache, enduring rain and sun on the street from early morning to late at night erodes my health very quickly. Economic pressure does not allow me to stop" - Mr. Ha said.
Thinking about the future, what makes Mr. Ha most confused is that although he works hard every day, he does not have an official labor contract and is not considered a worker of the company. In the guise of a "partner", he does not have social insurance, does not have health insurance supported by the business and of course does not have a pension or seniority allowance.
My biggest wish is to soon have a clear legal mechanism for technology workers to be covered by social security. We want to have an active insurance participation mechanism, which can be deducted and contributed by each trip and with the contribution of the technology company. If so, freelance workers will be less burdened and have a more solid support when they are no longer able to drive" - Mr. Ha shared.
Mr. Ha's case is not an isolated case but a common picture of the digital workforce today. They bear all the risks of traffic accidents, occupational diseases or health decline over time without any social security support.
Need to design flexible insurance packages
Recognizing this situation, Mr. Le Quang Trung - former Deputy Director in charge of the Department of Employment - said that the nature of the work of informal workers on digital platforms is highly flexible in terms of time, and income is unstable monthly. Therefore, if the traditional social insurance mechanism is rigidly applied, it will create a major barrier that makes it difficult for them to access.
According to Mr. Le Quang Trung, to bring this labor force into the "security net", management agencies need to design highly flexible insurance packages.
Flexibility in contribution levels and contribution methods when allowing employees to pay weekly, daily or directly deduct according to the percentage of revenue of each trip/order instead of requiring fixed monthly contributions.
Diversifying benefits packages through designing short-term insurance packages (labor accidents, sickness, maternity) combined with long-term accumulation (retirement), helping drivers immediately see immediate life benefits.
Support from the budget when the State has appropriate budget contribution support policies for low-income workers and vulnerable people when they first join the system.
In particular, discussing financial responsibility, Mr. Le Quang Trung emphasized the need to consider a clear tripartite responsibility sharing plan: State - employees - businesses providing digital platforms.
Technology businesses that own ride-hailing and delivery applications cannot stand outside the social security connection circle. They benefit from the labor of drivers, so they must be responsible for deducting a percentage of the cost from each transaction to deposit into the insurance fund for employees. This harmonious sharing of responsibility both reduces the burden on drivers and forces businesses to show social responsibility" - Mr. Trung analyzed.
Mr. Trung affirmed that the institutionalization of flexible social security policies specifically for digital platform workers not only protects the legitimate rights of workers, but is also a fundamental solution to expand the coverage of social insurance, towards the goal of sustainable universal social security.
