KINGSTON, Jamaica — Government Senator, Kavan Gayle is calling for safeguards to be established to protect the rights of workers who are engaged in the gig economy.

In the gig economy, workers are typically engaged in short-term projects or jobs.

Closing the State of the Nation Debate in the Senate recently, Gayle explained that the gig economy is a growing sector that encompasses people like ride-share drivers, take-a-way delivery personnel, freelance workers, digital consultants, and others earning income through a demand for service or goods.

“This shift is redefining the traditional employer/employee relationship and presents both opportunities and challenges in our workforce,” he said.

He further explained that the workers in the gig economy operate in a unique space, noting that many of them are classified as independent contractors, which often excludes them from benefits and protection traditionally afforded full-time employees.

Gayle said that these employees face job insecurity, inconsistent earnings, lack of benefits and limited recourse for workplace grievances, “so we have a responsibility to these kinds of workers to advocate for fair standards, to promote collective bargaining, and to ensure that these workers are exposed to training”.

“This can be a group of workers that can form part of a united group or an association of gig workers or a cooperative where they can start owning their livelihoods and promote, and so the Government can set policies that can promote these kinds of gig workers by enacting laws to continuously redefine employment status, and ensure that these workers have social protection,” he said.

The senator pointed out that the gig economy’s flexibility and opportunities attract many workers but pointed out that without the right policies and protection, it can only lead to vulnerability and inequity.

“It’s a new workforce emerging in a new industry and before it gets out of hand, we need to put those safeguards and railings to protect these workers,” he said.

During her contribution to the debate, Opposition Senator, Gabriela Morris also called for a framework for independent workers and those in the gig economy in the changing world of work.

She further called for renewed focus on workers’ rights, “to ensure that all Jamaicans have access to fair wages, safe working conditions and opportunities for advancement”.

— JIS