It has been a long time coming for gig workers asking for basic employment standards, but BC has announced that it will soon be able to offer them just that.
App-based ride-hailing and food delivery workers will benefit from new protections for better working conditions.
The BC Ministry of Labour announcement suggests these gig workers will be defined as “online platform workers.”
The BC government estimates the province has around 11,000 ride-hailing drivers and 27,000 food delivery workers.
Some of the changes include a minimum earnings standard of 120% of the minimum wage in BC, which is currently $16.75 per hour. Tips are not included in those calculations.
BC will also establish an additional compensation standard for any workers who incur costs related to using their own car.
“The workers who appear at the touch of a button to drive us home or deliver our dinner deserve to be treated fairly,” said Harry Bains, minister of labour, in a statement.
“That’s why we’re taking action to address the problems that the workers themselves raised. We know how important these services are to people in BC, and our goal is to balance the needs of workers while supporting the continuation of these services.”
The changes will also prohibit platform companies from withholding tips or making income deductions from tips.
Gig workers will also be protected from sudden terminations or suspensions, as platforms will be required to inform workers in written reasons for suspension or deactivation of accounts.
Platform companies will also need to give written notice or compensation for length of service if they want to terminate a worker’s account unless there is cause.
WorkSafeBC is also in the mix, as workers’ compensation coverage from WorkSafeBC will now be extended to ride-hailing and food delivery employees. The platform companies will be responsible for registering for coverage with WorkSafeBC and paying premiums.
A few areas not being addressed in this announcement include hours of work and overtime, stat holidays, paid leave, and annual vacation days.
Uber response
In a statement, Uber said it supports the BC announcement.
“Uber is supportive of government policies that protect the flexibility and independence of app-based workers while offering benefits and protections tailored to the work they do.”
BC Federation of Labour hopes for more
BCFED released a statement about BC’s announcement, saying that while the government made progress, key protections were still missing.
“But we are deeply concerned over where this plan falls short – especially because it denies workers key protections under the law, like paid sick leave,” said BCFED President Sussanne Skidmore.
Skidmore added that the government’s approach to minimum wage fails to include time spent waiting for or returning from an assignment.
“So while that 120% figure sounds great at first, it’s hard to see how it gets them to the minimum wage.”
Follow Channels and Categories