Jasper Dalman អាយុទើបតែ ១៩ ឆ្នាំប៉ុណ្ណោះ គឺជាអ្នកបើកបរបញ្ជូនទំនិញរបស់ក្រុមហ៊ុន ហ្វ៊ូត ផេនដា ក្នុងប្រទេសហ្វ៊ីលីពីន។ គេគឺជាអ្នកបើកបរក្នុងក្រុមដំបូងគេដែលបានបង្កើតទៅជាសាខា Cagayan de Oro City សម្រាប់សហជីព United Riders of the Philippines (RIDERS-SENTRO-IUF)។
Jasper បានចូលរួមក្នុងកិច្ចខិតខំចងក្រងសហជីព The United Riders of the Philippines និងបានចូលរួមក្នុងវគ្គបណ្ដុះបណ្ដាលសហជីព។ គេធ្វើកិច្ចការទាំងអស់នេះ ដោយសង្ឃឹមថានឹងអាចជួយលើកកម្ពស់ជីវភាព និងសុខុមាលភាពរបស់អ្នកបើកបរបញ្ជូនទំនិញ និងគ្រួសាររបស់ពួកគេ។
แจสเปอร์ ดาลแมน ไรเดอร์ฟู้ดแพนด้าในฟิลิปปินส์ วัย 19 ปี คือไรเดอร์คนแรกๆที่ก่อตั้งกลุ่มไรเดอร์ประจำเมืองคากายาน เด โอโร่ (Cagayan de Oro City) และไรเดอร์กลุ่มนี้เองคือจุดตั้งต้นของสหภาพไรเดอร์ประจำฟิลิปปินส์ในเวลาต่อมา (The United Riders of the Philippines) (ในความร่วมมือระหว่าง RIDERS-SENTRO-IUF)
Di usianya yang baru 19 tahun, Jasper Dalman sudah menjadi pengemudi pengantaran makanan Food Panda di Filipina. Ia adalah salah satu pengemudi pertama yang membentuk The United Riders of the Philippines (RIDERS-SENTRO-IUF) cabang Cagayan de Oro City.
Jasper bergabung dalam upaya pengorganisiran The United Riders of the Philippines dan mengikuti pelatihan serikat pekerja. Ia melakukannya dengan harapan memperbaiki mata pencaharian dan kesejahteraan para pengemudi pengantaran dan keluarga mereka.
Ada kegembiraan – energi anak muda – dalam kemungkinan akan dibayar dengan layak dan bekerja dengan penuh martabat. Yang paling penting adalah keamanan yang akan diperjuangkan serikat, termasuk komitmen untuk memperjuangkan hak atas asuransi kesehatan dan asuransi kecelakaan yang berkualitas. Seperti jutaan pengemudi pengantaran lainnya, tempat kerja Jasper adalah sepeda dan sepeda motornya – melakukan pengantaran dan kembali dari pengantaran. Untuk dapat melakukan ini dengan aman, perusahaan seperti Food Panda harus bertanggung jawab dan mengakui hak-hak pengemudi atas tempat kerja yang aman. Ini juga berarti mengakhiri sistem yang kejam, penuh tekanan dan tidak aman yang membahayakan pengemudi.
Jasper tewas dalam kecelakaan lalu lintas yang mengerikan pada 19 Februari 2023, saat bekerja.
Kematian Jasper adalah contoh tragis dari kerentanan para pengemudi pengantaran. Pengemudi bekerja dalam kondisi yang sangat berbahaya – terjebak di antara dorongan tanpa henti dari perusahaan pengantaran untuk keuntungan (memeras segalanya dari pengemudi menggunakan alogaritme dan bayaran yang tidak adil) dan permintaan pelanggan yang tidak masuk akal untuk pengantaran yang cepat.
Ditambah lagi penolakan perusahaan pengataran seperti Food Panda untuk memberikan asuransi kesehatan dan asuransi kecelakaan. Ini adalah asuransi yang sangat penting bagi pengemudi di tempat kerja mereka. Sudah terlalu lama para pengemudi yang terlibat kecelakaan lalu lintas dipaksa untuk menanggung biaya medis mereka sendiri atau bergantung pada santunan perusahaan pengantaran yang sporadis dan tidak dapat diprediksi. Dan dalam kasus kematian di tempat kerja, keluarga Jasper tidak mendapatkan apa-apa.
Kami tidak akan mengatakan Jasper tidak meninggal sia-sia dan akan menyerukan asuransi yang berkualitas dan pekerjaan yang aman. Kami tidak akan mengatakan bahwa kami akan memenuhi aspirasinya untuk pekerjaan yang layak dan bermartabat. Mungkin nanti sebagai penghormatan untuk Jasper kami bisa mempertimbangkan untuk mengatakan hal seperti itu. Untuk saat ini, kami masih sangat berduka.
Yang bisa kami katakan adalah kami sangat kehilangan Jasper akibat kondisi berbahaya yang disebabkan oleh perusahaan pengantaran. Kematiannya bisa dicegah, bisa dihindari, dan itu bukanlah suatu kecelakaan. Ia dibunuh oleh tempat kerja yang tidak aman. Dan kita harus menghentikan ini.
At just 19 years of age, Jasper Dalman was a Panda Food delivery rider in the Philippines. He was among the first riders to form the Cagayan de Oro City chapter of The United Riders of the Philippines (RIDERS-SENTRO-IUF).
Jasper joined the organizing effort of the The United Riders of the Philippines and attended union training. He did so in the hope of improving the livelihoods and wellbeing of delivery riders and their families.
There was an excitement – a youthful energy – in the prospect of finally being paid decently and to work with dignity. Most of all it was the security that the union would bring, including the commitment to fight for the right to quality health insurance and accident insurance. Like millions of delivery riders, Jasper’s workplace was his bicycle and motorcycle – making deliveries and returning from deliveries. To do this safely means that companies like Food Panda have to take responsibility and recognize riders’ rights to a safe workplace. It also means bringing an end to the abusive, stressful, unsafe systems that put riders at risk.
Jasper died in a horrific traffic incident on February 19, 2023, while working.
Jasper’s death is a tragic demonstration of the vulnerability of delivery riders. Riders work in extremely hazardous conditions – caught between delivery companies’ relentless drive for profits (squeezing everything out of riders using algorithms and unfair fees) and customers’ unreasonable demands for speedy delivery.
Added to this is the refusal of delivery companies like Food Panda to provide health insurance and accident insurance. This is insurance essential to riders in their workplace. For too long delivery riders injured in traffic incidents have been forced to cover their own medical costs or rely on the sporadic and unpredictable handouts of delivery companies. And in the case of deaths at work, families like Jasper’s are left with nothing.
We will not say that Jasper didn’t die for nothing and turn this into a call for quality insurance and safe work. We will not say that we will fulfill his aspirations for decent work with dignity. Maybe later in a tribute to Jasper we can consider saying such things. For now our grief is just too overwhelming.
All we will say is that we have lost young Jasper to the hazardous conditions imposed by delivery companies. His death was preventable, it was avoidable, it was not an accident. He was killed by unsafe work. And we must stop this.
With all the talk about “the future of work”, there is no doubt that tens of millions digital platform workers will be a vital part of that future. But will they have the fundamental human rights and freedoms that all workers are entitled to? Grab Philippines seems to think the answer is, No.
In response to a peaceful rally organized by the United Riders of the Philippines – Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa – International Union of Food (RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF) in Pampanga, Grab Philippines summarily terminated two riders, Mark Larson Vallejo and Mary Rose Cenidoza.
The rally was one of many peaceful rallies organized by RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF across the Philippines to draw attention to the insecurity, unfair treatment and lack of protection faced by delivery riders.
Instead of responding to these concerns by engaging with the union, Grab Philippines management (not the algorithm) decided to terminate Vallejo and Cenidoza as punishment for speaking out. But the action by Grab Philippines proved the point: delivered riders are vulnerable to unfair, arbitrary punishment, and have no job protection.
This cannot become the future of work, where digital platforms earning billions claim they are creating jobs and improving livelihoods, while passing all the risk to workers through harsh working conditions, unbearable stress, and irregular and unstable incomes. In fact this fear and insecurity – and not artificial intelligence or algorithms – seem to be the primary management tool for these digital platform companies.
RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF was formed by delivery riders in the Philippines to fight against such a future and to make these essential jobs safe, secure and decently paid. If Grab Philippines is to have any kind of future it must reinstate Vallejo and Cenidoza, listen to the concerns raised in these peaceful rallies, and talk to the union. Only then will there be a possibility that the future of work for tens of millions of digital platform workers will be decent work.
RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF Statement Calling for the Reinstatement of Mark Larson Vallejo and Mary Rose Cenidoza
Support Your Riders, Not Punish Them:
The freedom of speech and expression is one of the most important values in any society. All Filipinos have the right to speak up against abuse, injustice, and unfairness without any fear of retaliation, including the termination of employment. In fact, companies that would rather harass and terminate their workers for speaking up for their needs and concerns than address these demonstrates their disregard for the wellbeing of their employees, the very same people that they praise as essential partners and part of their corporate families.
The United Riders of the Philippines – Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa – International Union of Food (RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF) condemns grabs brazen and groundless termination of Mark Larson Vallejo and Mary Rose Cenidoza both delivery riders of Grab Philippines in Pampanga. Their termination, based only on the vague insinuation of “violating” Grab’s Code of Conduct via text, even committing a “fraud-related issue” according to the Grab app is simply an act of intimidation.
Clearly, the termination was done purely to punish Vallejo and Cenidoza for standing up for their fellow riders and demanding just protection and support for the vital work that they do for Grab and the thousands that rely on the platform’s services.
RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF demands the immediate reinstatement of Vallejo, Cenidoza and the end to Grab management’s harassment of its workers. If Grab is serious in its commitment both to provide quality services to its patrons, and the safeguarding of its riders, then the company must prove this in practice – support your riders, not punish them.
The newly formed Union of Delivery Riders in Digital Platforms-SENTRO-IUF launched strike action for the first time on July 11, 2022, in General Santos in the Philippines. The digital platform food delivery riders are demanding fair and just delivery earnings, an end to arbitrary and unfair suspension and terminations (including the “off-boarding” of riders’ accounts without due process), as well as calling for accident insurance coverage.
The strike action comes at a time when more digital platform food delivery riders are getting organized. While spontaneous protests and strikes have been common in Southeast Asia in recent years, organized protest increased during the pandemic. Designated as essential workers recognized as providing a vital service, they continue to be subject to the uncertainty and mental stress of malicious complaints leading to unfair punishment, and unexplained changes in earnings. This adds to the existing pressure of fast delivery times and unsafe working conditions, including road accidents and heat stress.
On June 26, 2022, digital platform food delivery riders joined restaurant workers and fast food workers in the IUF Asia/Pacific Regional Food Services Workers Meeting. Over 115 participants from six countries joined the meeting to discuss the challenges faced by food service workers despite being recognized as essential workers in the pandemic. The meeting identified the urgent need for more food service workers to form and join unions – including digital platform food delivery riders – to build the collective bargaining power needed to secure the stable, decent incomes and safe work that essential workers deserve.
PUBLIC STATEMENT
11 JULY 2022
“MGA DELIVERY RIDERS NAMAN!”
FAIR EARNINGS, STOPPAGE OF ILLEGAL OFF-BOARDING, ILLEGAL SUSPENSION and PROVISION OF ACCIDENT INSURANCE – UDRDP
Led by the Food Panda Delivery riders from General Santos, members of Union of Delivery Riders in Digital Platforms (UDRDP) the SENTRO and IUF City demands better working conditions by providing fair and just delivery earnings, stoppage of rampant suspension and termination (off-boarding) of riders account without due process and Accident Insurance.
Despite their equally important functions and the regular nature of their work, Food Panda delivery riders more often get lower income and zero benefits; but have heavier workloads; are more prone to road and traffic hazards and sexual harassment or outright assaults from customers; and remains no employee-employer relationships with the delivery platforms – effectively denying them the economic benefits and political gains that may be enjoyed by regular workers, including the right to join a union and to receive additional rights and benefits from a collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The UDRDP lamented that the Food Panda delivery riders are treated as “delivery-partners, free-lancers and independent contractors” which justify their lower wages, although they: work 12-15hrs a day; work within strict time limits (the company requires them to come to work at an appointed time, report their work-break by lunch time and go to a place it designates); and can be suspended or terminated by the food panda.
UDRDP also pointed out that some areas do not have designated waiting areas forcing the delivery riders to find shed under the trees, parking areas and besides the roads; do not have personal protective equipment and do not have regular road and traffic safety trainings. That this blatant disregard for or violation of occupational safety and health standards (OSHS) may result not only to temporary injury but also to permanent disability and death of the delivery riders.
Foremost of these demands are the regularization of employment of delivery riders, wages and benefits befitting their permanent work status, strict observance of OSHS, among others.
The UDRDP-SENTRO/IUF is set to hold more mobilizations until Food Panda heeds their demand to stop the illegal termination/off boarding and suspension of delivery riders and to sit down in a meeting with the union about the fair earnings and insurance.
UDRDP is the Union of Delivery Riders in Digital Platform which is affiliated to the national labor center SENTRO (Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa); and the Geneva-based IUF (International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations).
មានក្ដីរំភើបរីករាយពោរពេញដោយថាមពលយុវវ័យ ដោយប្រាថ្នាចង់បានប្រាក់ឈ្នួលសមរម្យនៅទីបំផុត និងអាចធ្វើការដោយសេចក្ដីថ្លៃថ្នូរ។ អ្វីដែលសំខាន់គឺសន្តិសុខដែលបានមកពីសហជីព រួមទាំងការប្ដេជ្ញាចិត្តដើម្បីតស៊ូទាមទារសិទ្ធិទទួលបានធានារ៉ាប់រងសុខភាពប្រកបដោយគុណភាព និងធានារ៉ាប់រងចំពោះគ្រោះថ្នាក់ចៃដន្យ។ មិនខុសពីអ្នកបើកបរបញ្ជូនទំនិញរាប់លាននាក់ដទៃទៀតឡើយ កន្លែងធ្វើការរបស់ Jasper គឺកង់ និងម៉ូតូរបស់គាត់ក្នុងការបញ្ជូនទំនិញ និងវិលមកពីកន្លែងបញ្ជូនទំនិញវិញ។ ដើម្បីបំពេញកិច្ចការទាំងអស់នេះប្រកបដោយសុវត្ថិភាពមានន័យថា ក្រុមហ៊ុនទាំងឡាយ ដូចជាក្រុមហ៊ុន ហ្វ៊ូត ផេនដា ជាដើមចាំបាច់ត្រូវទទួលខុសត្រូវ និងទទួលស្គាល់សិទ្ធិរបស់អ្នកបើកបរក្នុងការទទួលបានកន្លែងការងារប្រកបដោយសុវត្ថិភាព។ ម្យ៉ាងទៀត ក៏មានន័យថាជាការបញ្ចប់ប្រព័ន្ធដែលមានលក្ខណៈរំលោភបំពាន មានភាពតានតឹង និងអសុវត្ថិភាពដែលធ្វើឱ្យអ្នកបើកបរត្រូវប្រឈមហានិភ័យ។
The rally was one of many peaceful rallies organized by RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF across the Philippines to draw attention to the insecurity, unfair treatment and lack of protection faced by delivery riders.
RIDERS – SENTRO – IUF was formed by delivery riders in the Philippines to fight against such a future and to make these essential jobs safe, secure and decently paid. If Grab Philippines is to have any kind of future it must reinstate Vallejo and Cenidoza, listen to the concerns raised in these peaceful rallies, and talk to the union. Only then will there be a possibility that the future of work for tens of millions of digital platform workers will be decent work.
The strike action comes at a time when more digital platform food delivery riders are getting organized. While spontaneous protests and strikes have been common in Southeast Asia in recent years, organized protest increased during the pandemic. Designated as essential workers recognized as providing a vital service, they continue to be subject to the uncertainty and mental stress of malicious complaints leading to unfair punishment, and unexplained changes in earnings. This adds to the existing pressure of fast delivery times and unsafe working conditions, including road accidents and heat stress.