Ride sharing drivers, food delivery drivers and other gig workers are invited to attend a roundtable meeting on Friday at 10:30 a.m. to talk about the nature of their work.
The meeting takes place at the Immigrant and Multicultural Services Society of Prince George, located at 1270 2nd Ave. Adam Walker, B.C. parliamentary secretary for the new economy, is hosting the meeting as part of the development of a precarious work strategy.
“(The) government is reviewing issues with gig work to ensure that appropriate employment standards are in place,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Labour on Tuesday said. “Workers are invited to provide insight on the work they do, their working conditions, the benefits and challenges of this work and any employment-standards-related changes they would like to see.”
People who drive or deliver for app-based companies, either as their primary source of income or to supplement their income, are invited to take part.
To register, email [email protected]. Written comments can also be submitted to the email address. An online survey is also available until 4 p.m. on Jan. 6. The survey is available in English, French, Punjabi, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, Tagalog and Arabic:
According to Statistics Canada, roughly one in 10 Canadians (1.7 million people) were gig workers in 2016, up from about one in 20 in 2005.
“Currently, many app-based workers are paid only for ‘active time’ and may earn less than minimum wage for a shift,” the ministry statement said. “Companies often treat app-based ride-hailing and food-delivery workers as independent contractors, and not as employees entitled to B.C.'s minimum employment standards.”
