KUALA LUMPUR: Human Resources Minister Steven Sim has urged media companies to contribute to social security schemes for freelance media workers, such as part-time journalists and photographers, to enhance their protection.
He said as of last year, 700 freelance journalists and 500 photographers had enrolled in social protection schemes.
“We encourage media companies to cover 30 per cent of the contribution cost since the government already subsidises 70 per cent.
“The upcoming Gig Workers Bill will also include media workers, ensuring institutionalised protection for them,” he said at a breaking fast event and meet and greet with the media here today.
Also present were Human Resource Development Corporation Bhd (HRD Corp) chief executive officer Datuk Shahul Hamid Shaik Dawood and Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) Chairman Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai.
The government previously postponed the tabling of the Gig Workers Bill to allow for more stakeholder engagements.
Steven said companies are concerned that the bill may lead to higher costs, including expenses related to contribution payment applications.
“They misunderstand... PERKESO (Social Security Organisation) will cover the platform application costs, so companies won’t bear any additional expenses,” he said.
Gig service providers had earlier expressed concerns that certain aspects of the bill might hinder innovation, reduce competition and increase service costs for consumers.
Meanwhile, Sim said this year’s Workers’ Day Awards will introduce a new category for individual media practitioners, complementing the existing category for media companies.
