'Sia Champathong' delivered a fiery speech supporting the establishment of a special parliamentary committee to study solutions for platform workers, revealing how companies use the term 'partner' to circumvent labor protection laws.
On 29 Apr 2026 GMT+7, at the House of Representatives meeting, Sia Champathong, party-list MP from the Prachachon Party, spoke in support of a motion to establish a special committee to study ways to resolve issues and improve labor protections for freelancers and platform workers. He sharply highlighted the inequalities faced by riders and platform laborers.
Sia stated that currently, platform companies claim their workers are 'partners' to create legal loopholes that avoid responsibility for workers' lives, despite these workers being strictly controlled by algorithmic systems. If they make mistakes, they face penalties or job bans, yet must cover all costs themselves, including fuel, equipment repairs, and road risks.
'From a 60 baht delivery fee, today it has dropped to just 15 baht,' Sia noted, pointing to the unfair compensation that lacks legal minimum wage protection. He also cited a tragic case where a rider died in an accident at Rama VIII Bridge; if classified as an employee under the law, the family would receive immediate compensation from the workers' compensation fund. But as freelancers, they received nothing at all.
Sia proposed three key points to the committee: to urgently study foreign labor protection laws for platform workers and adapt them locally; to monitor the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) guidelines; and to affirm workers’ rights to unionize and negotiate under ILO Conventions Nos. 87 and 98.
'The government must stop creating new definitions that divide workers, such as calling them independent or semi-independent laborers. These are merely ways to protect corporate interests. It is time to reclaim dignity for all workers equally,' Sia concluded ahead of the upcoming National Labor Day.