Unhappy Motorcycle Taxi Drivers

Over 1,000 motorcycle taxi drivers staged a strike in several Indonesian cities on Aug 29 to protest against their low pay, and called on the government to provide them more protection from the practices of ride-sharing companies that are said to be unfair.

Drivers wearing trademark green jackets gathered outside the communications ministry and near the Jakarta offices of Indonesia’s largest technology company GoTo and South-east Asia’s biggest ride-hailing and food delivery firm Grab.

Motorcycle taxis are ubiquitous across Indonesia, including in the capital Jakarta, known for some of the world's worst traffic congestion, and the protests prompted some complaints on social media of slow services.

GoTo & Grab - GoTo and Grab offer ride-hailing, food delivery, and other services in several South-east Asian countries, and have a combined market capitalization of about US$18 billion (S$23 billion).

Drivers want ride-hailing firms to increase the share they get for every trip they complete from 80 per cent now and for the government to give special status for their terms of employment so they have more bargaining power over fees. Driver claimed to work for 10 hours every day but made less than 150,000 rupiah (S$12.60) most days. This means the daily income is below Jakarta’s minimum wage of 5 million rupiah.

The companies recognize drivers as partners, so they do not have the legal obligation to set minimum wages, pay social security insurance or limit working hours.