KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has distanced himself from Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman’s (pix) call for a boycott of the Foodpanda delivery service.
Mahathir said the remarks made by the Youth and Sports Minister did not represent the government’s views as the matter was not discussed by Cabinet.
“That is his opinion. He did not discuss it in Cabinet. That is not the government’s stand,” Mahathir said today.
In a tweet earlier today, Syed Saddiq said consumers should take down arrogant businesses just as they can vote out elected representatives.
“Arrogance is not the solution. Only support corporations which are fair to workers and consumers,“ Syed Saddiq tweeted.
Yesterday, Foodpanda said it was pushing ahead with the pay scheme that riders allege would cause their earnings potential to be halved.
The firm argued that the new system would lead to higher revenue for riders based on their daily deliveries.
Syed Saddiq had hosted Foodpanda and Grabfood riders at his home in Petaling Jaya last week after the first group began protesting nationwide against the new pay structure.
After the meeting, the minister said the federal Cabinet is urging the firm to retain its previous pay scheme to safeguard riders’ welfare.
Firms such as Foodpanda and Grab operate in a legal grey area as their delivery riders are considered “partners” or freelancers rather than employees and consequently do not have the usual legal safeguards of full-time workers.
