Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1313317
13 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 29 NOVEMBER 2020 others were operating illegally with a self-employed model, and the market rewarded the illegal model," he said. Cus- tomers have become accus- tomed to a car arriving within two or three minutes, he said, explaining how his company even invested in real estate to be able to park vehicles and remain in compliance with the law. "And the market penalised us for it, because that's what the market wants. You can never fight the market," he lamented. Bezzina said that eCabs's employment model effective- ly raises its consumer pric- es, at least when compared to competitor's fares. "Of course, eCabs prices are more expen- sive, because we're abiding by the law! Try and explain this to the average customer," he said. But when it comes to safe- guarding gig workers and their employment rights, Bezzina suggested a "third way" ap- proach, with gig drivers en- joying a certain degree of em- ployment rights, but not to the same extent as employed driv- ers. He said all ride-hailing plat- forms could be forced to cre- ate a fund that self-employed workers could tap into in case of an accident. In that way, self-employed workers could benefit from the protection of employee status while still enjoying the flexibility of con- tract work. When prompted on what's stopping him from adopting measures like this now, Bezzi- na pointed towards the nature of the market and the higher costs he would incur where he to go it alone. "I would go out of business," he said. "The individualistic element of the market will continue to pro- mote precarious work, lower prices over high. Ultimately customers want cheaper prices and low waiting times. The on- ly way we can provide this is by hiring self-employed drivers." To provide protection, Bezzi- na explained, a company would need to jack up prices to make up for the insurance. "Our in- dustry profits when society is having fun, like on weekends or public holidays, but you need to pay employees double to work on those days." In the case of a self-employed driver, a company only needs to pay the stipulated rate, making it an easy cost-cutting measure. And this is why Bezzina is all for better regulation in the market. Protecting workers costs money, "but if one com- pany has to abide by the law, every company should". "You can either have a regula- tor that is reactive or proactive, but it shouldn't take a regula- tor three years to take action, while in that period you end up giving a competitive advantage to those breaking the law," he said. "We made it easier for every- one to start in this industry, we kickstarted the revolution on the island, we tried to abide by the law, we increased stand- ards. Competition is healthy, but it's healthy when you have a level playing field." nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt "All ride-hailing platforms could be forced to create a fund that self- employed workers could tap into in case of an accident. In that way, self- employed workers could benefit from the protection of employee status while still enjoying the flexibility" The Flying Carpet Importers of hand-knotted Oriental carpets THE FLYING CARPET - OLD RAILWAY TRACK, ATTARD Mon - Tues, Thurs - Sat 10am – 12pm • Wednesday morning closed Mon - Fri – 4.30pm - 7pm Importers of: Various hand knotted carpets and Kilims, Non Slip Underlay, Dry and Liquid shampoo. Mobile No. 7953