Local
The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs has highlighted challenges in extending social security provisions to workers employed by delivery companies. These difficulties are largely attributed to the inherent legal and regulatory complexities of this modern work category, which demands specific legislative attention amidst the significant expansion of the delivery sector in recent years. Detailing these obstacles, Ziyad Mahmoud Hussein, Director of the Labour Inspection Department at the Ministry, explained that "the most prominent challenges stem from the unregulated nature of work within the delivery sector. The majority of these workers operate on a freelance or piece-rate basis, without formal written employment contracts. Additionally, reliance on verbal agreements or ambiguous electronic service terms further complicates the situation." Hussein also pointed to "another critical legal issue regarding the classification of contractual arrangements between workers and delivery companies, questioning whether individuals are considered employees, independent contractors, or partners." These circumstances, according to Hussein, make "proving an employment relationship and determining a worker's dependency on the operating entity complex for inspection committees and judicial bodies, thus impeding labor law application and the safeguarding of rights for this group." Hussein noted that Labor Law No. 37 of 2015, effective in 2016, predates the widespread emergence of delivery services via electronic platforms and remote work, which have significantly increased recently. Consequently, the Director called for "the necessity of enacting new laws or incorporating updated legal texts to regulate these modern fields. This aims to provide a clear framework defining the worker-employer relationship and ensuring comprehensive legal and social protection to guarantee workers' rights."
