“How Gojek keeps its gig riders close — and away from unions”

... Komunitas Gojek Jalanan (or “Street Gojek Community”) is one of the many support groups for Gojek riders that work closely with the company to resolve gig workers’ issues. …

The Gojek peer support groups, or “communities,” are formed based on gender, shared interests, and region. Unlike unions, which often collectively bargain with their employers, these communities are supported by Gojek. While Indonesian labor law does not allow gig workers to unionize, some of them have joined existing worker unions to apply other forms of pressure on platforms or push for legislative change. But four Gojek community leaders told Rest of World they had no interest in joining unions as they see themselves as Gojek’s allies and messengers…

Labor experts believe Gojek is using these communities to keep protests at bay…

Working with the communities is part of Gojek’s efforts to “bridge communication between Gojek management and driver-partners,” the company’s head of corporate affairs, Rubi W Purnomo, told Rest of World. The company did not comment on the claims about surveillance…

Compared to unions, there’s a limit to how effective these communities can be in protecting workers’ interests…

…a community leader had asked him to join the task force to monitor members who disobeyed the company’s standard operating procedures…