Hui Huang at the Department of International Development of King’s College London conducted interviews with platform-based food-delivery drivers in China to get a picture of their lives and working conditions during the pandemic; and that picture was/is not a pretty one.
The two largest operators, Meituan Waimai and Ele.me (backed by Tencent and Alibaba respectively) employ a total of seven million drivers which the researcher describes as a ‘new army of precariat’. Most of these riders are “..ex-factory-workers from rural China, ejected from the shrinking, low-value added and labor-intensive industry they previously worked in..” and, as such, are particularly vulnerable to abusive employment practices.
A lot of work has been done on vulnerable ‘platform’ workers but so far most of it in the developed West. The paper, it’s claimed, is the first of its kind to look at how this group fare in a developing economy.
The author spent several months as a delivery driver themselves in Beijing and used that experience to source interviewees, their friends and friends of friends for other interviews so this couldn’t be described as a rigorous sample; but it’s unlikely a false narrative has emerged either.
Already among the most unprotected members of society the pandemic has heaped insult on injury to these drivers and their stories are moving. Treated in the state-sponsored media as ‘heroes’ they are, in fact, harassed in their home towns (should they try to return) and further stigmatized in the cities as potential disease carriers.
All the while black-box algorithms seek greater production with no regard to freezing weather conditions, increased load weights or the need to fund their PPE, which is mandatory but must be funded at their expense.
If you’re an investor in Meituan or other ‘platform’ employers you need to read this piece (its short, no excuses) and take companies directly to task. If you don’t, shame, and if you continue to invest in this sector and really don’t care about the lives of the people at the bottom of these exploitative pyramids, shame on you X2.
You’ll find the full read via this link Riders on the Storm.
Happy Sunday, tip (big) a delivery driver.