10

Ele.me driver self-immolates to protest wage dispute

 3 years ago
source link: https://technode.com/2021/01/12/ele-me-driver-self-immolates-to-protest-wage-dispute/
Go to the source link to view the article. You can view the picture content, updated content and better typesetting reading experience. If the link is broken, please click the button below to view the snapshot at that time.
food delivery meituan eleme alibaba courier
Posted inHeavy Hitters

Ele.me driver self-immolates to protest wage dispute

by Emma Lee Jan 12, 2021Jan 13, 2021

An Eleme delivery driver looks at his phone in Shanghai on April 4, 2019. (Image credit: TechNode/Shi Jiayi)

A video showing a Chinese food delivery driver setting himself on fire in front of a delivery station belonging to Fengniao, the logistics provider for Ele.me, has gone viral, refocusing the spotlight on poor working conditions in China’s tech industry.

Details: A short video [warning: graphic content] showing individuals putting out the flames engulfing a deliveryman in downtown Taizhou, a city in eastern Jiangsu Province, went viral on Chinese social media. The individual was sent to the hospital reportedly in a condition presenting no risk to life.

  • The one-minute video shows the scene from Monday morning when a man is found laying in the street with flames all over his body. Local residents rush to the spot and put out the the fire with extinguishers. The man is highly emotional after the flames are put out, saying “I don’t even want my life, I want my hard-earned money back,” (our translation) to the crowd.
  • The wage dispute involved the driver signing an exclusive contract to work for Fengniao, and then missing work days with the company to work for other platforms, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
  • A Weibo hashtag titled “Jiangsu deliveryman burns himself with gasoline” had attracted 1.28 million views as of Tuesday morning.
  • Ele.me confirmed to TechNode that the man was a former employee of a third-party hiring agency working for Fengniao.
  • “We are saddened by the tragic event. The situation is currently under investigation and we are unable to comment at this stage,” an Ele.me spokesman said.

Context: Chinese tech companies are accused of compelling excessive overtime schedules as well as financial pressure on their workers.

  • Working conditions for the millions of food delivery drivers powering the rise of major internet lifestyle platforms have long been an issue in China, including incidents from deliveryman strikes to a driver stabbing a store employee.
  • Alibaba-backed Ele.me draw public ire after saying it will only pay RMB 2,000 (around $310) compensation to the family of a 43-year-old courier who died on the job. The company later raised the compensation to RMB 600,000.
  • Alibaba rival Pinduoduo is facing a similar backlash for its culture of overtime.

READ MORE: Food delivery: Drivers take the risks. Platforms reap the rewards.

Updated: included statements from the company and detail about the wage dispute.

Tagged: AlibabaE-commerce and New RetailEmploymentNews

Emma Lee

Emma Lee

Emma Lee is Shanghai-based tech writer, covering startups and tech happenings in China and Asia in general. We are looking for stories related to tech and China. Reach her at [email protected]. More by Emma Lee


About Joyk


Aggregate valuable and interesting links.
Joyk means Joy of geeK