Asian Labour Review

​ Foodpanda riders strike over new distance-based pay in Hong Kong

Resolved Incident

Foodpanda riders strike over new distance-based pay in Hong Kong

Hong Kong (city) Hong Kong Platform / Gig Strike

View on map Part of: Foodpanda Hong Kong riders strike, October 2022

No photo

On the evening of Saturday 15 October 2022 Foodpanda delivery riders in Hong Kong stopped accepting orders in protest at a new system that used Google Maps data to calculate the actual distance covered by a rider instead of the linear delivery distance, which the workers said had reduced their income. The action continued through Sunday 16 October, and workers involved said they would refuse orders for Pandamart, the company's grocery service, from Monday to Friday and strike again the following weekend if Foodpanda refused to negotiate. Foodpanda said the new mechanism addressed earlier feedback and was not intended to reduce overall service fees. The strike followed a similar two-day action in November 2021 that had won a pay and conditions agreement.

Workers involved
Unknown
Outcome
Unknown – Sources disagree on the date: HKFP reports the action starting on the evening of Saturday 15 October 2022 and running through Sunday 16 October, while the Hong Kong Labour Rights Monitor dates it to 17 October. HKFP says workers would refuse Pandamart orders on weekdays and strike again the next weekend if Foodpanda refused to negotiate; no settlement is recorded, so the outcome is unknown. Crowd size is unclear (about 50 at the press meeting per HKFP, hundreds per HKLMR), so the count is blank.
Issues
Contract Status, Living Wage, Working Hours

Sources