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Rising Concern Over Working Conditions as China's'ŻGig Economy Booms

Yang Ming

   WASHINGTON - Liu Jin wanted his due -- $733 in back pay.

   As a scooter driver in a blue uniform, Liu gigged for Ele.me, an online
   food delivery service owned by the Alibaba Group, a growing
   multibillion-dollar behemoth that dominates China's e-commerce.

   On January 11, Liu showed up at Ele.me's distribution center in
   Taizhou, doused himself in gasoline and set himself on fire. Onlookers
   captured the scene on video, their footage displaying the Ele.me slogan
   "Instant Delivery, Beautiful Life" on a wall behind the man engulfed in
   flames.

   A video of the incident went viral on Weibo, China's social media
   platform, as the 48-year-old worker was being treated for third-degree
   burns.

   Liu's protest in China's eastern Jiangsu province came not long after a
   43-year-old scooter driver referred to only as Han died while
   delivering meals in Beijing. Han also worked for Ele.me. The company's
   insurance paid $4,600 in compensation to his wife, parents and two
   children.

   When his family spoke out, the company offered $92,500. [1]In a
   statement, Ele.me said that it "had not done enough in terms of
   accident death insurance and needs to do more." A scooter delivery
   driver makes about $7.50 an hour as a gig worker, or from $615 to
   $1,230 a month if under contract, according to[2] local media.

References

   1. https://m.weibo.cn/detail/4591164622374664
   2. https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https://www.hotbak.net/key/%E9%A5%BF%E4%BA%86%E4%B9%88%E5%BA%95%E8%96%AA%E5%A4%9A%E5%B0%91.html

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