Talk of ‘blackout’ among food delivery riders circulating online

PETALING JAYA: A black-and-white poster urging food delivery riders to strike for 24 hours on Aug 5, 2022, has been making the rounds on social media platforms.

Coupled with hashtags demanding the rise of fare rates and floating the idea of “no shift” for a day, it appears to be a rallying call for better conditions.

The origin of the monochrome image, which spotlights two well-known platforms with food delivery services, remains unknown, though delivery riders have staged strikes in the past for different sets of demands.

Some of the same hashtags were first spotted in another large and popular group among delivery riders, in a post urging a 24-hour strike against the company,

Responses to the post, which was made on the morning of July 21, 2022, ranged from mild support to other riders reminding the author that gig work should be treated as part-time work instead of full-time employment, which could be sought elsewhere.

In a separate screenshot sighted by The Star, of a private Facebook group used by a ride-hailing company to engage in verified communication with its riders, the operator was seen addressing the hotly discussed topic of minimum fare rates in a post published that same evening.

Its official message assured their delivery partners that there was no truth to rumours that the minimum fare rate would be reduced to RM3.

This was to address an incident in June 2022, where another viral screenshot had appeared to show such a reduction.

However, the company clarified that the sum shown was the result of a technical issue that had caused the fare rate display to glitch, and assured riders that the correct rate amounts were paid out.

It also advised its delivery riders to be wary of hearsay spread about the company on unofficial channels.