Food delivery workers want more legal protections after Ele.me driver sets himself on fire to protest unpaid wages

Ele.me promises safety upgrades after a self-immolation and the death of a driver has again put gig economy in the national spotlight. More than 60% of delivery drivers do not have access to social security in China, a legally mandated expense that employers sidestep with gig workers. — SCMP

Recent tragedies in China’s food delivery industry have again pushed the gig economy into the spotlight, as the public contemplates the plight of the nation’s delivery drivers and some gig workers call for better legal protections.

Back-to-back incidents involving couriers for Ele.me – the food delivery company owned by Alibaba Group Holding, the parent company of the South China Morning Post – became the most recent catalyst for online debate. Two weeks ago, a delivery driver died while on the job. Then last week, a 48-year-old courier surnamed Liu set himself on fire in protest over unpaid wages.