Heatwave fee for Asia’s gig workers does little to cool climate stress

A food delivery man carries bags at a Central Business District (CBD) in Beijing on July 15, 2022. Gig firms are levying heatwave and rain surcharges as extreme weather events rise, but drivers need more protection, say experts. — AFP

HO CHI MINH CITY/BANGKOK: As a heatwave engulfed northern and central Vietnam earlier this month, customers reaching for their phones to order food or a ride on the Grab app learned they would have to pay a surcharge.

The extra fee, applied when the local temperature hits 35°C (95°F), came months after the South-East Asian platform company introduced a rainy-weather fee in Vietnam.