China's Delivery Drivers Live On Edge Amid Exploitative Sector Practices

Over a dozen delivery drivers on the ground in China detail how delivery firms exploit millions of workers even as the sector booms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Handing over a piping hot meal at exactly the time promised, Chinese food delivery driver Zhuang Zhenhua triumphantly tapped his job as complete through the Meituan app -- and was immediately fined half of his earnings.

A glitch meant it inaccurately registered him as being late and he incurred an automatic penalty -- one of many ways, he said, delivery firms exploit millions of workers even as the sector booms.

Authorities have launched a crackdown demanding firms including Meituan and Alibaba's Ele.me ensure basic labour protections such as proper compensation, insurance, as well as tackling algorithms that effectively encourage dangerous driving.

But more than a dozen drivers told AFP there has been little change on the ground.