Deaths in Australia highlight plight of delivery riders
Issued on:
12/05/2021 - 05:24 Delivery rider Steve Khouw said many workers fell under pressure to rush to avoid bad reviews that can see them kicked off their platform Andrew LEESON AFP 5 min
Sydney (AFP)
Lockdown-fuelled demand for take-out meals has brought throngs of new delivery riders onto streets around the world, but in Australia the boom has also seen tragedy with a spate of road deaths highlighting the plight of couriers.
As many industries ground to a halt last year, millions lost their jobs and others were asked to work from home, 43-year-old Xiaojun Chen was among the legions of couriers who rushed out on the job.
NSW food delivery taskforce ignored riders safety concerns, advocates say msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Kaine said there was no mention of addressing time pressure in the action planâs list of âactionsâ, despite it being cited as a leading cause of deaths and injuries only a few pages earlier in the document.
He said a section on how the companiesâ algorithms forced workers to ârushâ had been removed at the request of the delivery companies.
âWhat has been produced is nothing more than a catalogue of inadequate, piecemeal actions put forward by food delivery companies that will do nothing to tackle the dangerous conditions for riders,â he said.
âThe taskforce has proven to be an exercise in futility ⦠The sad reality is that more lives will be lost because the NSW government has caved to the demands of tech bullies like Uber and refused to provide any enforceable actions.â