After video of a distribution horse kneeling before a security guard caused protests in China, Chinese officials have demanded that gig workers be treated with kindness.
Soldiers allegedly prevented the horse from leaving a Hangzhou building on Monday, claiming that he had harmed railings by scaling them during a hurried supply.
The horse pleaded to be let go after being concerned that his subsequent deliveries may be delayed, according to a statement from the city’s police.
The event sparked outrage net, with many calling for better safeguards for employees in the field.
In China, there are 12 million people who work as shipping users, and the industry has experienced rapid growth as a result.
However, the economy is renowned for its strong timelines, where low-wage users are subject to severe penalties for delays and subpar customer feedback, much like in the rest of the world.
Some even work long days, earning less than a penny for each shipment.
The tragedy on Monday drew large crowds of irate shipping riders to the Hangzhou building, sending the police to release dozens of officers to deal with the situation, some of whom were members of the specific weapons and tactics group.
Videos shared on social media show the riders chanting, “Apologise! Apologise!”
At one place, they start belting out China’s national anthem.
On Tuesday, Hangzhou police issued a statement urging the government to” stay quiet and get understanding one another.”
Meituan, the distribution system that the horse in question was working for, said it will “take complete responsibility” to look into whether he was treated unfairly, and maintain its delivery riders are adequately protected.
The program added that the system had paid for the platform’s malfunctioning railings ‘ repair.
Hashtags related to the incident have received hundreds of millions of opinions on the Weibo blogging program in the past few days.
Some users criticized the rider’s “bullying techniques,” while others acknowledged the horse had made a blunder.
” They are both low-wage workers. Why was this necessary? one person wrote. ” It’s a warm day, it’s not easy for all of us. This attempt to empathise with one another”.
Other people cited unfavorable operating situations.
Why do distribution drivers violate traffic regulations therefore frequently? It’s plain. They will be fined if their shipments are delayed”, another person wrote.
The programs they work for are powerful because of it. And so the users work as hard as they can and take risks in order to finish what they must do.
” It’s precisely how labor function.”
Over time, China has developed policies to safeguard gig workers ‘ rights and interests, but issues still exist.
In China, there have been numerous reports of users arguing with security personnel.
A security guard fatally shot a shipping horse in the southeast city of Qingdao in January of this year after breaking into a building without permission.
Studies by the China Labour Bulletin, a Hong Kong-based NGO, shows job workers have held at least 400 demonstrations in the last five years to require improvements.