Delivery workers’ unions yesterday urged the government to help facilitate negotiations with Uber Eats about the company’s plan to cut the pay of delivery drivers by the end of this month.
Representatives of local trade unions for online platform delivery workers and Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Yue-chin (林月琴) at a news conference called on Uber Eats to immediately terminate the unnegotiated wage reduction plan.
The Republic of China Commercial Transportation Drivers’ Union and the New Taipei City Motorcycle Delivery Workers’ Union also attended the news conference to express their support for the campaign.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Delivery platforms’ pricing strategies were developed based on algorithms, which are seemingly efficient and align with market mechanisms, but tend to act against the interests of delivery workers, Lin said.
More transparent compensation policies should be introduced given that the data and algorithms are controlled by the employer, she said.
Platform operators have the authority to adjust their management strategies, but should not secretly and arbitrarily change corporate policies on workers’ rights and welfare, including reducing wages without mutual consent, she said.
They should establish explicit rules to ensure that delivery personnel have minimum-wage protections based on a transparent compensation system, she said, urging Uber Eats to negotiate and communicate with the unions as soon as possible.
The Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should also assist both sides to build a communication mechanism, as well as formulating a standard contract, Lin said.
Regulations should be passed to facilitate the efforts, she added.
Cheng Li-chia (鄭力嘉), president of the drivers’ union, said that Uber Eats’ unilateral decision to cut wages provoked an outcry among delivery workers.
The company last month invested a huge amount to acquire taxi fleets, which shows that what it needs is not more money, but more delivery workers who have no resources to fight back, Cheng said.
Uber Eats should immediately terminate its unnegotiated pay cut plan and the government should take a firm stance in supporting deliverers, he said, adding that the groups might protest at Uber Eats’ headquarters in Taipei if the company refuses to negotiate.
Department of Labor Relations official Liu Cheng-yan (劉政彥) said that the labor ministry disapproved of Uber Eats’ unilateral decision to change compensation policies, urging the company to reconsider and communicate with unions.
The labor and transport ministries have been exploring possible mechanisms to determine delivery fees and delivery workers’ pay, Liu said, adding that so far, distance-based billing seems the most feasible solution, as it is relatively transparent and predictable.
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