Drivers working with Taiwan's major food delivery platforms pledged yesterday to form a labour union to demand fair pay, while calling for legislative action to be taken by labour affairs authorities, reports Focus Taiwan. The group held a press conference yesterday outside the Ministry of Labour building, calling on those who work with work services platforms Foodpanda and Uber Eats to sign up for the proposed National Delivery Industrial Union. The main purpose of setting up a labor union is to increase delivery drivers' leverage in negotiating for fair pay rules with the two platforms, said Su Po-hao, the group's spokesperson said. In March, Foodpanda introduced new pay rules, citing better compensation for drivers who dispatch orders with pickups and destinations that are far apart as the main reason, said another group member. A few weeks later, Uber Eats did the same, saying that the new rules would encourage drivers to take orders during peak times, the group member added. In both cases, however, the service fees were reduced due to the new rules. According to the group, both Foodpanda and Uber Eats have regularly modified their rules to calculate delivery service fees, often without any communication with the delivery drivers themselves.

The Ministry of Labour said it welcomes the establishment of a labor union for food deliverers and it urged platforms to carry out dialogue with the group and ensure the labor rights of their delivery drivers. The official said the ministry has not resolved the issue as to whether food delivery platforms have employment or contractual relationships with their deliverers. The ministry therefore hopes to better insure deliverers and ensure their safety at work, the official added.