China has unveiled new guidelines aimed at enhancing the rights and protections of workers engaged in new forms of employment, such as ride-hailing drivers and food delivery personnel.
The guidelines, released on Friday by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, stipulate that workers participating in the platform economy—including delivery, transportation, and home services—will now be entitled to minimum wage protection.
This move seeks to address prevalent issues within the sector, including excessive working hours and a lack of transparency in platform regulations. The guidelines provide detailed and practical rules to guide platform businesses in improving labor management practices.
Under the new regulations, platform companies are required to prevent overwork, ensure higher compensation for labor during holidays, and solicit worker feedback before making changes to algorithms that affect workers’ rights and interests.
In recent years, China has seen a surge in new types of occupations alongside evolving consumption patterns and the growth of new business models. These emerging occupations have become significant sources of employment, with approximately 84 million workers engaged in new forms of employment across the country.
The working conditions of these workers have increasingly come under scrutiny, prompting the government to release several documents aimed at safeguarding their rights and interests prior to this latest set of guidelines.
Reference(s):
China's new guidelines give delivery workers minimum wage protection
cgtn.com
