China stands with delivery riders: 17-point plan aims to boost Communist Party outreach
- New guidelines for gig worker welfare include plan for ‘part-time social supervisors’, as Communist Party seeks closer control of society
The aim is to make sure the delivery workers are “grateful for the party’s care” and follow its lead, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) said as it released a 17-point set of guidelines on its official WeChat account this week.
The drivers should also be inspired to report grass-roots problems, according to its list of priorities. The powerful watchdog was set up in 2018 following sweeping administrative reshuffles and mergers, to provide stronger market supervision as well as anti-monopoly and social management work with an eye on the greater public good.
In its drive to strengthen overall control of Chinese society, the party has in recent years increasingly focused on gig workers, such as hosts on live-streaming and short- video platforms, internet writers, and now delivery crews.
Recognising the delivery workers as “a new and important part” of China’s employment landscape, the SAMR pledged to double down on party-building work among them, so as to “enhance their sense of fulfilment, happiness and security”.