Efforts on the part of the Chinese government to better regulate working conditions in the platform economy are ongoing. As previously reported (see article n°12665), the law on workplace safety – amended in June and effective from 1 September – contains specific mention of the gig economy, and that is not all. In June, seven Chinese state agencies issued a notice on the rights and interests of couriers and riders working for delivery platforms. Then in following month came guidelines to better protect all “new forms of employment”, including in the areas of pay, working hours and social security.
Notices and directives. The main thrust of the joint notice issued on 23 June by the seven state agencies – including the Chinese ministry of transport and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions – was to encourage delivery firms to hire their employees directly and to pay for accident insurance for couriers that would be proportional to the average local salary or turnover. On 16 July, meanwhile, eight ministries and state agencies – including the Supreme People’s Court – issued a comprehensive directive with a view to protecting the rights and interests of workers in “new forms of employment” (couriers, delivery workers and drivers for platforms, etc.).
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