An hours-long meeting between Foodpanda delivery workers and company representatives that wrapped up around midnight Wednesday ended in deadlock, with management saying they have to discuss with Foodpanda’s overseas headquarters before agreeing to any demands.
Ho Hung Hing, organising secretary of the Catering and Hotel Industries Employees General Union, said in RTHK morning program Millennium that management will meet with workers again on Thursday afternoon.
Couriers at the food delivery company staged a strike over the weekend, protesting against what they said were Foodpanda’s repeated reductions of delivery fees. The strike forced the suspension of some Pandamart operations, the company’s grocery delivery services.
On Tuesday, ahead of the negotiations with management, workers gathered outside local headquarters in Sheung Wan to read out a list of demands—including a minimum order fee of HK$50 (US$6.40) for riders and HK$30 (US$3.85) for walkers and cyclists, stopping unjustified terminations of riders’ accounts and setting a time limit for customers to pick up orders.
Ho, who was at the seven-hour meeting that stretched from 5 pm to 12 am, said the representatives were open to hearing their grievances.
“In the meeting, the Foodpanda representatives were sincere, and they said that our demands are reasonable and constructive,” Ho said.
Workers at the leading food delivery company say they have been earning significantly less in recent months due to the company cutting fees and expanding delivery zones. Long waiting times at restaurants is another gripe, with workers saying they are paid less for rejecting too many orders, SCMP reported.
Coconuts has reached out to Foodpanda for comment.
While workers have suspended their protests and are back to work, Ho said that the couriers do not rule out further strikes over Christmas and New Year’s if their demands are not met.
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