A conflict between a courier and a security guard sparks a wave of protest and a strange conflict resolution from state regulators to love, listen to, and follow the Party.

By Luisetta Mudie | Edited by Malcolm Foster | Radio Free Asia

Summary

Police in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou have called for more humane treatment of delivery workers following an incident where a security guard in an upscale residential complex forced a delivery rider to kneel, triggering angry protests from his colleagues.

Video footage of the delivery rider kneeling by the roadside, after the security guard seized her scooter keys for scaling a low fence to reach a customer’s home, was posted on X by citizen journalist Mr. Li is Not Your Teacher. The journalist also shared clips of police, equipped with riot shields, surrounding delivery riders who staged a protest outside the property management offices, singing the Chinese national anthem (“The March of the Volunteers”).

The protest erupted after a guard at Hangzhou’s Xixi Century Center accused rider Yang Xiaobing,* who works for the delivery app Meituan, of damaging a fence. The guard reportedly took Yang’s scooter key and refused to return it, threatening him with a 200 yuan (US$27) fine. Yang was seen kneeling next to his scooter.

Later, dozens of fellow riders from Meituan and competitor Ele.me gathered outside the property management company that operates Xixi Century Center, protesting Yang’s treatment. This prompted local authorities to deploy police to the scene.

An officer identified as Wang Jinlei, from the local police station, warned private security guards that they have no right to issue fines and urged them to treat delivery riders “more humanely.”

“Today, due to a property management security issue, a conflict occurred with a delivery rider in Jiangcun district, leading to a large-scale gathering of riders and creating instability,” Wang wrote in a social media message.

“In the future, avoid fierce and argumentative behavior when communicating with our delivery rider brothers, and treat them in a rational and peaceful manner,” the message continued.

“We must also be more humane and person-centered, fully understanding the difficulties and challenges faced by delivery personnel,” it said. “It is strictly forbidden for property management security guards to use improper means such as fines when managing delivery riders.” [See: Police Order Better Treatment of Delivery Riders After One Is Humiliated].

On a completely different note, coverage of the incident by China Digital Times (CDT) cites an alternative solution to the conflict recommended by state regulators: gratitude for and obedience to the Chinese Communist Party. As per the directive circulated by the State Administration for Market Regulation in June, regulators call for an increased political consciousness in the delivery sector (urging workers to “be grateful to the Party, listen to the Party, and follow the Party”). They also mandate neighborhoods to create air-conditioned rest areas that allow delivery couriers to eat, drink, and recharge their phones. [See: Kneeling Delivery Driver Sparks Protest and Reflection].

To contextualize the size of China’s delivery services industry, estimates place the value of this sector at more than $208 billion, with a workforce of around 84 million (which includes couriers, food delivery drivers, truckers and ride-hail drivers, among others). There are no independent unions representing delivery drivers or labor protection laws to safeguard their rights and interests.

* At first identified as a male, Yang Xiaobing was later incorrectly referred to as a female in reports (including the RFA coverage reproduced here), which has been revised.