The Sharing Economy Association, Taiwan (SEAT) yesterday said it has drafted self-disciplinary rules that would apply to all of its members, which it would soon present to the public and government as part of its commitment to ensure the safety of food delivery personnel.
The association’s representatives, including those from Uber Eats, Foodpanda, Deliveroo, GoGoVan and Lalamove, on Sunday met with Minister of National Development Council Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶), government officials and experts from the private sector following a recent series of traffic accidents involving the deaths of food couriers.
Participants reached consensus on several issues, with the top priority being to decrease the road safety risks facing delivery workers, and enhancing the safety of the food delivered to consumers, the association said.
Association chairman Andy Peng (彭仕邦) told a press conference in the Legislative Yuan yesterday that it would use the draft of self-disciplinary rules as a way to maintain communication with government officials.
“The evolution of digital technology has brought both opportunities and challenges. We believe that communication based on statistics would help us find better solutions,” he said.
Peng said food delivery services face diverse problems.
Some companies have a work force in which 90 percent of their delivery workers are under the age of 40, whereas others have more middle-aged workers who are re-entering the workforce, he said, adding that there are many complicated factors that need to be taken into consideration.
When asked if the association would recognize the relationship between the companies and delivery personnel as one of employers and employees, Peng said that such issues would only be clarified through many discussions.
“All parties have agreed that we need to start by communicating with one another, and in so doing we would know the difficulties facing the different parties. We take into consideration the fact that many of these delivery workers do not work full-time and have flexible work schedules, and we will find the best way to define the relationship.”
At Sunday’s meeting, participants agreed that the self-disciplinary rules proposed by food delivery companies should consider what sort of insurance would be provided to workers and whether they must deliver food under severe weather or dangerous road conditions.
In terms of food safety, the rules should state that food couriers should properly place food in clean containers.
Taiwan has about 80,000 to 100,000 people working for these food delivery platforms. Many of these workers are in-between jobs or have to take care of sick and elderly family members.
Participants also noted that the jobs created by food delivery companies help the unemployed and that the government should consider legislation to benefit these workers.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS