Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Malaysia is currently experiencing a nation-wide ‘blackout’ of food delivery services, as local reports have suggested that a large number of food delivery riders will be protesting starting this day amidst requests to improve payment across food delivery rider partners.
According to a report from the Free Malaysia Today, the protest had been planned two to three weeks ago, as shared by the organiser Zulhelmi Mansor of the Persatuan Penghantar P-Hailing Malaysia. The posters posted on social media were posted with Grab and foodpanda logos.
In response to the protests, Grab Malaysia has released a statement via The Star, clarifying that there was no reduction in base fares for their delivery services. Instead, it was due to a glitch in its system, where the rider noted a discrepancy in his earnings.
“We have since rectified the issue and have transferred the shortfall to all affected partners, and clarified the matter via our official communication channel to our partners on July 21. We apologise for the inconvenience this may have caused for our partners and would like to encourage our partners to reach out to us,” they stated.
Grab Malaysia also added that in the past few months, they have introduced multiple efforts to support their delivery-partners, as well as releasing multiple promotions and campaigns to benefit their riders.
The recent updates in Malaysia’s food delivery space line up with the constant growth of food delivery companies in the country, with players including airasia ride and DeliverEat. Recently, airasia ride announced that its offering its gig riders full-time employment in a move to offer job stability and enhancement of income opportunities.
Strikes amongst food delivery riders have increased in the Southeast Asian region. For instance, foodpanda drivers in the Philippines have protested over poor pay conditions. As a result, the country’s National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) have recently ordered foodpanda to pay the seven dismissed riders around PHP2.2m who have participated in the protest.
