"'Really squeezed': Why drivers in the world's largest food delivery market are having meltdowns,"

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They’re among the many episodes of explosive confrontations across China involving delivery workers widely circulated on Chinese social media, showing people stretched to the breaking point...

“They are working long hours, really being squeezed,” said Jenny Chan, associate sociology professor at Polytechnic University of Hong Kong. “[And] they will continue to face pressure as [delivery platforms] have to keep the cost low,” she said.

A sluggish economy means people are ordering cheaper meals. That cuts into workers’ earnings because most work on commission, which forces them to work longer hours to maintain their earnings, Chan says.

In addition, the dominance of two major food delivery platforms enables them to dictate contractual terms, leaving little room for workers to push back on deteriorating work conditions, labor rights watchers say...

These days, workers are constantly under immense pressure to meet tight deadlines, even if it means cutting corners on the road – by speeding or running red lights – causing hazards that endanger both themselves and other road users...

CNN reached out to both Meituan and Ele.me for comment, but they did not respond...

Chan said another problem is that delivery workers are treated as freelancers paid by each trip, rather than getting a monthly salary, which incentivizes them to ignore dangerous road conditions to make as many deliveries as they can....