Death Of Five Delivery Riders: What’s Ailing the Australian Food Industry?

Summary

• Australia is currently experiencing multiple tragedies concerning five deaths in the food delivery industry. The demise of the most recent victim, Bijoy Paul, has stirred up the nation, which is now questioning the morality of the business.
• The whole industry intensified its operations during the pandemic, as people stopped going to the supermarket due to several reasons. Some businesses have even reported a growth of more than 200 per cent.
• Even though food deliveries have drastically increased, some riders complained about salaries as low as A$10 per hour, which is below the allowed limit.

Australian news portals had been writing about the four deaths in the food delivery industry in the past couple of months which was alarming enough. Yet, that was not all as a fifth fatal bike crash was confirmed just two days ago in Sydney’s inner-city suburb, Surry Hills.

An international student hailing from Bangladesh, Bijoy Paul, lost his life while serving his duty for the food giant Uber Eats, which made an official statement soon after his death was verified.

At about 6:40 PM on Monday, 23 November, Uber Eats customers, who just wanted a Maccas meal after work, could not imagine what three clicks on their phones had caused.

This tragedy has raised many eyebrows and questions over the food delivery industry, a business that should be bringing five stars to both customers and delivery riders. Yet, the recent Australian crisis suggests otherwise.

Image Source: © Kalkine Group 2020

A booming business during the pandemic

While small, local businesses were counting their last breath in the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, food delivery giants like Uber Eats, Deliveroo, and others were scraping millions of dollars. What was the reason behind this?

Some people were anxious about going out at a time when a considerable uncertainty surrounded the health crisis, or they could not be bothered with queues of people panic-buying toilet paper and pasta in supermarkets. Why go to the store if there is nothing to purchase?

Australians did not feel bad about switching to food delivery services, mostly middle class and well-off residents that had more money to spend. After all, no one was going out, therefore more dollars were being retained in the bank. The government was also to blame, as Australians could not dine in restaurants – a gold mine for delivery businesses.

Some of the food delivery business have even reported growth of over 200 per cent. No one questioned such a drastic number as it was understood that a higher demand needs a hiring spree.

What could be the root of this problem?

Firstly, let us delve in depth about shopping preferences in Australia, especially during the pandemic.

The retail industry witnessed that customers nationwide had turned their back on them, as no one was visiting the shopping centres anymore. A simple explanation could justify that phenomenon – a shift in their shopping behaviour. In the wake of strict lockdowns and COVID-19 fears, Australians found it wiser to opt for online shopping services which were just one click away and shopping could be done from the warmth of their homes.

However, that might not be the very root cause for the sudden spurt in food deliveries. More likely, it slowly started with contactless purchases at regular supermarkets. Even before the pandemic, it appeared as if individuals were almost afraid to have human contact with the cashier at Woolies or Coles. Hordes of people would line up in front of self-serve machines, while traditional cash registers gathered dust.

All things considered, the whole country seems to be pushing for contactless and effortless services. With a surge in online delivery orders, the food delivery riders are under added pressure to deliver multiple orders within a short span. The changing dynamics, coupled with the limited role of the food players and the government authorities in ensuring the safety of the riders, are the reasons for the increased risk of accidents of delivery drivers.

What are delivery drivers saying?

After the horrific scandal that had surrounded Australia state-wide, delivery employees decided to speak up and let the public know about the conditions they work in, telling the truth to most influential media outlets in the country.

One delivery rider testified to shocking conditions that food services ask them to comply with. For example, the app algorithm would fire riders if they did not meet unreasonable delivery deadlines. Even though these conditions have not been changing during recent years, some persons do not have another option because of their immigration status, or simply paying for expensive bills.

Many riders came through to follow up with their personal experience, but most of them did not sound satisfying – bullying strategies, profit-oriented, tight deadlines, and many other situations. Some riders even started questioning the system, saying what the point of work would be if they died while earning income, which is not well-paid anyway.

Is this a moral concern?

Some experts have identified recent delivery riders’ deaths as a moral concern. The government has not created clear regulations for the industry, but now it might be forced to do so.

Food delivery providers will urgently need to address the problem and find a solution, immediately. But there is no guarantee that anything will be done just because there is high media coverage about recent events.

And of course, it would be irrational to assume that food delivery customers should feel bad due to ordering food deliveries. After all, every delivery sends money towards each delivery rider, but at what price?

Every Australian should start asking more questions about the whole industry. Consumers have an even more significant influence than they think – they shape capitalism overall.

For that reason, people should start changing this moral crisis by going shopping more. Consider a walk/ride yourself to pick up the meal or advise delivery riders they should take their time with the process. Slow steps as such could do wonders if more consumers started implementing them in their and other people’s lives.