'Gut wrenching': Sydney delivery rider deaths spark anger

Two Sydney food delivery riders have been killed within one week of each other prompting fresh concerns over the gig economy's work safety practices.

UberEats rider Dede Fredy and Hungry Panda worker Xiaojun Chen both died after road accidents in late September adding to a tally of at least four other known deaths in the industry since 2017.

The aftermath of an alleged assault on a Menulog rider last month.

The deaths prompted calls for immediate legislative reform from Labor and the Transport Workers Union who alleged Safe Work NSW, the workplace regulator, was first alerted to the incidents by the union — a claim Uber disputes.

"Our thoughts are with their friends and their family," said Michael Kaine, the union's national secretary. "This is gut-wrenching, it's heartless and it is brutal because the system that's supposed to protect workers like Dede and Xiaojun, didn't even know that they had died."

In a statement, an Uber spokeswoman said they had notified Safe Work of the injury as soon as the company became aware of it and offered support to the rider's family.

Hungry Panda declined to comment but in a statement to Chinese-language media said it had supported the rider's housemate and told its workers to be careful.

Safe Work NSW confirmed it had been notified of two fatal traffic incidents involving delivery riders and said police were investigating.

The deaths reignited anger among delivery riders, who say they are being mistreated by the platforms they work for, many of which are run by multinational technology companies.

One Menulog rider, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Mohammed, said a close friend had been assaulted by a stranger yelling racist abuse while working in Randwick in September and received no financial help to fix his broken teeth.

"He couldn’t talk properly or eat properly," Mohammed told the Herald. When the pair contacted Menulog, Mohammed said they were brushed off by email.

"They said: 'you’re just a contractor, we’re sorry about the incident but we can’t do anything. You have to get your own insurance'."

A Menulog rider lost several teeth after he was allegedly assaulted in Randwick last month by a stranger shouting racial epithets.

The friend, who also rides for Menulog and did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising his income, was left traumatised and still has not had badly needed dental work quoted at thousands of dollars.

After being contacted by the Herald, a Menulog spokeswoman said the company was in contact with the driver and "working to provide support".

Dede Fredy, the UberEats rider, died on September 27, three days after being struck by a car in Marrickville, leaving behind family in Indonesia. Xiaojun Chen, 43, who delivered for Hungry Panda, a delivery company targeting Australia's Chinese community, died on September 29 after a collision with a bus in Zetland.

"We also notified Safe Work NSW of this incident as soon as becoming aware of it, and have contacted NSW Police to offer any assistance we can," the Uber spokeswoman said.

"In line with regulations, we report any fatality or serious injury to safety regulators."

NSW Labor MLC Daniel Mookhey said the government should clarify industrial laws to force gig economy companies, which typically classify their workers as independent contractors, to take more responsibility for their safety.

In its statement, Hungry Panda said it was improving rider safety training. "We take this opportunity to urge all food delivery works to take care of their own safety while working to ensure the quality dining experiences of users."

One Chinese Hungry Panda and Easi rider who spoke to the Herald through an interpreter said many riders did not report accidents because they were unaware Australian workplace laws may be able to help them.

"It’s just common practice for riders to handle it themselves because in China they handle it themselves," he said.

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