HungryPanda denies workers' claims of being forced to pay for stolen food

Delivery app HungryPanda denies claims it "punishes" riders who have had food orders stolen from them, despite multiple former workers telling the ABC they have been forced to cover the cost.The death of HungryPanda delivery worker Feng Jianming has again shone a spotlight on the safety and conditions of gig economy workers.Mr Feng, 47, was fatally stabbed on Friday night while making a food delivery in Melbourne's CBD.A 51-year-old man has been charged Mr Feng's murder and intentionally causing injury over the incident, which saw another delivery rider injured.HungryPanda policies out of step with competitors, delivery worker saysInternational college student Cheng Zhang began working for both HungryPanda and Uber when he moved to Melbourne this year.While working in the CBD, he said he was often harassed by drunk people on the street, and had had food stolen from his bike while he was making a delivery on an upper level of a high-rise building."I suffered one punishment [from HungryPanda] in June," he told the ABC."I immediately reported [the theft] to HungryPanda and HungryPanda said 'OK, this incident is recorded and the loss of your food will be charged on my next Tuesday's payday'."He said Uber did not have the same rule.Hundreds of people gathered in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday night to voice safety concerns after the death of delivery rider Feng Jianming. (ABC News)Another worker told the ABC he had had food stolen three times over the past 18 months and had had to pay for the orders each time.In one instance, the man said he had had to pay $50 out of the $200 he received for a 10-hour shift."That was at least three or four hours of work," he said.He said he had been involved in two confrontations with people stealing his food and he believed other workers were putting themselves in danger as they tried to protect their livelihoods."The company doesn't really get involved with the workers unless something terrible happens, like this case with Feng, our fellow co-worker," he said."It's more like you're on your own."The ABC has chosen not to use the man's name because he still works for HungryPanda and is subject to a clause in his contract that could see him terminated for negative media coverage.He said that when he started, HungryPanda offered to cover $50 worth of missing, stolen or disputed orders."I lost that protection within my first month," he said."After that, I was paying for it on my own."He agreed with Cheng Zhang that he did not have to pay for lost or disputed orders when he worked for Uber.He said Uber had a function in its app to allow workers to quickly report any dangerous situations or harassment on the street.But he said HungryPanda required workers to talk to someone from the company via WhatsApp."Some days are good days but not all of them," he said. "It's not stable work. It's easy work to get into ... but you are exposed to a lot of stress daily."Hundreds of people gathered in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday night demanding safety improvements after Feng Jianming's death. (ABC News)Berkay Bilici told the ABC he had worked for multiple delivery apps.He said he did not like working after 8pm in Melbourne's CBD because of problems with people on the streets.He said he believed DoorDash was the only company that checked on the safety of its workers. "If you tell them something has happened in the DoorDash [app], they call you, they take care of you, they send you emails. At least two or three times, someone will call you and say, 'Hey are you ok? What's happening?'" he said."HungryPanda was the worst of the gig workers apps."He said HungryPanda once deducted $12 from his pay after a customer complained that part of the order had been spilt."The HungryPanda manager or someone sent me a message and said I had damaged all the food items and we are deducting money from your account."I was in shock and they said, 'Rules are rules'."HungryPanda says worker safety comes firstHungryPanda has told the ABC it does not have a policy "automatically requiring" riders to compensate for lost or undelivered orders. "Riders will not be penalised for being unable to complete deliveries due to genuine safety concerns," it said in a statement.The company said it was continuing to support Mr Feng's family, including paying for their travel to Australia and his funeral costs."The deceased rider's family has also shared that he had previously experienced the theft of four to five electric bicycles, highlighting the broader safety and security challenges faced by delivery riders," the company said."While the full circumstances remain subject to police investigation, this tragedy has reinforced the urgent need to better protect riders and their livelihoods."Regardless of the circumstances, no rider should ever feel compelled to put their personal safety at risk to protect their belongings, delivery equipment or food orders."It said it was also meeting with Melbourne workers and Victorian authorities in the wake of the death.HungryPanda says it does not have a policy that automatically requires workers to pay for stolen food. (ABC News: Bang Xiao)The UK-based company was established in 2017 and operates in 10 countries, entering Australia in 2019.The Gig Workers Hub is a community centre which operates out of Elizabeth Street and offers a place for rest and refreshments for gig workers.Its founder Andrew Copolov said many riders using HungryPanda spoke about having money deducted from them after reporting thefts through the company's WhatsApp support centre."HungryPanda, their official policy is that that's not happening," Mr Copolov said."However, because a lot of these things are being worked out in one-on-one WhatsApp chats, that policy is not necessarily being followed."Things like that can be changed for one."Several HungryPanda workers have told the ABC they have been harassed by people on the street while working in Melbourne's CBD. (Supplied)The Transport Workers Union is calling on WorkSafe Victoria to investigate the workers' experiences and whether HungryPanda had failed to properly assess and control risks to vulnerable workers.National secretary Michael Kaine said penalising workers for lost or stolen orders "put them directly in harm's way to protect their income"."Hungry Panda has legal obligations to do whatever it can to minimise risk as food delivery riders carry out their work," he said. "It must urgently confirm whether it has done this."Delivery riders pause at the vigil for Feng Jianming in Melbourne's CBD on Saturday night. (ABC News)A change.org petition that has gained more than 7,000 signatures in a matter of days also raised concerns that the policy was putting workers' lives at risk."If riders fear deductions, repayment demands or account penalties when food is stolen, that financial pressure may encourage them to chase thieves, confront attackers or remain in unsafe situations," the petition states. "A rider should never feel that protecting an order is necessary to protect their livelihood."WorkSafe says it will assess the circumstances surrounding Mr Feng's death to determine whether there have been any breaches of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.