Delivery riders air gripes to council

CEBU, Philippines — Several food delivery riders sought help from the Cebu City Council to address the challenges they are facing and the complaints they raised against their respective companies during an executive session last Wednesday.

This followed the privilege speech of Councilor Rey Gealon, who raised the concerns of the delivery riders.

First to appear was Naude Vaison, the elected president of the Cebu Grab Delivery Riders Union, who was accompanied by his fellow Grab riders. He denounced the alleged “wrongful actions of the Grab management” against them.

He said they were shadow-banned, which they viewed as a form of “constructive dismissal.” He explained that this meant they weren’t receiving any more bookings as these were being controlled.

Vaison added that most of those who were shadow-banned had already left the company for other jobs.

Before being shadow-banned, Vaison said riders used to receive around 10 bookings from 8 A.M. to 1 P.M., and at least 20 or more after 5 P.M. However, he said, they now only get five to seven bookings from 8 A.M. to 5 P.M. He also mentioned they have proof to back their claims.

While enduring this loss, Vaison said they would often see newly-hired delivery riders passing them by, receiving more bookings. He added that most of them joined Grab in 2019, when the delivery fee was still ?49, along with an incentive of ?70 per delivery.

He added that the incentive schemes change from time to time depending on the number of deliveries made, but the delivery fee has remained ?49.

“And still, the delivery fee was at ?49, less 20% commission by the company. Not happy with that again, the company changed the whole incentive package,” he said.

Vaison further explained the company then introduced the GEMS system, where riders would receive 10 GEMS per delivery, which corresponded to their incentives.

“The management continuously changed the incentive scheme every now and then, without informing us riders. In 2022, the management again attempted to decrease the incentive scheme,” he said.

He said riders complained when the delivery fee was reduced to ?39, with a 20% commission. Vaison said a protest was organized by a few riders opposing the delivery fee reduction. The management listened to their concerns and restored the delivery fee, although the incentive package remained unchanged.

He said that when they complained again, they were not heard; instead, they were scolded and threatened with being deactivated from the system.

As a result, Vaison said 337 riders joined a union to file a complaint against the company and were subsequently shadow-banned. Only 115 riders remain in the union.

“The majority of them were convinced by these admins to surrender or back out. And yes, their accounts were restored now,” he said.

Vaison, along with his colleagues, urged the Cebu City Council to conduct an investigation through a task force in aid of legislation to address the shadow-banning issue imposed by their management.

During the discussion, Vaison admitted that they had not signed any contracts when they were hired. He mentioned that they had already filed complaints with the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) regarding the reduction in the delivery fee. He added they are advocating for a ?55 delivery fee, from ?49, along with incentives based on kilometers traveled.

Abraham Montecalbo, president of the Cebu Food Panda Delivery Heroes Union, also raised their need for a physical office due to alleged illegal suspensions imposed on some riders.

“Ma-suspended una sa refer ayha ang imbestigasyon,” said Montecalbo.

He added that whenever they raised these complaints, they only received system-generated responses, emphasizing the need for a physical office.

Like Grab, Montecalbo mentioned that at least 21 of their riders also filed complaints with the NLRC, which they won. However, the appeal is still with the Court of Appeals.

Grab Visayas public affairs manager Malou Inocando Tabar also addressed the council, expressing the company’s willingness to listen and address the concerns of its employees.

She assured the council that she heard the issues raised by the riders’ representatives, adding that the company is open to extending solutions.

“I’d like to note that lahi-lahi ang atong mga pamaagi in every company, dili tanan magpaka-parehas because we have different range of services,” Tabar said.

She also mentioned that the company is looking forward to working with the government, as Councilor Joel Garganera revealed that Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is set to call for a meeting.

On the issue of shadow-banning raised by Vaison, Tabar denied implementing such a scheme, stating that the company has its own system. However, she assured that they respect the concerns raised by the riders.

Tabar agreed with Garganera's observation that after the pandemic, as operations returned to normal, there may have been a decrease in the demand for deliveries, which could have contributed to fewer bookings.

Attorney Lovely Aiza Velayo, a representative from the Department of Labor and Employment-7, said that during the height of the pandemic, the agency issued an advisory on the working conditions for food delivery riders, for which they implemented a test to determine the “employer-employee relationship”.

However, she declined to answer questions regarding the complaints of Grab and Food Panda, as there is a pending case. She added that DOLE had initiated a reconciliation mediation between the two parties.

At the end of the discussion, the council reiterated the resolutions they previously approved which is to extend their commendation to the delivery riders for their contribution to the community.

They also approved a resolution that calls the implementation of possible measures to provide support to the delivery riders which include health and safety measures, establishment of city-supported safety training programs, job assistance packages, and access to health services. — (FREEMAN)