BEIJING (Reuters) – Alibaba’s Ele.me on Thursday became China’s first delivery platform to sign collective contracts on wages and labour safety with its staff, official media reported, as Beijing signals an end to its crackdown on the tech sector.
The contracts will apply to 3 million workers on the platform across 11,000 delivery stations in China, according to state-backed media Workers’ Daily.
Alibaba did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the contracts.
Ele.me’s move came after Chinese Premier Li Qiang sent another strong signal on Wednesday that a years-long crackdown on its tech industry is over, during which delivery platforms like Ele.me and Meituan were criticised for infringing on workers’ rights.
The contracts “fully addressed” workers’ biggest issues such as labour remuneration, protection and insurance benefits, the report said.
Ele.me and service providers are also required to improve communication channels with food delivery couriers, the report added.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh in Shanghai and Ethan Wang in Beijing; editing by Jason Neely and Devika Syamnath)
