- Davao City delivery riders call on DOLE for help
A DAVAO-BASED riders’ group has asked the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to look into the massive drop in GrabFood delivery fares.
The United Davao Delivery Riders Association (UDDRA), in a statement on Monday, said it suspects the P555.75 million fine against Grab Philippines’ Move It unit was passed on to food delivery riders.
UDDRA, led by Jeffrey Cuyos, said fares were already very low before the penalty was announced by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).
Citing crowdsourced screenshots of rider earnings and booking records from Cebu, Iloilo and Davao, UDDRA said some bookings now pay as little as P1.00 each, while other riders also reported cuts of at least P6.00 per delivery.
“Klaro nga dili makatarunganon ang maong kantidad isip bayad sa oras, gilay-on, gasolina, ug paningkamot nga gigahin sa matag delivery,” Cuyos said.
Its own monitoring in Davao City also showed that fuel, motorcycle maintenance, mobile data and other work expenses take a bulk of riders’ actual income.
UDDRA stressed riders keeps the platforms profitable, but they are excluded from decisions and were not consulted on company policies.
The group argued that cutting pay without consultation violates the Labor Code Article 100, which is described as the prohibition against the elimination or diminution of benefits and any unilateral reduction in compensation should be scrutinized, especially if it cuts regularly received pay.
UDDRA asked DOLE to investigate the reported fare reductions on GrabFood and other platforms nationwide and their effect on riders’ actual earnings.
The group also called Grab Philippines to disclose how it computes delivery fares and explain the basis for fare changes, including distance, waiting time, distance to the pick-up point and bundled deliveries.
“Siguruhon ang makahuluganon nga konsultasyon uban sa mga riders ug ilang mga organisasyon sa dili pa ipatuman ang mga kausaban nga dakog epekto sa ilang kompensasyon ug kondisyon sa pagtrabaho,” UDDRA said.
The group also renewed its call for a P80 base fare plus P20 per kilometer, and for an end to what it called unfair bundled delivery schemes that lower riders’ earnings.
