<
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-18/hungrypanda-riders-chinese-police-threats-sydney-australia/106353996>
“Riders embroiled in a dispute over pay and conditions with food delivery
company HungryPanda in Sydney say Chinese police have summoned family members
back home and even threatened to have them arrested upon return as part of a
pressure campaign to stop them protesting.
The development has raised concerns about foreign interference in the
protracted tussle between HungryPanda and some of its riders who say pay cuts
and a lack of transparency in the app's algorithm have pushed them to the
brink.
Earlier this month, multiple Sydney-based HungryPanda riders in a group chat on
the Chinese social media app WeChat began discussing plans to hold a protest or
refuse to work.
On Lunar New Year eve, dozens of them signed up for switching off from work
during the Lunar New Year period, which often brings a surge in activity and
orders on HungryPanda.
Former HungryPanda delivery driver Wang Zhuoying has launched a legal claim
against the company and accused it of slashing her orders after she organised
protests against it.
She said she had recently received three separate phone calls from police from
her home province in China which made her feel "targeted" and "intimidated".
"People in the group chat were all saying they got called by police in China.
And I was chatting to my friend about this when the police called," she told
the
ABC.
"They asked for more details and I told him we were in Sydney. I told him that
food delivery company HungryPanda has been cutting our pay and we were not
protesting in China.
"He told me that we should still try to avoid taking part [in protests]
abroad."”
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
