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Letters

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Labour protection for delivery riders remains controversial in Hong Kong. Critics cite higher corporate costs and potential impacts on catering businesses, yet the rights and safety of riders cannot be sidelined. When Deliveroo left Hong Kong in 2025, 200 full-time staff received severance pay, but 12,000 self-employed riders were left with nothing. Some injury claims became unenforceable once the platform closed.
This is not an isolated case: commercial insurance offered by local delivery platforms frequently provides compensation far below the statutory standard set by the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance.
The draft bill on injury compensation for digital platform workers is a welcome step, but legislation alone cannot close the gap. Mainland China’s dual model – combining government safeguards with proactive corporate responsibility – is mature and worth studying.
Under the mainland’s pilot occupational injury insurance programme for workers in new forms of employment, platforms pay only a small premium per order, allowing costs to flex with demand and fit the volatile gig economy. By June, nearly 30 million workers nationwide had joined the programme. Government-run administration also streamlines claims, reducing disputes and delays.
Corporate responsibility is equally important. The experience of JD.com shows that worker welfare is not merely a cost but a long-term investment and responsible behaviour. This approach delivers three measurable gains. First, its S&P Global corporate sustainability rating was the highest among Chinese retail firms, helping lower financing costs and strengthening brand trust. Second, lower rider turnover improves service quality, with the company leading the industry with a user satisfaction score of 95 in 2025. Third, proactive investment also reduces compliance risks and sets benchmarks for competitors.
Clearly, firms can and should go beyond minimal legal requirements. Labour protection is not a luxury but a win-win for companies, riders and society. In the meantime, the Hong Kong government should look into adapting lessons from the mainland while also considering supportive measures such as tax incentives for businesses and issuing stakeholder guidelines.
A sustainable economy rests on protected worker rights and collaboration among various stakeholders. Legislation provides the baseline, but corporate responsibility is the true engine of sustainable progress.
Chen Zihan and Liao Xiru, students, and Dr Chris Cheung, lecturer, Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Lingnan University
India-Bangladesh ties must look beyond Hasina
India and Bangladesh share one of South Asia’s most consequential relationships. Their 4,096km border, shared rivers, trade, energy links and security interests make stable cooperation indispensable. Yet rebuilding trust now requires New Delhi to recognise that Bangladesh’s political landscape has fundamentally changed.
Over 15 years, India developed exceptionally close ties with Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. That cooperation produced gains in connectivity, border management and security. But relations between two states cannot remain anchored to one leader or party. Governments change; geography and national interests do not.
Many Bangladeshis believe India still views their country through a “Hasina-centric” lens. Diplomacy depends not only on official intentions but also on public confidence. That confidence will remain difficult to restore if Indian territory is perceived as a platform for political activity by Bangladesh’s former leader.
Bangladesh’s expanding engagement with China should not automatically be interpreted as hostility towards India. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s June visit to China advanced discussions on trade, investment, infrastructure, the Teesta River and a proposed China-Myanmar-Bangladesh economic corridor. Dhaka is also strengthening relations with Japan, the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Such diversification is normal for a sovereign state seeking economic opportunity and strategic flexibility.
Nor can Bangladesh afford an anti-India foreign policy. India remains its most important neighbour. Equally, an India-centric foreign policy would constrain Bangladesh’s sovereignty and options.
A prolonged estrangement would damage both sides. Bangladesh needs cooperation on water, trade, energy and border management. India needs Bangladesh for access to its northeast, Bay of Bengal strategy, regional connectivity and security.
The way forward is neither nostalgia nor a contest over which country would suffer more. India should engage Bangladesh as a sovereign society. Dhaka, in turn, should pursue cooperation without surrendering strategic autonomy.
A durable foundation of this relationship is built on geography, sovereign equality, mutual interest and the aspirations of both peoples.
Shahidul Alam Swapan, Geneva


Hong Kong must prepare for the impact of heat-related work stoppages

Wall Street Journal publisher convicted for blocking reporter’s bid to lead union

Hong Kong open to classifying heatstroke as an occupational disease: labour chief

In an era of extreme summers, it’s time to look beyond air conditioning

Hong Kong workers and labour rights

Hong Kong should study the mainland gig worker insurance model

A food delivery rider in Mong Kok in 2025. When Deliveroo exited the Hong Kong market, many delivery workers were left without compensation. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong needs clearer framework for handling high heat on work sites

A construction worker on site under the extreme heat in To Kwa Wan on August 10. The city reached a scorching 36.9 degrees Celsius on August 9, the ­highest temperature recorded since the Hong Kong Observatory began operating in 1884. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong mustn’t use the wrong index to gauge outdoor heat stress

Construction workers rest during extremely hot weather in To Kwa Wan on August 10. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reflects solar radiation more accurately than the Hong Kong Heat Index and should be used to assess heat stress for outdoor workers. Photo: Sam Tsang

Train frontline workers to handle animals humanely and legally

A pigeon flies around Temple Mall South in Wong Tai Sin. Photo: Karma Lo

Opinion

Readers discuss labour protection for delivery riders, and a new era for India-Bangladesh relations


Readers discuss labour protection for delivery riders, and a new era for India-Bangladesh relations.


.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Readers discuss labour protection for delivery riders, and a new era for India-Bangladesh relations

Readers discuss labour protection for delivery riders, and a new era for India-Bangladesh relations