An intense confrontation involving dozens of delivery riders and local security guards in the eastern city of Hangzhou has gone viral on Chinese social media, sparking calls for gig workers to receive stronger protections.

The flare-up began on Monday when a rider damaged some fencing inside a mixed-use development in downtown Hangzhou while rushing to deliver a takeout order. Security guards at the compound then prevented the driver from leaving, demanding that he pay compensation for the damage, according to a statement issued by local police on Tuesday.

The situation escalated when the rider — likely concerned that his other deliveries would be delayed — got down on his knees and begged the guards to release him. This quickly attracted the attention of other delivery workers, who rallied to demand that the guards allow their colleague to leave.

Video footage circulated online shows dozens of riders and other local residents gathered inside the compound, pressuring the guards to apologize to the man.

The clips have since gone viral across Chinese social media — with related hashtags receiving hundreds of millions of views on the microblogging platform Weibo — and triggered an outpouring of sympathy for the country’s gig workers.

Millions of people work in China’s food delivery industry, but the platforms are notorious for subjecting riders to extremely tight deadlines and imposing penalties for late deliveries and negative customer feedback.

Riders also have to deal with discrimination from customers and strict supervision by security personnel, who may prevent or delay riders from entering and exiting venues unless they follow local security protocols.

Following the incident, the food delivery platform Meituan — for which the rider in Hangzhou reportedly works — told local media that it had dispatched staff to the site to help resolve the conflict and compensate the compound for any necessary repairs. The company added that it will cooperate with relevant authorities to ensure the rights and interests of the rider are protected during any subsequent investigation.

Green Town, the property management company that runs the compound in Hangzhou, has not commented publicly on the incident. But other firms in the industry have issued statements vowing to take steps to ensure delivery riders can carry out their work freely in future.

One Beijing-based company, for example, pledged to improve infrastructure, streamline services, and enhance daily communication between security personnel and delivery workers on its properties to avoid any conflicts.

He Tongyin, a 33-year-old delivery rider based in Shanghai, suggested that the root cause of the incident in Hangzhou was the tough conditions imposed by the major delivery platforms.

According to He, riders are typically fined between 3 and 7 yuan ($0.40 and $1) for each delayed order. But missing the deadline for one delivery often causes delays to four or more subsequent orders, as platforms regularly assign multiple orders to each rider. These penalties can be very burdensome, He said, adding that he only earns 5 yuan per order.

“The anxiety caused by his fear of missing the delivery deadlines probably led to him kneeling down, because the security guard didn’t seem to have forced him to do so,” He told Sixth Tone. “Both sides could be at fault. If the situation was mishandled, an apology is necessary.”

(Header image: A food delivery rider kneels down in front of a security guard to apologize for damaging a fence inside a mixed-use development in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, Aug. 12, 2024. From Weibo)