HONG KONG – The deliverer immersed himself in petrol and set himself on fire. Encased in flames, he is suing for unpaid fees from a company linked to Chinese technology giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
“I want my blood and sweat money back,” the man, Liu Jin, covered with ashes, when police officers wanted to rush him to the hospital on Monday, a video widely shared on social media showed.
The 48-year-old Mr. Liu, who survived but suffered severe burns, is one of the millions of workers in China’s technology sector, whose fate has sparked internet complaints from internet and state media giants. The scream puts a spotlight on the grueling working conditions and hard labor practices that many blue- and white-collar workers face as the internet businesses for which they work.
Mr. According to the local government, Liu delivered meals through a subcontractor of Alibaba’s food delivery service Ele.me in the eastern Chinese city of Taizhou. Ele.me said Liu’s medical expenses were paid and still assist him and his family. It is also said that Ele.me is banning the agencies they work with from failing to defraud and that they are investigating the matter.
In recent weeks, Pinduoduo Inc., a fast-growing e-commerce company that is now fighting Alibaba against a number of measures, has also come under fire after the deaths of two workers in their 20s: one was on his way home at 1:30 p.m. the work collapsed. am and the others jumped from a high jump. Pinduoduo confirmed the incidents and expressed condolences to the working families.