Multiple former HungryPanda delivery workers have told ABC News the company reduced their pay after they reported stolen food orders, a claim the platform has denied. The accounts emerged after murder and serious injury charges were laid against a 51-year-old Footscray man following the fatal stabbing of HungryPanda rider Feng Jianming during a delivery run in Melbourne's CBD.
International student Cheng Zhang told ABC News he had a deduction made from his pay in June following a food theft he had reported. Another current worker, who was not named, said he had food stolen three times over 18 months and paid for the orders each time, including one occasion where he paid $50 from a $200 payment for a 10-hour shift.
The same worker said an initial offer covering up to $50 of missing, stolen or disputed orders was lost within his first month. Worker Berkay Bilici said a $12 deduction appeared in his pay after a customer complained about spilled food.
HungryPanda stated that Feng's family had shared that he had previously had four to five electric bicycles stolen, pointing to broader safety challenges for delivery riders. The Melbourne Chinatown Business Association raised more than $400,000 to assist Feng's family, while HungryPanda said it was covering the family's travel expenses to Australia, funeral costs and making an additional financial support payment. Feng was 47 years old and a Chinese national from Shaanxi province who had lived in Melbourne for nine years and financially supported his wife, two children and four parents.
The Transport Workers Union reported receiving accounts of HungryPanda workers being penalised over stolen food orders, and said this may have led the two riders to confront the alleged attacker rather than withdraw. The union is planning a letter to HungryPanda seeking the risk assessments that safety laws require, while WorkSafe Victoria has been asked to examine whether the company met its obligations. Gig worker deaths in Australia since 2017 number 25, according to the TWU.
A vigil drawing hundreds of people to Melbourne's CBD followed Feng's death, with attendees raising safety concerns. The Chinese consulate in Melbourne said it had activated emergency consular protection measures and requested that Carroll, the Victorian government and police handle the case fairly and safeguard the rights of Chinese citizens.
Gig workers on delivery platforms who operate as independent contractors may bear the financial cost of lost or stolen orders, with limited formal protections under the new minimum standards order against health and safety risks. Platforms must hold personal accident insurance for workers covered by the order, alongside a $31.30 hourly floor for eligible riders, though workplace health and safety rules are absent from the minimum standards order and safety regulation is left to state law.
Reporting: ABC News, The Guardian, HRD
Written by Pick & Scroll News from the reporting and documents linked above.
