AMMAN — Physical
and
verbal abuse of delivery drivers has been constant, but increased recently
in the absence of harsher penalties against violators, and the regulations that
would ensure their safety.
اضافة اعلان
Delivery services
are new to Jordan, where people have traditionally been accustomed to buy their
food and clothes in the marketplace, or malls scattered across the Kingdom. But
they picked up during the COVID-19 pandemic in the wake of lockdowns, which
confined many Jordanians to their homes.
Two popular
delivery services, among a dozen that came to existence since, are
Careem Box and Talabat.
Hassan Abu Diya, a
young man who graduated from the
University of Jordan specializing in civil
engineering, told
Jordan News that “I did not find a suitable job in
engineering, despite my passion for my specialization”.
“I turned to food
delivery apps to secure an income,” he told
Jordan News.
Abu Diya pointed
out that working in delivery service is “no easy task”, given that they face
numerous problems and challenges while on the job.
“Some customers
treat us with disrespect and inferiority,” he said. “We do this job with honor
and dignity to earn a living, and we do not deserve to be treated in such a
way.”
“I have not been
exposed to any cases of beatings, or abuses,” he said. But he added that many
of my colleagues in the food delivery profession did.”
Ziad Suhail, a
youth who has not completed his university studies and is currently working on
another food delivery app, told
Jordan News that “the fear of being
harmed by some aggressive people is a concern I have in the back of my head
each time I deliver an order to a customer”.
He pointed out,
however, that “a vast number of people are kind to us, and treat us with
respect”.
“But the concern
that we may get abused anytime makes us work under a tremendous psychological
pressure,” he said.
Ali, another delivery
driver who is pursuing graduate studies, told
Jordan News that the
“companies we work for do not provide us with any protection”.
“Additionally, we
are not offered any insurance, or any other benefits, on our lives, and our
vehicles,” he explained.
He said that his
need to pay for his university tuition forced him to work under such uncertain
conditions, although he was not exposed to a situation that is classified as
real danger.
But he said that
he heard from his colleagues about cases of assault, beatings, theft and
threats made to the drivers while dropping off an order.
He pointed to the
need for laws and regulations to protect the delivery drivers.
Ministry of Labor
spokesperson Jamil Al-Qadi told
Jordan News that role of the ministry
“lies in investigating whether there are any violations, in accordance with the
provisions of the Labor Law”. “These violations will be checked, and thus an
appropriate action will be taken”, he said. Qadi refused to give more
information.
Jordan News unsuccessfully tried to reach Careem Box and
Talabat for comment.
Read more Features
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
