Food delivery has grown fast in Cambodia. Behind the convenience, riders face daily road risks, fluctuating pay, opaque penalties, and limited social protection. These are not isolated issues; they are structural problems of platform work that require structural solutions.
Today, CFSWF is joining forces with Food Delivery Worker (a worker-led platform for delivery riders) to build a shared agenda—locally and internationally—towards an international convention that sets minimum guarantees for platform couriers.
1) Document lived realities.
We will gather worker testimonies and data on road safety, algorithmic management, rating systems, deactivations, and income volatility—respecting privacy and informed consent.
2) Co-design common standards.
With riders, unions, researchers, and allies, we will draft a baseline of protections:
Safe work: road-safety training, protective equipment, and insurance;
Fair pay: transparent fees, surge rules, and no unpaid waiting time;
Dignity: due process before suspension/deactivation and appeal channels;
Transparency: clear terms, data access, and explainability of algorithms;
Social protection: access to health coverage, accident insurance, and paid injury recovery.
3) Advocate internationally and locally.
We will engage with unions, civil society, and standard-setting bodies to advance an international instrument for platform couriers, while pursuing immediate improvements with companies and regulators in Cambodia.
Workers must have a voice in how platforms set rules that affect their safety and livelihoods.
Companies have a duty to prevent and reduce risks linked to their models and to provide effective grievance mechanisms.
Governments must protect freedom of association and ensure platform work aligns with decent-work principles.
To platform companies:
Open structured dialogue with rider representatives; publish safety policies; provide accident insurance and safety equipment; end punitive targets that push unsafe driving; ensure transparent earnings and appeal processes.
To public authorities:
Ensure road-safety measures for couriers; recognize worker representation; align national policies with international decent-work standards for platform labour.
To allies:
Support independent research, legal clinics, and training. Help us test and refine draft standards with riders in multiple cities.
Are you a rider, ally, or organization working on platform labour?
→ Contact CFSWF: [email protected]
→ Join the working group: [add sign-up link]
→ Share your experience (EN/KM): [add secure form]
This initiative is worker-led and safety-first. It aims to build capacity, not replace existing local efforts. Findings and tools will be shared publicly to help riders and organizations across Cambodia and beyond.
Your support helps food and service workers organise, defend their rights, and improve working conditions through solidarity and collective power.
