Delivery Workers' Union Accuses Uber Eats of Illegally Cutting Work Hours by Splitting Overlapping Time in Half

Central News Agency reporter Chiang Ming-yen, Taipei, August 6

Two weeks after the implementation of the delivery-specific law, the Taiwan Delivery Alliance General Union Preparatory Committee today launched a fierce criticism against Uber Eats, accusing the company of using a 'sleight of hand' to illegally shorten delivery workers’ working hours. Specifically, when two orders overlap, Uber Eats divides the overlapping time equally between them—meaning only half the actual time worked is counted per order.

The 'Delivery Personnel Rights Protection and Delivery Platform Management Act' came into effect on July 21. Two weeks later, the first batch of pay statements has been released. Today, Uber Eats disclosed its calculation method for the 'Statutory Minimum Basic Compensation Adjustment Amount,' sparking strong backlash from the union.

The Taiwan Delivery Alliance General Union Preparatory Committee accused Uber Eats of 'stealing the hard-earned money of delivery workers,' claiming the company pretends to comply with the law while actually cutting pay through misleading calculations.

The union pointed out that Uber Eats’ payment model superficially claims to meet legal requirements but, during overlapping deliveries, splits the shared work time evenly between two orders. In simple terms, when a courier handles two orders simultaneously, Uber Eats divides the overlapping duration by two.

For example, according to a case published by Uber Eats itself, a stacked delivery took 32 minutes total, with 25 minutes of overlapping activity. Uber Eats split this 25-minute period in half: assigning only 12.5 minutes to the first order and just 19.5 minutes (including subsequent non-overlapping time) to the second.

'The worker’s workload didn’t decrease by half, their responsibility didn’t drop by half, nor did their risk—so why should their paid time be cut in half?' the union protested.

The union further emphasized that Article 3 of the delivery law states that each order’s service period must be calculated from acceptance to completion. Article 5 requires that basic compensation be calculated separately for each order. The Ministry of Labor has also clearly stated that even for stacked, combined, or route-optimized deliveries, service time and base pay must be calculated individually per order—multiple orders cannot be treated as one.

The union stressed that the law mandates 'one order, one calculation,' yet Uber Eats unilaterally changed it to 'split overlapping time in half.' This isn’t merely a different calculation—it’s erasing time already worked. With time slashed, pay is automatically reduced.

Moreover, Uber Eats first shortens the recorded work time, then uses this reduced figure to calculate the so-called 'adjustment amount,' packaging it as legal compliance. 'This isn’t protection—it’s using the delivery law as a fig leaf to openly steal workers’ sweat and blood money,' the union declared.

In response, the union issued four demands:

First, Uber Eats must immediately cease the illegal practice of averaging overlapping delivery times. Second, conduct a full review of all stacked, sandwiched, and combined deliveries since July 21 and recalculate compensation for each order. Third, proactively and fully reimburse all underpaid amounts without waiting for individual couriers to file claims. Fourth, the Ministry of Labor and local labor bureaus must immediately investigate and impose penalties; repeat fines should apply if no improvement is made.

The union announced it will now collect detailed records of Uber Eats’ stacked deliveries—including order acceptance times, completion times, and actual payouts—to verify each case and file individual complaints. It issued a stern warning: 'Do not treat delivery workers as fools, do not ignore government warnings, and certainly do not treat Taiwan’s laws as worthless paper to trample upon.'

The union urged that every minute on the road—with meals in the vehicle and responsibility on their shoulders—is working time and must be compensated accordingly. 'Immediately stop illegal calculations and return the stolen time to delivery workers.'

In response, Uber Eats stated that for stacked deliveries, compensation is based on the courier’s total actual time invested. When multiple trips are handled simultaneously, the overlapping time is averaged across those trips, but the total time remains unchanged. When only one trip continues, that full duration is credited entirely to that single order.

Uber Eats emphasized that each trip within a stacked delivery still qualifies for the full minimum basic compensation guarantee—no single trip pays less than NT$45, and hourly service pay never falls below NT$245.

Uber Eats noted it continues to operate its stacked delivery model to help maintain affordable delivery fees for consumers. Stacked deliveries reduce consumer costs, increase earning opportunities for couriers, support restaurant order volumes and revenue, improve delivery efficiency, reduce unfilled orders, and better balance market supply and demand.

Couriers can view detailed pay breakdowns via legally mandated statements. The platform will continue explaining its operational methods to authorities and adjust as needed based on future guidance. (Editor: Yang Kai-xiang)