Solidarity at the Side of the Road: Sources and Limitations of Food Delivery Platform Workers’ Collective Action
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Abstract
As the phenomenon of collective organization and protests among food delivery platform workers (riders) has become widespread, this research article seeks to address the following three questions: How does solidarity among riders emerge? How is it related to collective action? And, what are the limitations of solidarity and collective action among riders? This article is based on qualitative research that employed multiple data collection techniques, including in-depth interviews, surveys, focus group discussions, and monitoring of rider groups’ Facebook pages. Additionally, it used the concept of solidarity developed within the Marxist tradition as a framework for data analysis. This article argues that working-class solidarity does not necessarily arise from ideological organization by a revolutionary party or labor union in a top-down manner. Instead, it can emerge organically amidst daily work activities, as riders' daily work on the streets leads to “solidarity on the side of the rode”. However, the solidarity of riders has its limitations, both at the individual and the structural levels. The article suggests that the field of Thai labor studies should place greater emphasis on the issue of solidarity in order to engage with this important topic in the international academic community and to better understand the Thai working-class movement as well.
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