Mediating the gig work labour process through online platforms and the state

: A case study of Didi in China.

Abstract

This thesis explores a typical kind of gig work recently proliferating in China. Drawing on labour process theory, the research investigates control and resistance in gig work in the ride-hailing industry. The distinctive Chinese context, characterised by COVID-19 and the government ban on Didi, highlights the role of the state in mediating the platform labour process. A qualitative case study of Didi incorporates findings from 32 semi-structured interviews with Didi drivers and staff in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, as well as secondary supporting data. The research finds that Didi is in control not only of complete labour process of its drivers, but beyond in their non-working time. Didi has also extended its control from online to offline settings through local agencies. In response, drivers tend to consent to Didi’s control so long as they receive enough orders to earn their target income. Moreover, drivers have developed personal and collective strategies to get more orders completed. The social media software, WeChat, is used by drivers to exchange work-related information to conquer the information asymmetry and make better informed decisions. As for the role of the state, the local transportation department is regulating and controlling the ride-hailing industry mainly through operational licenses, and the government-controlled surveillance system and the shaping of local road conditions generate a ‘hyper-complicated disrupted workplace’ for drivers to navigate, increasing drivers’ work intensity and amplifying their precarious conditions. This research contributes to the existing literature through outlining and explaining the Didi platform regime and situating the drivers’ ‘point of production’ in the context of not only online platforms but also local agencies and the state. In so doing, this research adds the state as an extra factor of control to the existing body of work on control in gig work. Building on Sun et al.’s (2021) conceptualization of ‘sticky labour’, this research suggests the term ‘super-stickiness’ to capture the trend of Chinese gig workers’ increasing dependence on platforms for a living. Such super-stickiness is characterized by the unlimited transformation of drivers’ non-working time into working time and the intensification of work to meet customers’ demand while simultaneously satisfying the platform’s quality standards.

Date of Award	21 Mar 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Rutvica Andrijasevic (Supervisor) & Harry Pitts (Supervisor)