Pattaya-
In the early afternoon today behind the Big C in South Pattaya in the parking lot over one hundred Grab drivers gathered to protest their compensation plan.
This was not the first time Grab drivers had protested in Pattaya. They gathered previously twice last November as we reported below.
According to Grab driver Narong Sak Suksanguan, 30, the company had made some adjustments after their prior protests but since the Covid-19 crisis nearly everything was, according to him, back to the way it had been before.
He said that he and the other drivers understood the impact Covid-19 was having but the number of deliveries they were performing had significantly increased but their pay had not.
He stated that the company had made some adjustments and introduced a bonus program as well as perks such as discounts on food and gas, however what the drivers really wanted was an increase in the average pay per delivery from thirty baht to thirty-five or forty baht. He also claimed the bonus system made it very difficult to actually get a bonus.
Narong claimed that even with the additional perks, costs of living, including their gas, were too high and that they could not provide for their families on the current pay system. He also said that tips were drastically down as people across Pattaya were having financial difficulties and many did not have the funds to assist them with a tip.
As of press time Grab management has not responded officially to their protests, which reportedly caused many customers in the Pattaya area to have delays on their food or even cancellations on Wednesday afternoon.