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Chinese food delivery giant Meituan is rolling out cold-weather protection measures for more than 1 million delivery riders across 186 cities, including smart heated uniforms and medical coverage, as platform companies move to strengthen workers' rights for millions of riders in the country's fast-growing gig economy.
中国外卖巨头美团正在全国 186 座城市为超 100 万名外卖骑手推出防寒保障举措，包含智能加热工服、医疗保障等。平台企业正着力为国内快速发展的零工经济中数百万骑手完善权益保障。
The company launched its 2026 Winter Care Program in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia autonomous region last month, introducing what it described as the industry's first self-heating winter uniforms for delivery staff.
美团上月在内蒙古自治区呼伦贝尔市启动 2026 年冬季关怀计划，推出其所称业内首款骑手自加热冬装。
The new jackets feature heating elements in the chest and back to help riders stay warm while making deliveries. The first batches are being distributed to riders in colder regions, including the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Heilongjiang province, before being rolled out to other areas.
新款外套在胸、背位置内置加热组件，保障骑手送餐途中保暖。首批物资已发放至新疆维吾尔自治区、内蒙古自治区、黑龙江省等寒冷地区骑手，后续将逐步推广至其他区域。
Meituan said it would also provide gloves, face masks, knee pads and other cold-weather supplies, allowing riders to select subsidized items through its app for as little as 0.01 yuan. The company plans to establish service stations in 40 cities, offering hot water, meals, winter supplies and electric bike maintenance services.
美团表示，还将提供手套、面罩、护膝等防寒物资，骑手可在平台 APP 选购补贴物资，最低仅需 0.01 元。企业计划在 40 座城市设立服务站点，提供热水、餐食、防寒物资以及电动车维修服务。
Meituan also announced plans to provide company-funded medical coverage for cold-weather-related conditions to all riders from Nov 1 through end-March 2027, alongside free online medical consultations and other healthcare services.
美团同时宣布，自 11 月 1 日至 2027 年 3 月底，为全体骑手提供由企业出资的寒病相关医疗保障，配套免费线上问诊等健康服务。
The measures are part of a broader shift among Chinese platform companies from seasonal welfare programs toward more comprehensive and institutionalized worker protections.
这些举措体现国内平台企业的一大转变：从季节性福利活动，转向更加全面、制度化的劳动者权益保障。
Meituan said it had paid a cumulative 3.6 billion yuan ($539 million) in occupational injury protection contributions, covering about 19 million riders as of end-August. The company has also continued to provide subsidies to help riders participate in pension insurance programs.
美团称，截至 8 月底，其累计缴纳工伤保障资金 36 亿元人民币（折合 5.39 亿美元），覆盖约 1900 万名骑手；企业也持续发放补贴，支持骑手参保养老保险。
The expansion comes as China seeks to strengthen protections for workers in the gig economy, including food delivery riders, ride-hailing drivers and other platform-based workers, amid growing attention to working conditions and the use of algorithms to manage labor.
在社会愈发关注工作条件、算法用工的背景下，我国持续完善零工经济劳动者保障，涵盖外卖骑手、网约车司机等平台从业者，美团本次保障扩容正是在此背景下推出。
The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and six other government departments recently released draft regulations aimed at strengthening the rights and interests of workers engaged in new forms of employment, with the proposals seeking public feedback until Sunday.
人力资源社会保障部等六部门近日发布新规草案，旨在维护新就业形态劳动者权益，草案征求意见持续至本周日。
The proposed 54-article rules would introduce protections covering wages, working hours, occupational injury insurance, algorithm management and labor dispute resolution procedures.
这份共 54 条的草案，将从薪酬、工时、工伤保险、算法管理、劳动争议处置流程等方面建立保障。
They would require companies to pay workers in full and on time, provide appropriate rest after four consecutive hours of work and assume greater responsibility for protecting workers' rights.
草案要求企业按时足额发放报酬，劳动者连续工作 4 小时后安排合理休息，企业承担更大的劳动者权益保障责任。
If adopted, the measures would — for the first time through departmental regulations — extend labor protections to workers subject to company management, whose employment arrangements do not fully meet the legal criteria for a traditional employment relationship.
若草案落地，这将首次通过部门规章，把劳动保障延伸至受企业管理、用工关系不完全符合传统劳动关系认定标准的从业者。
Meng Quan, head of the department of labor relations at the China University of Labor Relations, said, "Rider protection is evolving from the distribution of welfare supplies toward a more systematic approach."
中国劳动关系学院劳动关系系主任孟泉表示：“骑手权益保障正在从发放福利物资，走向体系化保障。”
Winter has traditionally been a "stress test" for delivery rider protections, Meng said, adding that seasonal support should become part of sustainable arrangements that respond to workers' actual on-the-job needs.
孟泉称，冬季历来是骑手保障工作的 “压力测试”，季节性帮扶应当形成可持续机制，贴合骑手在岗实际需求。
He also called for closer cooperation among government authorities, trade unions and platform companies to improve protections for workers in other emerging job categories.
他同时呼吁主管部门、工会与平台企业加强协同，完善其他新兴岗位劳动者的权益保障。
gig /ɡɪɡ/n. 零工；临时工作
institutionalized /ˌɪnstɪˈtjuːʃənəlaɪzd/adj. 制度化的
occupational /ˌɒkjuˈpeɪʃənl/adj. 职业的
algorithm /ˈælɡərɪðəm/n. 算法