Express-delivery tricycles with eight-digit registration numbers are seen in Beijing on Dec 2, 2016. [Photo/China Daily]

OF THE MORE THAN 1 MILLION EXPRESS DELIVERY WORKERS NATIONWIDE, 90 percent work without a formal contract with their employers; some of them only sleep four hours a day. The bad working conditions and low pay of express delivery workers have aroused nationwide attention. And if their situation does not improve, that might hurt the nation's burgeoning e-commerce industry. National Business Daily comments:

The domestic express delivery industry is prospering. Statistics show that the number of express deliveries reached 30 billion last year. The number is expected to reach 70 billion this year, which will generate an estimated 800 billion yuan in revenue.

It will be the tireless toiling of more than 1 million delivery workers that will ensure those deliveries are made; yet their payment is rather low and their labor rights not well protected.

Low pay and lack of labor rights protection have already caused serious problems. Many express delivery workers are quitting their jobs due to the low pay and bad working conditions.

If that trend continues, the prosperity of the e-commerce industry, which relies heavily on their efforts, will be unsustainable.

In order to reverse the trend, the rights of delivery workers must be better protected. There are many things that can be done: standard labor contracts can be drawn up and made mandatory for the industry, companies that violate the rights of their employees can be punished, and the industry as a whole can be better regulated.

Ordinary residents can also play a role. Many express delivery workers complain that customers don't show them any courtesy and treat them like servants. They should be encouraged to change their attitude.

More important, a long-term plan is needed for the express delivery industry. Currently the industry relies on cheap, not quality, labor. The government needs to improve the quality of the labor force through training and education, so as to make the industry sustainable.