Mercy Consent and Contained Resistance: Grievance Systems in Chinese Food‐Delivery Platforms

ABSTRACT Based on a multi‐methods qualitative study, this article investigates how in‐platform grievance systems operate in the Chinese food‐delivery platform work. Drawing on labour process theory, we examine the role of in‐platform grievance systems in shaping the dynamic interplay between control, consent, and resistance. Our findings reveal that in‐platform grievance systems create a distinct form of consent—termed ‘mercy consent’—through creating an illusion of agency, constructing a façade of procedural fairness, individualising grievances, and facilitating intergroup antagonism between riders and customer service agents. Meanwhile, riders’ resistance within the grievance system is captured, channelled, and contained by platforms. We argue that the in‐platform grievance systems function not merely as dispute resolution channels, but as mechanisms for shaping worker subjectivity, converting dissent into a manageable and depoliticised form of consent.