Thousands of UK Deliveroo and Uber Eats drivers to strike on Valentine’s Day
Summary
Date Reported: 12 Feb 2024
Location: United Kingdom
Companies
Deliveroo - ClientAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Brazil , Catering & food services , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Intimidation , Freedom of Assembly , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure Time , Mental Health , Living WageResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: Deliveroo has a voluntary agreement with the GMB trade union, which is meant to ensure they are paid at least the national living wage, plus costs, for the time they are on an order. A spokesperson for the company said: “Deliveroo aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections. “Thousands of people apply to work with Deliveroo each month, rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.” The Metropolitan police denied they had done anything to try to stop the strike. Deliveroo says it will enter collective bargaining with riders on pay in April and that it offers riders “free insurance, sickness cover, financial support when riders become new parents, and a range of training opportunities”. The platform aims to provide workers with “flexible work… attractive earning opportunities and protections”, it said, while “rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied”. The company rejects claims that they are to blame for the police presence.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 12 Feb 2024
Location: United Kingdom
Companies
Uber Eats - ClientAffected
Total individuals affected: Number unknown
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( Number unknown - Brazil , Catering & food services , Gender not reported , Unknown migration status )Issues
Work & ConditionsResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Journalist
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose. We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app.” Separately, more than 1,000 Amazon staff are expected to strike at the company’s Coventry warehouse from Tuesday to Thursday, amid a pay dispute.
Source type: News outlet
Delivery drivers for food-ordering platforms including Deliveroo and Uber Eats are staging a Valentine’s Day strike to demand better pay and conditions.
The stoppage on Wednesday is being organised by a grassroots group, Delivery Job UK, many of whose members are Brazilian. It claims to have more than 3,000 supporters in London and several other cities.
The group hopes to draw attention to the low pay and insecure conditions faced by drivers, many of whom work on several delivery apps in parallel.
App-based delivery drivers are generally classified as self-employed contractors, meaning their employers are not legally obliged to pay them the statutory “national living wage” of £10.42 an hour, due to increase to £11.44 in April.
That status was confirmed by a supreme court ruling in November that found Deliveroo riders were not “workers”, after a long-running battle by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain for the right to unionise and bargain on their behalf...
A spokesperson for [Deliveroo] said: “Deliveroo aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections.
“Thousands of people apply to work with Deliveroo each month, rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.”
An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose. We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app.”