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news
DeliverooDeliveroo given union ultimatum over pay after 'rider influx'
Deliveroo faces "mass action" by delivery drivers in Brighton if it fails to increase rider pay by 5pm today, a couriers’ union has warned.
In the latest battle for "gig economy" workers’ rights, the Independent Workers Union’s Courier Branch (IWGB) has demanded a per job rate of £5, up from £4, amid claims workers can spend up to four hours waiting in freezing conditions, unpaid, for delivery jobs, earning as little as £4 per hour.
Following a pay freeze demand from IWGB Deliveroo told riders last week it was not hiring more staff in the area, but the company says this is unrelated to the IWGB deadline, which was set two weeks ago. The union says a sudden influx in new Deliveroo drivers, combined with the £4 drop fee, has left existing workers with too little work to meet the minimum wage at times. Deliveroo refutes claims as baseless and says on average Brighton riders earn above the living wage.
Cycle courier tribunal finds company unlawfully held back employee benefits
IWGB Logistics Branch Chair, Mags Dewhurst, told road.cc Deliveroo riders became members following a recruitment drive, which they claim has dramatically reduced pay. “It’s really heart-warming to see Deliveroo riders up and down the country coming together to unionize and fight against unfair work practices. They are fighting against the darkest forces of modern employment work practices,” she said.
“The Deliveroo riders are not asking for anything unreasonable. They deserve the right to the national minimum wage, a fair contract and paid annual leave. These riders have the full support of the IWGB.”
The Union has a pending tribunal claim over what it calls Deliveroo’s ‘bogus’ classification of its drivers as self-employed contractors.
If Deliveroo fails to agree to increase the drop rate, the IWGB says it will embark on a “campaign of mass action, including protests, social media campaigns and possibly strikes”.
TICK-TOCK-TICK-TOCK! When will @Deliveroo pay its Brighton riders £5/drop? Only 1 day until we launch a campaign! #slaveroo #payrisenow pic.twitter.com/pzHYGt1FfS
— IWGB Couriers Branch (@IWGB_CLB) February 20, 2017
Brighton Deliveroo rider, Guy, believes the company taking on extra riders in the area caused his pay to fall. He says: “Now as a result of over-recruitment it is becoming relatively common to work on average for 4 pounds an hour, especially during the day from Monday to Thursday, when you only get one delivery an hour. Even if we solve the issues of over-recruitment we still need to get a better pay so that we manage to earn the minimum wage when all costs are included.”
“I’ve known some riders to be sitting in the zone centre with no work for three to four hours,” he said. “If we can act together we can force them to listen to our demands and we know that the IWGB has been successful with this in the past.”
The IWGB is also fighting to secure union recognition for its Camden riders which, if successful, will allow the Union to bargain on behalf of riders, and will entitle riders to holiday pay, and a minimum wage, among other things. Collective bargaining laws in the UK do not apply to independent contractors, but to those classed as workers and employees.
Deliveroo riders consider legal action following Uber ruling
In October an employment tribunal ruled against Uber, which claimed its drivers were self-employed contractors. Following the ruling Uber drivers have the right to be classed as workers.
The ruling said: “The notion that Uber in London is a mosaic of 30,000 small businesses linked by a common 'platform' is to our mind faintly ridiculous.”
In a letter to riders Deliveroo said it recruited new riders to meet demand at peak times – evenings and weekends. It said it currently has the right number of riders in Brighton, and is currently not looking to recruit more. It said the IWGB’s calls for a recruitment freeze demonstrates a lack of understanding of how the business works with riders.
A Deliveroo spokesperson told road.cc: ““Deliveroo has a strong relationship with riders and we strongly condemn the misleading claims and threats made by the IWGB, who misrepresent the views of the vast majority of riders who work with Deliveroo.”
Deliveroo also calls IWGB claims riders are paid £4 per hour baseless.
“Hundreds of riders currently work with us in Brighton earning on average well above the National Living Wage. We will continue to engage with riders directly to ensure that as the company grows, our riders continue to benefit from that growth.”
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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21 comments
There is no Labour party anymore: there are the Socialists led by Corbyn, and the New Blairites led by... god knows. Just please not Blair. The party as it is now is in a death spiral and cannot provide a unified voice or opposition. There's no way back and it needs to split.
We have to accept coalitions in this country or get used to Tory rule...
that has got to be one of the least inspiring revolutionary speeches I've ever read!
you say that now, but I bet you buy a hammer and/or sickle on the way home...
to add to the collection!
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Well the only helmet worth cycling in is a pith helmet. If I'm clipped in though it's often too much bother to kick the poor as I ride past.
Out of interest, if you're a wealthy Labour supporter, how much does the weight of guilt slow you down when on a climb?
omfg, it is almost like real life!
Fuckin shitehawks can't ride for toffee
Shame the union can't teach their members how to obey the rules of the road whilst on the job. A few days of these guys off the roads in Brighton the better.
Crikey, I didn't realise you had to work for Deliveroo if you lived in Brighton. If you don't like the pay, hours or conditions quit moaning and do something else.
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If only there was some kind of organised political opposition that could hold the government to account.
They'd have to pay tribute to Rupert Murdoch/Lord Rothermere/Richard Desmond first...
Aren't all you Tory voters really proud of yourselves?
Aren't you a bit of a prick.
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The UK has been that way since 1979.
Things didn't change much after 1997 - New Labour is a bit Pale Blue Labour - but ithas certainly got A LOT worse since the Bullingdon Club of complete and utter c**ts took over in 2010. So I think it's not entirely irrelevant to blame the selfish people who voted Tory as they helped create the situation.
As for the Deliveroo fracas, are there no other jobs in Brighton?
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Fuck me the standard of political debate on here just gets worse and worse. It's almost like real life. Boiling every political argument down to "Selfish Tories" is what makes the Left sound like morons and why the polls have Saintly Labour on 27% and Evil Tories on 40%.
The UK has minimum wage legislation. Deliveroo riders have chosen a job with a very low barrier of entry. Nobody is forced to ride for Deliveroo for a living. The riders' union has threatened a strike. In a similar case, Uber has already been forced to class its drivers as workers.
What should the government do, given those facts listed above, that would improve the remuneration of a Deliveroo rider?
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I think the major difference is about the role of the government - should the country be run like a business, outward looking, trying desperately to maintain our place in the global economic order or conversely just to what degree the government's role is to look inwards and facilitate other aspects of society such as the well being of the populace.
It is a bit strange that those who complain the most about a "nanny state" are also those that demand that action be taken against those that don't "toe the line" - they seem to demand individualism with a caveat of enforced conformity.
Intellectually, it seems like we've only just made it out the 18th century, with a lot of people taking their ideas from Jane Austin and the Brontes, but with absolutely no awareness of this and no idea why they stand where they do - Dickens as a prophecy for 21st century England? Back to where we were before the glorious Empire?!
No wonder we're confused!