12 February 2024 , 11:04
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Brits looking to order a takeaway this Valentine's day may be out of luck - as Deliveroo and Uber Eats drivers are staging a Valentine’s Day strike for better pay and working conditions.
The walkout, planned for Wednesday, is being organised by Delivery Job UK, a grassroots group whose members are largely Brazilian. It claims there are currently more than 3,000 supporters in London and several other cities.
The strike will aim to draw attention to the low pay and insecure conditions faced by delivery drivers, with many working for multiple companies on multiple delivery apps. These drivers are generally considered self-employed contractors, which means their employers are not legally obliged to pay the “national living wage”. Currently, this stands at £10.42 an hour and is due to rise to £11.44 in April.
A supreme court ruling in November found Deliveroo riders were not “workers”, following a long-running fight by the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain for the right to unionise and bargain on the behalf of delivery drivers.
Strike organisers claim to have more than 3,000 supporters (Erin Black/Plymouth Live)One of Delivery Job UK’s organisers, spoke to the Guardian anonymously about the difficulties of earning the national living wage – even before costs were taken into account. The platforms usually pay a flat-rate minimum per job, as well as an additional fee based on the distance drivers travel, but these rates vary over time and drivers have complained that it is unclear how the numbers are worked out.
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The organiser said: “It’s very random: we don’t know the algorithm, we don’t know how it’s calculated,” adding that he wanted to encourage consumers ordering takeaways to think about the conditions faced by drivers.
Data collected by the app Rodeo, which looked at thousands of couriers, suggested fees for delivery drivers were cut in 2022 and 2023, despite high inflation rates. Deliveroo is not included in these figures, as the company declined to allow drivers to make their details available.
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Dr Callum Cant, at the Internet Institute at the University of Oxford, who studies the sector, said: “The single problem we have had with these apps over the last few years has been the continual reduction in real wages. So over time, things have got worse.”
A voluntary agreement between Deliveroo and the GMB trade union states workers 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.”
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.”
In a separate issue, more than 1,000 Amazon staff are set to strike at the company’s Coventry warehouse from Tuesday until Thursday, amid pay disputes.