Thousands of delivery drivers working for companies like Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats, organised a five-hour strike across London and Brighton on Valentine’s Day, to fight back against attacks on pay.
This comes on the back of a national wildcat strike on 2 February, which included workers from London, Glasgow, Bath, Liverpool, and Brighton.
Pay has flatlined in the past few years, while the cost of living has skyrocketed. A number of these ‘gig economy’ employers are now pushing to hire more riders, which will push wages down further.
A striking worker told The Communist that their minimum pay per delivery was now around £2.50. This is for cycling up to 1.5 miles – day or night, rain or shine.
So in response, workers are organising around a clear, bold demand for £5 minimum delivery fees.
today’s delivery strike was powerful. restaurants and kitchens shut down from London to Blackpool. pic.twitter.com/gzymn9FSKt
— laura (@laura_estah) February 14, 2024
A courier in London said that this line of work was “incredibly isolating” and attracted a lot of migrant workers who are “forced into it” and often feel unable to challenge their conditions.
This strike action comes despite the Supreme Court ruling that Deliveroo riders cannot be classed as “workers”, and therefore cannot form a union.
The so-called ‘impartial’ courts are helping to sow the lie that gig economy apps are a ‘fair and open platform for freelancers’, rather than a hub for ruthless zero-hour exploitation.
Clearly, we cannot rely on the courts to protect workers’ conditions. The top judges know which side they’re on, and they will protect the bosses’ profits as much as they can.
Undeterred by legal barriers, riders have rallied against their bogus ‘self-employed’ status, which does not entitle them to benefits enjoyed by full-time employees.
Intimidation
A reporter for The Communist met with picketing workers outside of a restaurant in Brent, London.
One worker told us: “The manager told me to ‘go back to my country’ if I wasn’t going to take their order”.
Even while the interviews were being conducted, police officers came over and harassed the strikers. They told them: “No obstructing the restaurants, and no talking to people to get them to not go in. Just don’t talk to anyone!”
We found out that the restaurant manager had called the police. This strike-breaking and open intimidation is being encouraged by the Deliveroo bosses.
Militancy
These latest actions weren’t organised by any of the big unions. Instead, they have been spread on social media and by word of mouth, spearheaded by a group called ‘Delivery Job UK’, and several other groups.
Delivery Job UK say they are watching and learning from delivery worker actions across Britain and internationally, in places like Ireland and the US.
The militant methods of the strikers – who have organised loud convoys of riders and drivers, and even demonstrated outside of the Deliveroo CEO’s house – will no doubt provide inspiration for workers in other sectors.
UberEats, Deliveroo, and JustEat Delivery drivers go on strike in London today pic.twitter.com/iEuFSi5IYO
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) February 2, 2024
The big trade unions – who have the resources and manpower to spread this strike far and wide – should give full backing to the delivery riders’ strike.
A wide campaign to organise delivery workers nationwide would put the gig economy bosses on the backfoot. Victory to the strikers!
