Deliveroo riders across Dublin strike over working conditions

over 4 years in The Irish Times

Deliveroo riders across Dublin are set to down bikes for at least two hours from 6pm on Friday evening in protest over their terms and conditions.
The company’s hundreds of riders across the capital are deemed to be self-employed individual contractors, rather than employees which means they do not have rights such as annual leave and sick pay.
In social media posts the organisers said their rates of pay had been “drastically reduced” last month which means they now have to spend longer on the streets and “pedal more, to earn less”.
The organisers also highlighted the “lack of security” and the level of violence riders experience and said three couriers had been attacked this week alone.
Restaurants took to social media to show support for the riders.
The Korean restaurant Chimac Aungier St said it would be shutting off its Deliveroo orders for the duration of the strike.
“These men and women have got us, and you, through the last 10 months of madness – they work incredibly hard and so often not treated with the respect they deserve,” the restaurant said.
The Vegan Sandwich Co said it fully supported the strike and would be “turning off our machine in solidarity between 6pm and 8pm this evening. These people are the backbone of the food industry and deserve better working conditions, better pay and more respect.”
Deliveroo was founded by Will Shu in 2013 in London and operates in over 500 towns and cities across 12 markets.
It launched in Ireland in 2015, and currently works with more than 1,000 riders and over 1,800 restaurants across Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
Its Irish division recorded a 40 per cent rise in turnover last year as sales rose from €9.3 million to €13.8 million.
It has seen a huge jump in demand during the Covid crisis and in addition to delivering takeaways, it has also expanded into groceries though a partnership with Aldi, which helps it reach an estimated 1.5 million shoppers in the Republic.
The Irish Times has sought a comment from the company.

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