Deliveroo: Workers without rights?

Deliveroo workers in Brussels will demonstrate against their company on Saturday after negotiations over employment contracts between the worker’s unions and Deliveroo management failed.

The ongoing talks between the parties fell through yesterday when the Deliveroo management did not accede to the proposition of smart contracts and instead continued the change of workers’ contracts to self-employed; with the transition beginning on February the 1st of this year. The Deliveroo management has since abandoned negotiations, giving a take it or leave it ultimatum on the contracts.

“Since the decision, the minister of employment, Kris Peeters, has said he will meet with the vice president of Deliveroo in Davos to discuss the matter,” says Martin Willems, permanent secretary of the Centrale Nationale des Employés (CNE). “He affirms his support for the couriers, then meets the vice president of Deliveroo in Davos and condemns the strike actions; one wonders his position on the matter. Will Deliveroo’s move guarantee the disappearance of employment contracts, even for service jobs?”

Workers of the company claim that the contractual conditions brought forward by Deliveroo are damaging to their worker’s rights. As once self-employed, Deliveroo will no longer have to pay for the administration of workers’ tax, and workers will not get the security nor the same insurance and pension benefits of employment.

Bertrand Wert, Ixelles Councillor from the Ecolo Party, worries this could set a precedent for the future of this field of employment and calls for a suitable resolution to the issue.

This issue of companies maneuvering workers contracts has been raised amongst similar services like Uber and has created ongoing debate in other cities around Europe; with London even going as far as banning Uber from working within the city.

The couriers will have strike actions this Saturday, 6:00 pm, The focus is to raise public awareness of the situation.