By Hannah Worthington, Online Editor
Online Editor Hannah Worthington interviews students who took part in the Deliveroo and UberEats 'Courier Strike' on Wednesday evening which is estimated to have encouraged up to one hundred restaurants to refrain from using their services.
On Wednesday 4th October, hundreds of Bristol couriers employed by Deliveroo and UberEats united to protest against their abismal pay rates and to flag the need for more transparency from their employers. (For more, read the full breaking article here).
Image: Thomas Katan / Freelance Photographer
Keen to discover the aftermath of strike action, our Online Editor spoke to two members of the #FFS410 Strike, otherwise dubbed as the Courier Strike, or Fast Food Shutdown.
A third year University of Bristol student, who wishes to be anonymised, is a courier for both UberEats and Deliveroo. They first address the purpose of their collective strike action:
'The common aim of all of our demands is to secure our income as well as improve it. Deliveroo recently overhauled their pay structure to include a distance bonus, like Uber, rather than a flat rate which fell pitifully short for long journeys, but both Uber and Deliveroo still have, and openly claim, the ability to set the minimum pay per order as low as they like, without consultation or warning. Uber and Deliveroo's defence for their pay structure and hiring practices, along with a disgraceful lack of income support for sickness, injury or maternity and paternity, is that riders are legally classed as self-employed, and that we must be self-employed to enjoy the freedoms the job admittedly offers. This is categorically untrue.'
'Combining this with overhiring, couriers have among the least secure income of any major workforce in the country.'
Image: Thomas Katan / Freelance Photographer
They also went on to explain to Epigram the reasoning behind their demands of £5 pay per order and recruitment freeze. The student explains such pleas will also indirectly benefit the companies:
'The result of being paid per order - even with a distance-based bonus, is that couriers feel like they're competing for their earnings, which for many account to their entire income and livelihood. It also benefits Deliveroo and Uber as it means they only ever pay couriers as much as their demand requires. Every year they massively over-recruit for the busy winter season, because so long as the work gets done, they don't care - and have no obligation to care - who gets to do it. When there are far more couriers than there are orders, everyone's ability to earn plummets. This is why the recruitment freeze is one of the demands of the strikes.'
Gig economy workers strike back. Massive #FFS410 protest in Bristol and UK-wide by Deliveroo and UberEats and supporters took place on Thursday (PHOTOS) https://t.co/WAMFDuqUSs pic.twitter.com/y6Aq8r9bZR
— The Bristol Cable (@TheBristolCable) October 6, 2018
The success of the strike was determined by checking the app and comparing orders at a similar time of evening on Wednesday and Thursday. Couriers were able to encourage around one hundred restaurants (136 on Wednesday)* to disconnect from Deliveroo for the period of the strike. Many, riders informed, 'agreed to do so in advance in solidarity with couriers'.
Featured Image: Thomas Katan / Freelance Photographer
Do you have any insight that you would like to share about the strike action this week? Let us know in the comments below or via our social media outlets.
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Stats based on the check of the app, these are not verified/officially released.
