Delivery drivers in Brighton and Hove were seen moving around the area while on strike tonight.
The action, for better pay and improved working conditions, targeted the evening of St Valentine’s Day, with some restaurants having to close takeaway ordering on various platforms.
Members of Delivery Job UK, a group made up of drivers for Deliveroo, Just Eat, Uber Eats and other companies, refused to accept orders from 5pm to 10pm tonight.
Local motorcycle delivery drivers met at Madeira Drive at 5pm and travelled in convoy around Brighton to the Marina, London Road, Western Road, Old Shoreham Road and the Clock Tower.
One rider, Hakan Ozdemir, said: “The motorbikes and car drivers physically moved around the city in groups to show how disturbed we are from the situation.
“We bike riders supported them by staying at home not going out for work as we can’t keep up with their speed.
“Many of us are determined to keep holding strike. Our numbers are also increasing.
“We are also warning small restaurants not to prepare food for them not to suffer and waste their food.”
Mr Ozdemir, who has been a Deliveroo rider in Brighton since July 2018, showed Brighton and Hove News that Deliveroo offered their riders fee “boosts” of up to 1.5 per cent on jobs for the evening of the planned strike.
He said that pay and conditions for delivery riders and driver had worsened since the coronavirus pandemic.
He said: “They used to pay for the journey to the restaurant. Now, no matter how far the restaurant is, they calculate it as if you are right next to the restaurant.
“For example, the minimum pay for riders is £2.90 per order or £3.15 for cars and motorbikes.
“Let’s assume you just dropped an order and a new order comes. Even if you are three miles away from the pick up point, that distance is not paid for any more.”
Deliveroo said: “Deliveroo aims to provide riders with the flexible work riders tell us they value, attractive earning opportunities and protections.
“Rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.
“We value dialogue with riders, which is why we have a voluntary partnership agreement with a trade union, which includes annual discussions on pay.
“We are pleased to also be able to offer riders free insurance, sickness cover, financial support when riders become new parents and a range of training opportunities.”
Don’t like it they know where they can go and good riddance
The self-employed going on strike shows how ridiculous the gig economy regulations are.
As most of the motorbike riders are Brazilians whose right to work in the UK is hard to understand
they don’t have the option of any other work.
When Just Eat started they paid an hourly wage, provided legal bikes and insurance but couldn’t compete against the people currently striking so changed to the Deliveroo model
I agree to an extent with the self-employed aspect. You’re not a worker for the client. You are your own business, effectively. If they are not offering a good rate, don’t accept the terms. Unfortunately for them, many do accept those terms and will continue to work, so I don’t think any “strike” action will be effective in the slightest.
Brazilians in the UK are here under the EU settlement scheme as they have EU passports through family links.
You cannot work for these delivery companies without the right to work. The reason they chose this type of employment (or cleaning) is mainly language.
Learn to cook at home. It is cheaper and you will live longer.
Yeah, but sometimes, after a 14-hour shift with a three-hour overrun, I just want someone to provide me with chicken deep-fried in teriyaki sauce over a bed of udon noodles whilst I zone out from the chaos I’ve just had to endure.
it was always a corrupt and wholly unfair business model. Have these delivery drivers only just noticed? Many takeaways are going back to delivering their own.
Most of the delivery drivers break the law on the road and have no concern for other road users they park in disabled bay’s and often speed let them go
Get rid of them. Absolute idiots on scooters, always race up to the front of a queue at traffic lights to sit in a box for cyclists only !
Need to lea4n to ride safely first before they get a pay rise
So many are learning to ride their motorbikes. It will feel safer on the roads when they pass their tests, I’ve seen some shockingly unsafe road use by food delivery drivers. I imagine that the people who order food in this way would rather wait a little than have people put at risk.
Yeah, “learning” – it’s cheaper and easier to renew the provisional every couple of years. It’s a bit of legal loophole I’d love to see shut down. Something along the lines of provisional drivers cannot drive commercially.