ADCU app delivery drivers strike in Belfast

Restaurant and grocery app delivery drivers who are members of the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) in Belfast have gone on strike over pay and conditions.

The drivers and riders from Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats will stop delivering food and goods for six hours today (23rd March). They are seeing their income fall thanks to pay structures and rising fuel costs.

No app delivery company has made a profit since they first came on the scene and one of the chief ways of cutting costs has been in using exploitative employment practices. Where countries and cities have threatened to regulate, some have even pulled out of those territories as happened with Deliveroo in Spain recently.

The riders and drivers are working with the ADCU and are to run the stoppage between 11am and 17:00 with a public protest on Boucher Rd, Belfast. They demand a minimum income guarantee of at least £10 per hour plus operating costs.

Currently the ADCU say app delivery drivers can earn as little as £100 per 12 hour shift, before expenses such as fuel and vehicle maintenance. They are only paid when they work and do not get sick or holiday pay.

The union says that changes in pay structures have resulted in riders and drivers at the three firms earning less than before the changes came into effect.

The ADCU asks customers “support the workers by not placing any orders with the major apps during the strike time on Wednesday”.

James Farrar, ADCU General Secretary said: “This may be the first gig economy strike in Northern Ireland, but it will certainly not be the last unless we see a rapid change in behaviour from these companies.”

A Just Eat spokesperson said: “We take any concerns raised by our couriers seriously. Our delivery payment model has been designed to give couriers the flexibility to deliver when they choose. We continue to offer a competitive base rate to self-employed couriers and pay is reviewed regularly.”

An Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose. We know that the vast majority of couriers are satisfied with their experience on the app, however we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”

A Deliveroo spokesman said the company “is proud to offer flexible work to more than 50,000 self-employed riders across the UK. Our way of working is designed around what riders tell us matters to them most – flexibility – and we are pleased that more than 86% of riders in Belfast tell us they are satisfied with Deliveroo.

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