by Naveeda Khoshbo
UK Deliveroo riders are expected to strike over pay in five cities across England. Strike organisers the independent workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB) said socially distanced protest is planned and hundreds of riders will attend the strike in London, York, Reading, Sheffield and Wolverhampton.
The protesters want the living wage, safety protections and rights including access to holiday and sick pay, an end to unpaid waiting times, and the right to refuse unsafe work without penalty. After the Investigative report about the invoices from more than 300 riders over the past year, concluding that one in three riders made less than £8.72 an hour – the minimum wage for those aged over 25 – with some earning as little as £2 per hour. There are up to 50,000 people on the company’s books.
Speaking to Sky news a Deliveroo spokesperson said: “This small self-appointed union does not represent most riders who tell us they value the total flexibility they enjoy while working with Deliveroo alongside the ability to earn over £13 an hour There “Only today we ran a survey and 88% of riders said that they were happy with the company and flexibility was their priority.”