In the United States, drivers from TVDE companies Uber and Lyft have planned 24-hour strikes in places such as Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami or Austin, Texas, as well as demonstrations at airports in several cities, according to protest organizers: Justice for App Workers (Justice for App Workers ).
UK delivery workers from Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Just Eat and Stuart said they will stop their digital apps and will not deliver between 5pm and 10pm.
The group Delivery Job UK, which organized the strike, noted on Instagram that the strike was “a crucial opportunity to be seen and heard by the community”.
Of the eight delivery drivers who spoke to The Associated Press today on the streets of London, only one said he would not stop the activity. However, many of them questioned whether the strike would be long enough to cause enough financial damage to businesses.
Evador Rahman defended, saying: “One day will not be effective,” considering the need to extend the strike.
Rahman, the Deliveroo driver who said he would join the protest, revealed that his daily wages had fallen in recent months from around £140 (€164) for eight hours of work to nearly £100 (€117). The driver defended increasing the minimum fee charged for each order from £2.90 (€3.37) to five pounds (€5.86).
“Companies must improve their minimum payments” because the current level “is not enough to survive in this country,” he told the AP.
Delivery Job UK said 3,000 people planned to strike, but there were no specific numbers among Americans.
Uber said on Tuesday that, based on previous strikes, it did not expect today’s strike to have a significant impact.
“These types of events rarely have any impact on trips, prices or driver availability,” the company said in a statement, justifying this trend because “the vast majority of drivers are satisfied.”
Uber and other companies that rely on gig workers say they value flexibility.
However, many temporary workers are pushing to join a union to gain the ability to negotiate compensation, safety measures and other benefits.
In November, unionization efforts suffered a setback in the United Kingdom when the British Supreme Court ruled that Deliveroo riders did not have collective bargaining rights because they were not considered employees.
Deliveroo said today it has a voluntary partnership with a union that includes annual pay discussions and also offers riders free insurance and sickness support.
“Passenger retention rates are high, and the vast majority of passengers tell us they are happy to work with us,” the company said in a statement.
For Justice for App Workers, Rachel Gumpert described the transportation business as a “mobile factory,” with some workers routinely working between 60 and 80 hours a week.
Private carriers ensure fair wages and provide appeals processes to deactivate drivers.
Earlier this month, Lyft said it had begun ensuring drivers keep at least 70% of their weekly fares, made clear the fees on earnings reports, and included new in-app access for drivers to appeal deactivation decisions.
In the US, this company reports that US drivers earn an average of $30.68 per hour (€29) or $23.46 net per hour (€22).
Uber, for its part, indicated that its drivers earn an average of $33 per hour (31 euros). The company also said it allows drivers to dispute their deactivations.
PL // RBF
Lusa/The End
