A Deliveroo rider who said he is paid as little as £2.90 per delivery is among fast food riders rallying outside Deliveroo’s annual general meeting (AGM) in London.
Riders protested on Wednesday for better pay and working conditions outside 100 Bishopgate.
The company’s chief executive Will Shu was holding the company’s AGM inside while riders held banners reading “Shame on Shu” and chanted “Deliveroo, you’re no good, pay your riders like you should”.
Campaigners at ShareAction and IWGB (Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain) coordinated for riders to challenge Deliveroo’s board and raise criticism over the pay deal for bosses at the company.
Mr Shu received a £600,000 salary for the past year – and total pay package worth £625,000 – despite the company posting a £245.6 million loss for 2022.
Joe Durbidge, 31, who has worked for Deliveroo for four and a half years, told PA that he works 50-hour weeks and is paid around as little as £2.90 per delivery.
“Conditions are deteriorating constantly, my fees have never gone up since I started.
“Nobody’s satisfied with the job, it’s crazy. It’s very hard work, it takes a lot out of you and it’s hard to make a living.
“It’s very physical, it’s very mental, because you’re just constantly trying to work, everyone’s pushing themselves 1,000 miles an hour.
“We’re working in all weathers, exposed to the elements. People are proud of the work they do, we just want to be paid properly for it.”
It comes almost a month after the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) challenged Deliveroo in the Supreme Court over collective bargaining rights after seven years of legal disputes between Deliveroo and the union.
The union is appealing a decision by the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) – later upheld by the High Court and Court of Appeal – that Deliveroo workers in Camden cannot form a collective bargaining unit because they are self-employed, not employees.
Last year, Deliveroo formed a partnership with the GMB union but faced criticism from the IWGB.
Alex Marshall, IWGB president and former courier, said: “Despite Shu’s claims that riders are satisfied, since Deliveroo came to London in 2016 workers have been joining the IWGB and taking actions to expose the reality of life on the road.”
Dan Howard, head of good work at ShareAction, said: “Gig economy workers have been disproportionately affected by the cost-of-living crisis as job insecurity and poor conditions are exacerbated.
“The riders today are making it clear to Deliveroo and to shareholders that more protections need to be put in place for workers, both because it is the right thing to do and because Deliveroo’s current business model poses a risk to investors.”
A spokeswoman for Deliveroo said: “Deliveroo offers riders flexible work, attractive earning opportunities and security while they work. We see thousands of applications from people wanting to be riders each week, high satisfaction rates and very strong retention rates of those who sign up.
“We work closely with riders to make sure the work we offer reflects what they tell us they value.”
Rider satisfaction is at 83 per cent in the UK and retention is around 90 per cent, Deliveroo said, according to its surveys of thousands of riders.
