Deliveroo has landed itself in hot water over claims it is being unfair to its workers.
A change in Deliveroo staff's contracts may mean they will be out of pocket.
As we understand it, the original contract the workers signed meant they earned £7 and hour with an extra £1 for every delivery made and tips at customers' discretion, but a new contract means this structure changes to a flat rate of £3.75 per order and no hourly payment.
We reached out to a disgruntled employee who said of the new pay structure, 'This is Deliveroo outsourcing all the risk.
Our job has become literally as variable as the weather since Deliveroo is at its most busy when it's raining.
Looking at my last 4 paycheques - £347 becomes £232, £423 becomes £240, £303.75 becomes £150.50, £368 becomes £188.75.
This is unfair.'
He is a jobbing actor who is a recent graduate and will be one of the people hit if the changes are forced.
Though the company is saying that the contract changes are, in fact, optional.
William Shu, Deliveroo co-founder and chief executive said that riders could choose to stick with their original contract and that this is simply a trial affecting about a tenth of its workers.
"I'm very sorry things have gone to this point.
Our riders are the lifeblood of our business and without them we are nothing," Shu told the BBC's Today programme.
He said the potential contract change was, 'in response to our riders' number-one concern, which is flexibility … This was a choice for them.
If the riders choose to be on a new scheme that's great … If riders feel like it's not for them, they can choose to work on the old scheme as well."
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy stepped in to reinforce the notion of 'national living wage' of £7.20 yesterday after the strike.
Natalie Bennett, the leader of The Green Party, has also responded to the contractual dispute saying that we need to 'crack down on these dodgy employment practices'.
She went on to say, 'This strike highlights that while the 'gig economy' means cheaper and more convenient services for customers, it all too often relies on – and facilitates – the exploitation of workers.'
Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.
