Delivery drivers to stage fresh strikes ‘every Friday and bank holiday’ until demands are met

The latest round of protests, which will see thousands of riders across England refuse to pick up orders from 5-10pm on affected days, are being organised by Marcio Silva, who is understood to be part of a grassroots group called Delivery Job UK and works part-time for Uber and Deliveroo in London.

It comes after delivery drivers staged two similar walkouts earlier this month, including on Valentine’s Day​​.

“This will be huge, believe me,” Silva told The Sun​​​.

“Strikes will continue every Friday and bank holiday until they increase the money they pay riders.

“At the moment, Uber pays a minimum of £2.80 and Deliveroo pays £3.15.

“We need a minimum of £5.”

Silva said he expects ‘about 5,000 drivers’ in London to participate in the strike, with similar actions set to take place in Brighton, Oxford, Liverpool and Newcastle too.

As well as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats, the stoppage will also affect Stuart drivers.

Riders for food delivery platforms are generally classified as self-employed contractors, meaning their employers are not legally obliged to pay them the statutory National Living Wage, although many of the platforms claim that their riders' pay always meets the threshold.

In response to the latest action, Just Eat spokesperson said: “Our data shows that couriers delivering for Just Eat earn, on average, significantly over both the London and national living wage for the time they are on an order.

“We provide a highly competitive base rate to self-employed couriers and have a good relationship with the vast majority of couriers across our network. In addition, we offer regular incentives to help them maximise their earnings and continue to review our pay structure regularly.”

Separately, an Uber Eats spokesperson said: “We offer a flexible way for couriers to earn by using the app when and where they choose, something we know the vast majority of couriers value.

“Couriers are also covered by our partner protection programme that provides insurance if they are injured whilst working and income protection if they are sick and not able to work, and we and we regularly engage with couriers to look at how we can improve their experience.”

The strike action also follows a court ruling in November​​, which found Deliveroo riders cannot be classed as 'workers' and do not have the ability to form a union.

Regarding the latest strikes, a Deliveroo spokesperson said: “Thousands of people apply to work with Deliveroo each month, rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us.

“We value dialogue with riders, which is why we have a voluntary partnership agreement with a trade union.”

Meanwhile, a Stuart spokesperson commented: “We worked closely with clients to minimise disruption during the impacted period, and will continue to do so for any future instances.

“Stuart remains committed to providing competitive earnings opportunities for courier partners and delivering a courier-centric platform.”