Deliverando Couriers Protest in Vienna Against Wave of Layoffs

In mid-March, Lieferando announced that it would "align its logistics model with the Austrian industry standard" in the coming months. Unlike Foodora and Wolt, the delivery service mostly employed its couriers directly in Austria.

Lieferando Termination Wave: Negotiations on Social Plan

"With the termination of our employee model, we will have to lay off around 600 drivers, utilizing all possibilities," Lieferando stated two weeks ago. "Additionally, around 65 employees at our locations in Vienna and the federal states are affected." The terminations have already been announced to the AMS early warning system. The union and Lieferando are currently negotiating a social plan. "There is no result yet. Negotiations will continue this week," the union vida said in response to an APA inquiry. It concerns severance payments, paid job search days, as well as training and education opportunities for the employees. "There will likely be notice periods that exceed the statutory six weeks so that Lieferando can maintain operations until the liquidation of their current logistics company," the union stated.

Couriers Protested Last Year for New Collective Agreement

In Austria, there has been a collective agreement (CA) for bicycle couriers since the beginning of 2020. Since the beginning of 2023, the monthly collective agreement full-time gross income for bicycle couriers is 1,730 euros (net 1,440 euros). For comparison: According to Statistics Austria, the poverty risk threshold in 2023 was 1,572 euros for a single-person household per month. More recent figures are not yet available. Last year, several food courier warning strikes took place to achieve higher wages and better working conditions. According to union estimates, about 2,000 of 5,000 bicycle couriers ("riders") were recently employed nationwide, with the rest working as freelance contractors.

Katzian Criticizes "Modern Exploitation"

"The recently announced mass layoffs at Lieferando confirm how important it is to focus on the issues of platform work and false self-employment," emphasized Labor and Social Affairs Minister Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) in a statement following a working meeting with ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian on Tuesday. The government program provides for the creation of the necessary legal framework as soon as possible, said the former deputy of Katzian in the trade union federation and now leading politician.

The employees at Lieferando would soon no longer benefit from the hard-won collective agreement because the competition did not want to follow the example, regretted Katzian in a statement. "If they continue to be employed as self-employed, they are likely working in false self-employment, meaning without minimum wages, without entitlement to paid leave in case of illness or vacation, without protection against dismissal, and without vacation entitlement."

To counteract this "modern exploitation," the EU directive for platform work was adopted last year in 2024, according to which the platform operator must prove self-employment. "This reversal of the burden of proof was a central demand of the unions in Europe," said Katzian. "The EU member states have until December 2026 to implement the directive: But this must happen faster, time is pressing." Schumann has promised swift action by the black-red-pink federal government.

Lieferando Case Also a Topic in Parliament

At the end of March, in view of the announced layoffs at Lieferando, the Greens submitted a resolution proposal in the Social Committee of the National Council to urge the federal government and responsible ministers to quickly implement the EU directive for platform work. A rapid implementation would create the conditions for the correct legal classification of employees and the associated labor rights, according to the Greens. The government should present a legislative proposal for the implementation of the directive by the end of September 2025, so that the necessary changes can come into force by early 2026.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.