With This Action, Lieferando Wants to Attract Couriers
The food delivery service Lieferando is laying off about 850 employed couriers and is now launching new ads on social media to attract independent contractors. This is the business model Lieferando wants to switch to. The reason is that the competition never employed couriers. At Foodora or Wolt, there were always only independent contractors.
From April 16 to June 30, Lieferando will pay each new independent contractor an extra 2 euros per successful delivery to find personnel.
Lieferando attracts independent contractors with perks
"Earn extra money quickly and adapt delivery to your lifestyle," the ad says. Or: "Choose your own schedule and submit your availability each week." How much you can earn is not specified in the ads, as it completely depends on how much you pedal as an independent contractor. Whether there is also a fixed amount per delivery is not mentioned in the ads, but it does say: "Get paid on your terms!"
In any case, without employment, there are far fewer rights, as the union tirelessly points out. Currently, a social plan is being negotiated for those already registered for termination with the AMS.
Own bike, own smartphone, own data
Before you can start, according to Lieferando in the ads, you need your own (e-)bike, a smartphone with a data plan for the company's "Courier App," and you must be 18 years old. Additionally, you need a "passion for being outdoors."
In response to the "FAQ" "How do I earn money?" it states: "Delivering for Lieferando means that you earn money with every order delivered. The 'Courier App' will send you 'delivery opportunities' that you can review to decide if you want to take on the delivery." If you are a "Rider", the company kit with jacket, backpack, helmet can be ordered in the "Courier Shop". Its use is not mandatory, but the equipment must meet "minimum safety requirements". Lieferando is a subsidiary of the company Just Eat Takeaway based in Amsterdam.
Union Criticizes "False Self-Employment"
The employees at Lieferando will soon no longer benefit from the hard-won collective agreement because the competition did not want to follow suit, lamented ÖGB President Wolfgang Katzian recently. "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."
In Austria, there has been a collective agreement (KV) for bicycle couriers since the beginning of 2020. Although it is not very lucrative, it does secure the aforementioned employee rights. 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: The poverty risk threshold was 1,572 euros for a single-person household per month according to Statistics Austria in 2023. More recent figures are not yet available.
EU Directive for Platform Work Adopted
To counter 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 needs to happen faster, time is pressing." Social and Labor Minister, former unionist Korinna Schumann (SPÖ) promised a swift action by the black-red-pink federal government, it was said on the day of the big demonstration of those to be dismissed on April 1 in Vienna.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.