Couriers demand fair treatment for their ‘critical role’
British couples may be struggling to find Valentine’s Day gifts and meals after Amazon workers went on strike over pay on Tuesday, with delivery drivers soon to be among them, organizers said.
Frustrated staff at food apps including Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat will strike on Wednesday.
Instagram account Delivery Jobs UK has brought together some of the industry’s workforce to urge catering and shopping platform couriers to go on strike on February 14 between 1700 and 2200 GMT.
Demand for fast-delivered Valentine’s Day dinners is expected to surge across the UK – for those who don’t feel like cooking.
The GMB union has called for a three-day strike this week at Amazon’s giant warehouse facility in Coventry, central England, from Tuesday to Thursday.
This week’s strikes come amid wider industrial unrest in Britain as workers’ wages fail to keep pace with rising prices, with the latest inflation data due on Wednesday.
Ulysses is a Brazilian courier who declined to give his last name for fear of retaliation. He is one of the organizers of Delivery Work UK, which hosts 4,000 foreign workers, mostly Brazilians.
“The choice of Valentine’s Day for the strike is strategic and aimed at maximizing visibility and impact,” Ulysses told AFP in an interview.
“Valentine’s Day is one of the busiest days for delivery services, with high demand for food delivery.”
Wednesday’s strike also coincides with the release of the UK’s latest official inflation data for January.
Couriers are demanding fair treatment for their “critical role”, especially after they helped feed the country during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown.
Ulysses added: “Through this day of strike, we aim to highlight the critical role delivery workers play in the economy and the importance of fair pay and working conditions.”
“This action calls on companies and the public to recognize and address the all-too-common problem of unsustainable profitability in the express delivery industry.”
The UK delivery effort also includes British delivery workers from other countries including Albania, Nigeria and Romania.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
