Deliveroo, the food delivery company, provides its managers with a list of terms to use when referring to company couriers to ensure that they are seen to qualify as self-employed, and thus ineligible for key employment rights such as the minimum wage, sick pay, and paid holidays, according to a document seen by The Guardian. In one example from 2016, an employee was told he could not refer to his “partner” or “friends” in reference to him being self-employed because it would be considered unethical. A group of Deliveroo couriers is currently planning legal action against the company to gain employee status.
Deliveroo, the food delivery company, provides its managers with a list of terms to use when referring to company couriers to ensure that they are seen to qualify as self-employed, and thus ineligible for key employment rights such as the minimum wage, sick pay, and paid holidays, according to a document seen by The Guardian. The paper says that riders should be referred to as “independent suppliers,” rather than employees, staff, team members or workers. A group of Deliveroo couriers is currently planning legal action against the company to gain employee status.