American, 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 American 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.