A union representing drivers for the takeaway app Deliveroo is requesting recognition from the company, in the latest battle over employment practices in the gig economy. The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) has written to Deliveroo’s chief executive asking the firm to recognise it as a union representing riders in one area of London. Currently, the riders are classed as self-employed contractors, and are not entitled to the rights available to workers, including sick pay and the national living wage. The firm’s contract even tells those who sign up to make deliveries that they cannot test this status at the employment tribunal – although lawyers have dismissed this as unenforceable. The request for collective bargaining, which will cover only those working in Camden, north London, is designed to force the company to acknowledge the riders as workers. Independent contractors are not able to request collective bargaining in this way. The letter, sent by the general secretary of the IWGB, Jason Moyer-Lee, and addressed to Deliveroo’s founder and chief executive Will Shu, calls for the company to recognise drivers working in one of its central London delivery zones. The letter gives the company 10 days to respond, and says that if the request is refused or unanswered the union will go to the central arbitration committee. It adds: “Of course, for the CAC to entertain our request they will need to decide that Deliveroo drivers are ‘workers’ and not the ‘independent contractors’ you have bogusly deemed them to be.” The somewhat unconventional approach to having riders recognised as workers follows a recent employment tribunal case which found that a group of drivers for car-hailing firm Uber should be classed as workers. That case, which is now expected to go to appeal, put the spotlight on other firms with large self-employed workforces, and may lead to new claims being taken to the employment tribunal. Moyer-Lee said: “The importance of achieving a collective bargaining agreement for Deliveroo workers is not just the ability to negotiate pay and terms and conditions, but also to keep chipping away at this bogus narrative that gig economy workers are a bunch of independent entrepreneurs who are so lucky to benefit from the generous flexibility provided by the likes of Uber and Deliveroo. “Deliveroo drivers work for Deliveroo and as such they should be entitled to paid holiday, minimum wage, trade union rights, and all the other rights associated with worker status.” If the request does end up with the CAC one thing it will need to determine is whether there is sufficient support for the union amongst the workforce. At least 10% of the proposed bargaining unit will need to be union members, and a majority of the proposed group will need to be considered likely to favour recognition. If Deliveroo does agree to recognise the union it is likely to be the first collective bargaining agreement in the “gig economy”. Although recognition will only apply to riders in Camden, it could set a precedent for other people in insecure jobs. John Hendy, a barrister who has advised IWGB said the application for collective bargaining was “a timely and vital step forward”. He said: “Those working in the gig economy will never see a significant improvement to their terms and conditions without being represented by a union in collective bargaining.” The request follows successful protests by drivers in London who objected to the trial of a new pay structure which would have seen them moved from an hourly rate to a payment per delivery. The change affected several zones, including Camden, and some riders said it would mean their pay was cut. After several days of demonstrations and some drivers refusing to work, the company agreed that it would allow riders who did not want to to move to different zones during the 90-day trial. In a statement Deliveroo did not comment on the IWGB’s request for recoginition. It said: “As Deliveroo continues to grow, we are committed to providing great opportunities for UK riders, with the flexible work riders value, and a payment model which is fair, rewarding and better matches riders’ time with our customers’ orders. “We have been in close and regular contact with our riders throughout the trial, and as you would expect we will be writing directly to our riders to inform them of the next steps as the trial comes to an end. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and we welcome the opportunity to further engage with riders, policymakers and the unions as the sharing economy in Britain continues to grow.” The union is set to hold a campaign meeting for drivers and supporters on Tuesday night.
The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain is calling for recognition from takeaway app company drivers . The call is the latest move in the ongoing debate about employment rights in the gig economy . At present , Deliveroo riders are categorised as self - employed and are thus not entitled to rights such as sick pay and the national living wage . Drivers ’ contracts also state that this status will not be challenged at an employment tribunal , a claim challenged by lawyers . Such recognition , which would apply only to those working in Camden , north London , would constitute the first gig economy collective bargaining agreement .