UAE: Deliveroo promises fair deal after riders demand better work conditions

Delivery service provider Deliveroo, which faced trouble after its riders refused to work recently over alleged pay cuts, has promised to offer them a fair deal.

“Riders are at the heart of our business, and their commitment to great service has enabled us to grow and offer the best food delivery experience to our customers,” Deliveroo said in a statement released to Khaleej Times.

“We have always ensured that the agency riders Deliveroo works with are competitively compensated via those agencies, and Deliveroo is proud to continue to be among the highest paying aggregator in the marketplace.”

The company went on to accept that there had been some misunderstanding in communication, and that it had the best interest of its riders’ at heart.

“Our initial intention with the announcement was to propose a more well-rounded earnings structure for agencies to engage with riders, in addition to other incentives,” the statement further said.

“It is clear that some of our original intentions have not been clear and we are listening to riders. We have therefore currently paused all changes and will be working with our agency riders to ensure we have a structure that works for everyone.”

Meanwhile, Deliveroo riders have expressed their happiness at the move. “We got an email by Sunday midnight that our rates will not be cut,” said Nawaz.

“It was a great relief for us. Some other delivery services have a per km slab. So, if riders go beyond a certain number of kilometres, they get additional payment. However, we have a flat rate no matter how far we travel. It would have been a great loss for us if the rates had been slashed. I am thankful that the company decided not to go ahead with it.”

“I cannot express my happiness,” said Mohammed Bilal.

“The company had said that we would have to work until late in the night. My colleagues and I were really upset. But they decided to reverse it. I am very happy.”

ALSO READ:

• UAE: Food delivery platform comes to a halt over work issues

• UAE: Deliveroo suspends change in rider fee structures, says report

On Sunday, several delivery riders of the British delivery giant protested against alleged pay cuts and refused to work until they were given better work conditions. The firm had apparently expressed intentions to cut order rates and increase working hours of their riders, a move that has since been revoked.

Reuters had reported that Deliveroo had sent an e-mail to restaurants on Monday, saying that it was pausing what it called a proposed change in rider fee structure, and that it would engage with riders over the weeks and months ahead.

nasreen@khaleejtimes.com

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