Supposedly their own bosses… – Article by Eleni Mavrou, AKEL Political Bureau member

 

Sunday 18 December 2022, “Haravgi” newspaper

In Ken Loach’s film “Sorry we missed you” the protagonist, after changing many jobs, tried his luck as a delivery boy, became “his own boss”, as he says. But, as the film concludes, the “buts” are many.

I find it hard to think of many “bosses” who work and run non-stop for long hours in the heat, rain and in freezing temperatures. In conditions of stress and intensification that frequently lead to accidents. Without elementary rights and without the right to collective representation. Without any cover in the event of an accident. Working for humiliating wages – €2.26 per delivery on a bike. And to bear, on top of all that, also costs normally borne by the employer – namely, the means of transport and all its expenses, equipment, mobile phone and connection., whilst paying the middlemen 41% of their pay!

This is the daily life of the Wolt “associates” who went on strike over the last few days.

How did we get to the “associates/partners”? Because, quite simply, it’s a lot of money! Profits for these companies (of the so-called ‘gig economy’) have taken off in recent years. From 2016 when their revenues were estimated at 3 billion euros, they have now reached 14 billion in 2020!

However, acute exploitation also generates resistance. Workers are fighting back with strikes and protests in many countries. Elsewhere they are filing individual lawsuits against these multinationals. In Spain, in 2020, the Supreme Court vindicated delivery drivers using, in fact, the term “falsos autónomos” (falsely self-employed). A recent Court decision even forced Uber to compensate 4,400 delivery drivers it had fired in 2021.

Their claims have forced the European Union to adopt a policy that guarantees even minimal rights to workers in flexible or casual employment, such as delivery drivers. The provisions of this policy must be transposed into national legislation by 2025.

We certainly did not expect from this government that it would rush to comply. This is not the first time the government has selectively promoted European policies. Here, they don’t do what should be self-evident. For example, the3 carrying out of safety inspections. According to the Ministry of Labour itself, only 16 such inspections were carried out in 2019-2021 on employers employing food distributors. In about 54% of cases, motorcycle hazards were identified and…verbal recommendations were made or letters were sent!

What needs to be understood by all is that delivery drivers are not some expendable “strangers”. They are a foreshadowing of what is to come in the new world order we live in. Working through digital platforms is rapidly expanding and now involves many working people. What we see4 happening with delivery workers we already see being applied in many sectors eroding the whole spectrum of employment relationships. In Cyprus, our state has overnight turned teachers working in full-time and evening programmes into self-employed workers and persists in this practice despite court rulings.

That’s precisely why when we say “delete Wolt from your cell phones,” it’s not just a boycott. The ‘Wolt’ workers are asserting for all of us