Posted on: 4 November 2024

Dear members,

Last week the GMB Deliveroo National Committee met with the company. Please find an update below on what we discussed.

Order fees

This was the main item for discussion with the company. As a reminder, we agreed a pay floor with Deliveroo in May for every order to pay at least £12 plus expenses per hour on order (car - £4.27, scooter £1.52, e-bike 19p, bike 12p). This is based on an estimate of the time to complete the whole order. So a 15 minute order in a car should be at least £4.07 (£12.00+£4.27 / 4). This is currently the highest pay floor in the sector and is just a minimum: many orders are paid above this rate.

However, we’ve now seen examples of orders that took longer to deliver than the estimate and so we believe weren’t paid the right fee.

The main reason that orders are taking longer than the estimate is restaurant waiting time. To improve this, Deliveroo has committed to greatly improve the accuracy of the estimates by improving the data they based estimated on. This includes introducing rider check-in at restaurants, which will be rolled out soon.

GMB believes that all riders should be compensated for excessive waiting in restaurants. We put these demands to Deliveroo again and will continue to discuss this with the company.

The pay floor is the first of its kind negotiated by any union in food delivery sector. Since May this year half a million orders per week are benefitting from the pay floor

Rider warnings

One issue that members raised last year was the pressure of warnings being issued by Deliveroo and members losing their accounts over slow service caused by traffic and waiting times. We negotiated a new process with the company so that warnings and deactivation would only happen for repeated example of slow service. This has resulted in a 60% reduction in the number of warnings being issued.

Fee queries

We raised the issue of members making wasted journeys on orders assigned by Deliveroo. This might be because an order had already been assigned to another rider, or because the member was sent to a restaurant that was closed.

We had it confirmed today that members can submit a fee query for there should be some fee paid for this wasted journey.

Transparency

The National Committee has a long-standing demand for greater information for members at the point of accepting an order and for more details of orders completed in order history.

Following this, Deliveroo are now running a pilot in France of adding the distance of orders. We hope that this is a small step towards greater transparency. In particular, we believe members should be told the estimated time for the order, and whether or not the items are heavy or bulky.

Benefits

We discussed the benefits available to members. The take up of benefits has not been as big as we would have expected, but still millions of pounds has been passed over to riders. There have been the following claims over the last 24 months.

• Sickness – 133
• Personal accident – 72
• New parent – 456
• Third party liability – 392

To make a claim, go to www.bikmo.com/uk/partners/deliveroo.

There are other benefits available. Deliveroo are now opening the offer of free childcare up to all riders. Look out for an email from Deliveroo to redeem the offer.

Substitutes

The National Committee position is that the use of substitutes is too open to exploitation of vulnerable people who are not able to gain and account of their own. In some areas the numbers of riders operating as substitutes also means that there aren’t enough orders to go around, and fees are reduced as a result.

Deliveroo continues to roll out processes to ensure that all substitutes are registered. GMB members should know that if you are substituting your account out, you are responsible for the actions of your substitute.

Health and safety

We discussed the unrest across the UK in August and the union’s concern for members. Deliveroo had put in place processes to reduce the risk that riders were facing. This included potentially restricting orders in impacted areas. Stakeholder events were postponed to avoid riders being brought together in large numbers.

We suggested a response to any future events including guidance that riders in danger will still be paid when orders can’t be completed.

We also discussed ongoing issues with the safety of e-bikes. Deliveroo had undertaken 15 local events with riders and local police and fire authorities to give information about the rules and to help riders keep themselves safe.

New Government guidance has been issued about making sure you are safe on your e-bike. You can find the guidance at www.gov.uk.uk/guidance/buy-safe-be-safe-avoid-e-bike-and-e-scooter-fires.

The next meeting will be in January.

In solidarity,

Your GMB National Deliveroo Team

Posted on: 2 August 2024

This week your GMB Deliveroo National Committee met with the company – one of 4 meetings we hold each year where our reps raise the issues that matter to you.

Pay

The new Minimum Pay Floor of £12 plus costs for time on order is in place. We are working to ensure that there are strong processes in place to ensure this is applied correctly and will update members as these discussions progress.

Respect Charter update

This year we launched a campaign to improve the way that restaurants treat members. Restaurants that are committed to treating couriers with respect can sign up to be a Respect Charter restaurant. We can also investigate restaurants where the standards are not good enough: long wait times, rude staff, refusal to use facilities.

You can already nominate a restaurant or flag an issue via GMB at www.gmb.org.uk/campaigns/deliveroo. Soon, Deliveroo will also offer this on their website and will write out to all Deliveroo riders.

Transparency

At previous meetings, we raised the issue of transparency on orders. We have asked for orders to clearly show the distance, the estimated time and information about weight/volume. This is so that members can make informed decisions about what job they are accepting.

Deliveroo is moving forward with testing around greater transparency on orders. We will continue to push to get members the information you need on the app.

On heavy items, new restrictions are being brought in to automatically flag items that breach weight/volume guidelines. For example, items cannot be more than 5kg and there will be limits by category of product.

Supplier agreement changes

Later this year changes to the supplier agreement will be sent out. These changes are to allow for new earning opportunities for couriers and to tighten up the rules on substitutes. Members will receive the new supplier agreement by email and will then have some time to accept the changes via the Deliveroo app.

Other matters discussed

Following requests by members, we raised the issue of bike theft, particularly in flats. Deliveroo committed to looking into new insurance options and into nudging customers so bikes were not left unattended.

We discussed career paths for couriers and how Deliveroo can improve its use of budgets for apprenticeships.

On Health and Safety, the Flare app is functioning as a way for members to report incidents. We talked about more work that should be done to keep members safe including the ability to live call rider in cases where members are

We made it clear in no uncertain terms that GMB would oppose the introduction of rider ratings

We committed to working together to change the law so that it becomes a specific offence to assault delivery drivers.

GMB Deliveroo National Committee

Posted on: 17 May 2024

Following negotiations between Deliveroo and the GMB Deliveroo National Committee, and a consultation of GMB members, we have now agreed a new pay floor for 2024.

The pay floor is a minimum guarantee for pay for all jobs on Deliveroo. It is the hourly rate based on how long the job should take - from the point of accepting the job to delivering the item. It is made up of a pay floor added to expense calculations for each vehicle type. So for example, a 15 minute job should pay at least one quarter of the pay floor plus one quarter of the expenses figure for that vehicle type.

It is just the minimum. Many jobs pay at a higher rate and GMB reps are working to bring up the rate over time.

The agreed rate for 2024 is below. This is a 15.2% increase on last year's pay floor. We have also secured, for the first time, expenses rates for bike and e-bikes.

Around half a million orders per week will benefit from the new pay floor.

Your GMB National Committee believes that these rates are progress that you won’t see on any other platform and are a strong foundation to build on.

If you are interested in getting making work on Deliveroo better as a GMB representative, email deliveroo@gmb.org.uk.

Minimum pay floor

£12 per hour

Expenses per hour

Bike – 10p

E-bike – 19p

Scooter - £1.52

Car - £4.27

Expenses are subject to some variation over as e.g. the price of fuel changes.

Posted on: 19 April 2024

The GMB National Committee in Deliveroo surveyed members to establish what members feel is a fair rise in fees for 2024.

It is clear that members want to see an increase. 95% of respondents said that feel they are not paid fairly for the work they do. 86% of respondents said they are rejecting more orders than they used to.

To make progress on pay in Deliveroo, GMB makes the following claim on behalf of our members:

1. A guaranteed minimum pay floor of £15 an hour.
2. Expenses calculations which fairly reflect the costs for each vehicle type.

Posted on: 21 February 2024

We are all food delivery couriers.

As a committee we know, firsthand, that the main priority for couriers is better rates of pay, and we stand fully behind everyone seeking to improve pay and conditions. We believe the way to achieve that objective is collective bargaining with the delivery platforms through GMB.

Alongside fair pay, we demand respect by restaurants for couriers; we believe that couriers should be treated fairly by the food delivery platforms; and we think everyone should be able to work safely, and to be able to afford to take time off work or get sick.

For the past year we have been negotiating with Deliveroo as GMB representatives. In that time, we have made some progress, including representing members and reversing account terminations; we’ve pushed on fair pay and have pay talks soon; we have changed Deliveroo policies on warnings to make it much fairer; we’ve reduced restaurant waiting times; and we have made sure that bad restaurants are held to account.

We know there is lot more to do.

Through us, GMB members working with Deliveroo have their voices heard at the top of the company. We need to build the union to make that voice stronger. Join us.

GMB National Deliveroo Committee

Posted on: 2 February 2024

To: GMB Deliveroo members

Cc: GMB Just Eat and Uber Eats members

Dear member,

This week your GMB Union National Rider Reps and Organisers met Deliveroo at the London HQ. See below for an update from the meeting.

Treating riders with respect

We discussed the treatment of riders by restaurants and what Deliveroo can do about it. Our members tell us that they are made to wait long periods for food orders, sometimes have to wait outside and are not allowed to use customer toilets. Enough is enough.

You can report restaurants that are mistreating you at https://forms.office.com/e/TMCKG4fBXZ. GMB will help you campaign to be treated with the respect you deserve.

Slow service

We made a big break through on the slow service policy. This is the reason that many riders are warned and have their accounts deactivated.

We have negotiated a much fairer policy, which means warnings will now only happen when there has been rider delays across a percentage of orders, not a fixed number of orders. This will be much better for riders who deliver more. It will mean 80% fewer warnings than there currently are.

If you get a warning, you can appeal this through the union by contacting your local GMB office.

Pay

Pay continues to be the main issue for members and every opportunity we have, we raise the matter. In April we will be discussing the increase in the minimum rate of pay for orders.

Education courses

As part of GMB’s discussions with Deliveroo, we are working together on a range of courses that riders can access including technical skills and languages. More courses are being added. We will send information out as it becomes available.

HMRC

We were updated on the new requirement for Deliveroo to report rider earnings to HMRC. The key advice is that if you are substituting your account to someone else, you need a record of the work they have done to offset this before you pay tax. It is safer not to use substitutes on your account.

Retail expansion

Deliveroo have announced that soon there will be more opportunities for riders including through non-food shopping delivery. As a national team we are negotiating with Deliveroo to make sure this works for riders.

Local GMB campaigns

GMB national rider representative Cristian Santabarbara is running a campaign to improve cycling in York. Please support him and our GMB members in York by signing his petition at https://www.megaphone.org.uk/petitions/york-cycle-lane.

GMB national rider representative Claude Bahati is running a campaign to reduce the cost of parking permits in Derby. You can support his campaign at https://forms.office.com/e/xzKSWvPWJy.

Growing the union

As a union in Deliveroo, we are protecting members’ accounts and making work better. Our union is growing all the time. By building the union, we are stronger in our negotiations with the company. If you know any food delivery drivers not in the union yet, they can join at www.gmb.org.uk/join. Select ‘part-time’ for the special rate of £8.40 a month.

In solidarity,

Your National GMB Deliveroo Team

Posted on: 26 October 2023

Dear GMB member,

Please see below an update on the meeting held with Deliveroo yesterday.

Waiting time in restaurants

A big issue for our members is the time you have to wait in restaurants for orders to be ready – these delays are costing you money. We have been working with Deliveroo for months to improve waiting time and this is starting to see results. The more information we have on this issue the better. Complete our survey at https://forms.office.com/e/3iqzMLjyMG.

Respect campaign

We made a lot of progress on an exciting campaign which we will launch soon to make sure that all riders and drivers are treated with respect by restaurants.

Dealing with issues

We now have an agreed process for raising collective issues through the union. If you and group of other riders have issues, let us know. This could be a particular restaurant getting orders wrong, or making you wait excessively, or it could be that you think pay has been calculated unfairly. Let us know if there are any issues in your area we can help with.

Slow Service policy

Members have raised concerns about how Deliveroo decides if a rider has been delivering orders too slowly. Your reps spoke passionately about the issue to senior management at Deliveroo. They have listened to our concerns and are looking at their policies.

Warnings and offboarding

If you have any issues with your account, you should let us know as soon as possible so that the union can represent you. Deliveroo have agreed to extend the time limit for cases to be brought to 3 months. Any riders you know in your area should join the union to be protected on www.gmb.org.uk/join. Select ‘part-time’ for the courier rate of £8.40 to get full protection.

Partnerships

A number of the partnerships, where riders can get benefits through Deliveroo, are working well. In particular, thousands of riders had taken up the offer of free coffees through Caffe Nero.

/Cont….

If you have ideas for partnerships we can recommend, let us know.

Pay

We continue to raise the issue of pay. In particular at the meeting we discussed how pay is calculated for bike and e-bike riders.

WATCH the update from Tahir Mahmood, GMB National Rep.

(link - UPDATE: GMB TALKS WITH DELIVEROO - YouTube)

In solidarity,

Your National GMB Team

Posted on: 17 August 2023

Through GMB’s agreement with Deliveroo, riders now have access to:

• Sick pay for riders for 2 weeks - currently at £245 per week
• A one-off grant for new parents of £1,000
• Free accident and third party insurance
• A Joint Council with Deliveroo for GMB members to agree policies affecting earnings, safety, diversity and benefits
• The right to be represented by GMB on issues at work
• The right to elect GMB representatives

To get involved in the campaign to make work better for Deliveroo riders, join GMB today.

Work for Deliveroo? Not a GMB member?

Join GMB today