Deliveroo’s call for new work Act akin to ‘throwing workers a bone’
Deliveroo’s submission to the Victorian government’s inquiry into the on-demand workforce has been slammed by unions, who say it is just “throwing workers a bone to try to shut them up”.
The food delivery company is arguing for a new Future Work Act to govern the gig economy sector, which it says would “end the trade-off between flexibility and security for workers”.
“The answer is the policy challenge of people seeking new ways of working cannot be to deny them the very flexibility that has attracted them to opt for new types of work in the first place, or to entrench a system that disincentives companies from offering contractors greater security in the form of benefits, as the current system does,” Deliveroo said in its submission.
“This would be the consequence of simply reclassifying on-demand workers as ‘employees’, and it would fail to serve the interests or wishes of the on-demand workforce.”
Deliveroo says that the way in which its riders work is “incomparable” to traditional employment.
“In the on-demand economy people can choose whether to work, where to work, when to work, can reject work at any point, can finish work at any point and can work for multiple companies simultaneously at any point,” the submission said.
“Riders have no obligation to perform any work, and even where they choose to do so there is no obligation to do so personally - with riders able to appoint delegates at their discretion.
“This is a fundamentally different relationship than that found in more traditional forms of work, and there is no comparable sector that offers this degree of freedom and control for individuals.”
However, the Transport Workers Union called it a public relations exercise by the food delivery giant.
“Deliveroo is throwing workers a bone to try to shut them up but on-demand workers know they have rights and will keep pushing for them,” TWU on-demand economy coordinator Tony Sheldon said.
“This is another public relations exercise to try to hide the exploitation that goes on every day.
“Since arriving in Australia Deliveroo has treated its delivery riders appallingly. It says its work is flexible but insists on workers taking on shifts that are difficult to get out of even when there is torrential rain. Last year workers woke up to a 30-40 percent pay cut when it increased delivery distances without warning.
“This company is simply planning new ways of ensuring its exploitative business model continues. What Deliveroo is proposing is to keep stealing from its workers and denying their rights.”
Sheridan Randall, 14th February 2019
