UberEats riders strike across the UK

Couriers at UberEats have organised wildcat strikes across the UK after the company announced it will cut riders’ pay per food delivery to as low as £2.62 per drop, down from £4.26 (a 40% paycut).

On September 19th more than 300 couriers blocked the street in front of UberEats’ management offices in London chanting “No money no food”. The next day they were back again, and by the weekend UberEats drivers were striking in Plymouth where two out of three McDonalds branches closed their delivery services. Earlier in the month UberEats couriers had also striked in Glasgow and Cardiff.

The drivers are demanding a minimum rate of £5 a drop, a £1 per mile distance payment, an end to the ‘boost’ system (which changes the payment drivers get every hour depending on supply and demand), and no victimisation of striking workers.

In the mean time it has been reported that Uber is in talks to acquire the food delivery company Deliveroo, worth almost $2 billion.