In Brussels the first European gathering took place of riders and unions dedicated to Just Eat. A gathering that is organised in the framework of a project, financed by ETF, and runned by the Danish union 3F and the Belgian Transport Union BTB.
ETF is a European federation of transport unions. Today, the ETF represents more than 5 million transport workers from more than 200 transport unions and 38 European countries.
So we could ask ourselves: why does a federation that organises workers from the trucking industry, the dockworkers, workers in aviation, rail,… set up a project about “Just Eat / Takeaway”.
I would say: it is all about the platform industry!
Just Eat is a company in this fairly new sector, a sector that is still searching for its place, a sector that is still struggling to have a fair and right business model, a sector where there is still a lot of room for improvement for the worker. It is also a sector propelled by the digitalisation and globalisation. It is a sector where one eats competitors or gets eaten themselves.
All over Europe (and beyond), trade unions are working to strengthen workers’ rights in these new sectors and companies.
And let’s be clear, a lot of these platform companies have a more than lousy reputation when we talk about workers rights. These companies are often multinationals, Multinationals that have a global vision, that have a global strategy,
Workers face the same problems and hazards in several countries. It is therefore necessary for us, as trade unions, also to work together on this at a European level.
Together we can achieve more, together we are stronger. After all, there are quite a lot of challenges we have to deal with: In Belgium, a workers salary and his or her’s working conditions depend on to what joint bargaining committee you belong.
And for us, Belgian unions, delivery workers like riders of Just Eat should be part of the transport joint committee.
But riders are not placed in the joint committee where they belong, that of freight haulage, including the sector-wide agreed rules and conditions.
No, they were enrolled in a joint committee with less protection, with lower minimum wages. Just Eat deliberately chose to ignore the proper sector, not out of ignorance, but knowingly. Because that way they have to pay the riders less, because that way the riders have fewer rights and protection.
It is a large-spread technique by platform companies that is called declassification.
And of course this is not the only problem,
For instance, riders have to purchase some of their necessary equipment themselves. An essential part of their equipment is a good, modern and therefore costly smartphone. A rider cannot work without it but the company does not provide this essential work tool.
Riders obviously work for a living. But the wages for platform workers also in Just Eat are not as it should be. It is not a wage they can live on.
Regular promises to increase wages are made though. But in practice, very little comes of these promises.
The riders’ area of operation is public roads, often in crowded cities. Every time a rider goes out, she or he enters traffic as a vulnerable road user. Sometimes in an environment with adapted cycling infrastructure, but in many cities in an environment where the car is king. Work accidents are thus a reality for riders. And yet we see that these often go unreported. That these often go un-recognised. This cannot be.
Employers are not only responsible to keep their workers working in the safest possible environment, if something goes wrong then they need to take responsibility. Riders are humans, not disposable products.
In Europe, and certainly in Belgium and Danmark, there is a decades-long tradition of social dialogue. Social dialogue is necessary to create a good and safe working environment.
And yet they manage to reject social dialogue in Belgium and many other countries. Despite the reality and size of the companies, despite the large number of employees, they refuse to comply with the rules of the game. It is time for real social dialogue.
ETF is following a double strategy to tackle the problems of riders in the platform economy.
We want better regulation, and we are working very hard to have a European regulation for platform workers that betters life of the workers. Actually there is a big discussion in European Parliament about the platform regulation. And we give full speed in lobby-ing and action to have better legislation.
But we also want to build union power with the workers. Being present in companies like Just Eat Organising the workers and try to make them speak with one voice to their employer. Makes them stronger and will change their working conditions for the best.
This conference is meant to get to know each other. To exchange experiences: what is going wrong, but also what is going right.
Today is a kick-off:
How are things going in the various countries
What statute, or statutes, do the riders have in the various countries
What rights does everybody have
What agreements have been made, have collective agreements been reached
How can we help each other
These are today’s goals, a first step to improve working conditions together. To start social dialogue. To do our work as trade unions.
Workers’ rights have always been created out in solidarity.
Solidarity between workers of a company,
Solidarity between workers of a country,
Solidarity between workers globally.
It is together that we are stronger!
