Deliveroo riders strike over pay and conditions on first full day of trading
Hundreds of Deliveroo riders are expected to strike today over pay and conditions as the company begins its first full day of trading on the London Stock Exchange.
Strike organisers the Independent Workers' Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said socially distanced protests were planned in London, York, Sheffield, Reading and Wolverhampton.
The union said riders are demanding a living wage, safety protections and basic workers' rights.
It comes after a survey of 300 Deliveroo couriers by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism found one in three made less than £8.72 an hour, the minimum wage for those aged over 25.
Alex Marshall, IWGB president and former bicycle courier, said: "Deliveroo presents a false choice between flexibility and basic rights but the Uber ruling showed that here as well as abroad, workers can have both. That is the least they deserve and what the public expects for our frontline workers."
Deliveroo said a survey of 8,500 riders held yesterday found 89% of its riders were satisfied or very satisfied working for the company.
A Deliveroo spokesperson said: "This small self appointed union does not represent the vast majority of riders who tell us they value the total flexibility they enjoy while working with Deliveroo alongside the ability to earn over £13 an hour.
"We are proud that rider satisfaction is at an all-time high and that thousands of people are applying to be Deliveroo riders each and every week. Riders are at the heart of our business and today we are beginning a new consultation with riders about how we should invest our new £50m community fund."
The strike comes on the first day small retail investors are allowed to trade Deliveroo's shares on the London Stock Exchange. Shares rose to around 287p on Wednesday, still well below the 390p price initially offered to investors.
Deliveroo's share price plummeted on its stock market debut last week, wiping more than £2b off the company's valuation. Analysts said possible regulation of the firm's gig economy model had spooked investors.
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