Uber Eats is allowing delivery drivers to work through employment agency Adecco on a trial basis.
Uber Eats, the food delivery platform, is taking a new path in the Netherlands by collaborating with employment agency Adecco. On November 13, Uber Eats will start a pilot project in seven Dutch cities: Amsterdam, The Hague, Utrecht, Eindhoven, Groningen, Rotterdam and Bergen op Zoom. The aim is to gauge couriers' experiences with this new work structure.
The trial focuses on a select number of couriers who register via Adecco. According to it press release this step is partly a research process to see how couriers embrace this change and what impact it has on their work and satisfaction. Uber Eats assures its current couriers that the introduction of the test will not impact their current working conditions.
The collaboration between Uber Eats and Adecco can be seen as a response to the flexible labor market and the growing demand for delivery services in the Netherlands. Uber Eats emphasizes that the autonomy of couriers to choose when and how they work will be preserved. The company indicates that through this collaboration with Adecco it wants to gain insights into business operations and the preferences of couriers.
Delivery workers plan a strike after halving payouts.
The press release comes out at a strange time because according to NRC A new payroll system is currently causing great stress for hundreds of Uber Eats meal deliverers. Unrest among Uber Eats meal delivery workers is increasing amid a recent wage issue. Delivery drivers are experiencing stress due to a new wage system that has led to significant payment reductions, according to NRC reports. A technical glitch has meant that couriers have seen their revenues halved since the beginning of this week, a situation that Uber Eats attributes to a conversion error from miles to kilometers.
Strike Uber Eats 11/11
This development fuels growing frustration among employees, resulting in an organized protest. The WhatsApp group 'Strike Uber Eats 11/11' is a direct expression of the discontent among delivery drivers, who are preparing for a work strike on Saturday to demonstrate against what they see as unjust payment. After questions from NRC about the situation, Uber Eats announced temporary compensation in the form of a 10 percent bonus per delivery until the problem is fully resolved.
The delivery service indicates that it is urgently working on a solution and expects payments to be normalized again by the weekend. These steps can be seen as attempts by Uber Eats to maintain the trust of its couriers and prevent further escalation of the unrest.