Delivery drivers for a company called Stuart Delivery, who deliver for JustEat, are protesting outside Sheffield Town Hall this weekend over 25% pay cuts.
Couriers from the third-party company are protesting their pay being slashed from £4.50 to £3.40 on most deliveries under a new payment structure that will also require couriers to cover their own vehicle costs.
Driver for Stuart, Bahador Roshan said: “We work all our lives to push our lives to the next level and get better. It is not just losing money, it is losing hope for the future, it is like a nightmare for us.”
The protestors are calling for a minimum pay of £6 plus mileage per delivery and paid waiting times after ten minutes.
On Sunday drivers will form a motorcade leaving Queen Street at 11am and arrive at Sheffield Town Hall at 12 noon.
Mr Roshan said: “We just want to be able to run our lives. When we talked to Stuart they said they want to keep our business going. This is what it is, we keep our fists on your neck to keep our business and we don’t care about you.”
A spokesperson for Stuart Delivery said that the changes to their pay model would only affect deliveries under 0.5 miles which according to their performance data make up 4% of total deliveries
The spokesperson said: “We will continue to guarantee par per hour that is among the highest in the sector.”
However, protesters say that even such short deliveries of 0.5 miles can take a significant amount of time with delays to food preparation and traffic in the city centre.
Alex Marshall, President of the Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain (IWGB) said: “At a time when the government is raising minimum wage, it is outrageous that these workers – who are deprived of basic rights such as holiday and pension and are forced to pay their own vehicle expenses – are facing a pay cut of nearly 25% for most deliveries.”
“Striking and protesting is the only way to force Stuart and JustEat to end the exploitation and stop treating our workers as disposable.”
Delivery driver’s continued to work throughout the pandemic, which the IWGB and drivers say they have not been acknowledged for.
Mr Roshan said: “I put my own life at risk and my family to keep people inside their houses. It is not fair.
Olivia Blake MP for Sheffield Hallam has backed the strikes and will make a speech at the protest alongside council members and workers.She said: ““Stuart couriers have helped keep Sheffield going through the pandemic. For them to be rewarded with a pay cut like this is not acceptable. Every worker deserves a living wage, job security, and proper employment rights.”
Olivia Blake MP for Sheffield Hallam
She said: “Stuart couriers have helped keep Sheffield going through the pandemic. For them to be rewarded with a pay cut like this is not acceptable. Every worker deserves a living wage, job security, and proper employment rights.”
