This food delivery app may bring chicken katsu to your door in 20 minutes, but its couriers can't join a union. A judicial review may change that.
Workers are taking Deliveroo to the High Court, in a judicial review that could rule the gig-economy giant in breach of human rights.
Bosses will be facing delivery staff represented by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) tomorrow in a landmark hearing.
If successful, the review could overturn a Central Arbitration Committee (CAC) ruling that denied Deliveroo workers the right to collective bargaining.
The union will argue that to strip the food delivery workers of right to organise with a trade union is in breach of their human rights as enshrined in Article 11 or the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR).
IWGB General Secretary, Dr Jason Moyer-Lee said:
“At stake in this case is not just the basic employment rights of Deliveroo riders, but their fundamental human rights to organise within a trade union and collectively bargain to improve their lot.
“By fighting this case as vigorously as it has, Deliveroo has shown its true colours.”
A first case brought by the IWGB to the CAC in 2016 took over a year to resolve.
But by November 2017, the CAC decided that Deliveroo couriers did not have the right to unionise since they were “independent contractors” rather than employees.
The union argued that the majority of the company’s delivery workers supported the bid for collective bargaining on pay and conditions.
Dr Moyer-Lee argued that regardless of Deliveroo’s draconian approach:
“The IWGB will continue to fight until these basic rights and freedoms are vindicated.”
The case will be heard by the High Court on Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15.
It could set a precedent on the interpretation of workers’ rights in the gig economy and other atypical employment.
Deliveroo workers with IWGB will be represented in the hearing by the renowned barrister John Hendy QC.
Joana Ramiro is a reporter for Left Foot Forward. You can follow her on Twitter for all sorts of rants here.
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