Worker Info Exchange condemns the violence visited upon the streets of Britain and the North of Ireland this weekend by far-right fascists.
This was not a protest and there is never any justification for the racist, anti-migrant and Islamophobic motivated criminal violence we have witnessed. Gig economy workers were targeted in several cities with drivers attacked and their vehicles vandalised or destroyed, for no reason other than the colour of their skin. Small businesses such as cab offices and independent restaurants were threatened. Delivery and private hire workers are a highly visible, exposed, and predominantly racialised workforce who are easy targets for attack. Yet the platform employers remained silent while their workers faced the storm.
Our first concern is for the immediate safety of gig economy workers, especially delivery and private hire/taxi workers. As was made abundantly clear during the pandemic, these are key workers who provide a vital service, and they are often the most exposed to harm.
Too often employers like Uber, Deliveroo, Just Eat, Amazon Flex, Bolt and Free Now shirk their responsibility to health and safety at work. They cynically neglect their duty, leaving workers and the public at risk, believing that if they act like a responsible employer, it will encourage workers to assert their employment rights.
These firms have been built on the backs of exploited workers who have been systematically denied their rights and discriminated against. Indeed, just three months ago, these firms were fanning the flames of racism by suggesting that migrant delivery workers are a danger to the public.
Now, the risk is too grave, and platform employers must take action to protect their workers in times of civil unrest. We are demanding that Uber, Deliveroo, Just Eat, Amazon Flex, Bolt and Free Now commit to:
Suspending all services during times and at locations of civil unrest. Specifically, this means, no journeys to, from or within 3 miles of areas of known civil unrest.
Compensating workers for lost income or damaged property while working due to civil unrest.
Carrying out daily workplace risk assessments and mitigation plans for areas where there is risk of civil unrest. This is in addition to the normal duty of the employer to ensure workplace safety.
Regular communication with workers, independent restaurants and security services to advise on safety and security at work.
Ensuring there is sufficient capacity for operations monitoring and, safety and risk management to carry out these duties effectively.
Providing a real time security assistance feature for workers to report workplace risk to platform managers in real time.
These platforms boast of the capacity to constantly monitor market supply and demand to set variable prices in real time. Now, this same capability must be used to monitor the safety and assure the protection of their workers in real time.
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