After several months of negotiations, Uber Eats said Wednesday it will "very quickly" implement a guaranteed minimum payment per delivery set at three euros – an increase of 15 cents.
The American company announced that it will allocate a budget of 2two million euros in France. This move will increase the minimum delivery fee from €2.85 to €3.
Nearly 70 percent of the 65,000 independent riders working with Uber Eats "would benefit from this initiative," although not all their deliveries will reach the minimum of three euros, explained Bastien Pahus, the general manager of Uber Eats for France, Switzerland, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
But this small raise won’t significantly change the daily lives of delivery riders.
"I work from Monday to Sunday, though it depends – there are days when I only work half a day," Ahmed, a bike delivery driver for Uber Eats, told franceinfo.
This pay raise will earn him about €1.50 more per day. "It's not enough," he says. "They’ve made a move. It's acceptable, but more is needed – at least €4 per delivery."
For Bilal, another delivery driver, any raise is welcome: "I can’t help but acknowledge it, because it's still an effort. That said, it would be nice if they reviewed this more thoroughly."
Inside the Paris hub offering sanctuary to city's army of delivery riders
'Per-hour and per-kilometre' rate
The shift to three euros per delivery is welcomed by Fabian Tosolini, a representative of Union-Indépendants, an organisation advocating for delivery workers, but he says it's not enough.
"This 15-cent increase doesn’t in any way guarantee a decent wage, and today it still doesn’t allow delivery workers to afford a daily plate of pasta with a bit of meat," says Fabian Tosolini.
Union-Indépendants demand a "per-hour and per-kilometre" rate, similar to how taxi fares are calculated.
Uber Eats says it is "fully committed" to implementing this "guarantee" and announced other measures.
Around one hundred restaurants in Paris will provide delivery riders with "safety equipment kits," which will include a helmet, bike lights, an armband, and a high-visibility vest.
The Parisian restaurants that have signed a commitment charter will also allow them to access their restrooms.
(with newswires)
