Filenews 15 December 2022
On the third day of strike are the distributors working with Wolt, who gathered outside the company's headquarters in Nicosia.
About 150 distributors, who held a protest march yesterday, today were outside the company's offices early in the morning, determined to continue their peaceful protest and strike, after Wolt announced its intention to further cut their earnings.
Employees of the Department of Labour Relations of the Ministry of Labour Relations Labor were at the gathering of striking distributors in order to record the terms of the contracts under which each of the distributors is employed. The aim is to determine whether Wolt's intention, with which distributors have free cooperation, to reduce remuneration, conflicts with the terms of the contracts they have concluded with the companies - employers.
It is noted that, according to what the distributors said in their statements, the amount of €2.40 for each route, of which their employer keeps 41%, Wolt intends to reduce it to €2.26. This intention was the reason for the strike of the distributors, who are working anyway in adverse conditions and unfavorable conditions, since, as they say, they are required to pay for their fuel, protective equipment, distribution bags, as well as to cover any damage and repairs.
Working conditions were already unfavourable, they said, with their incomes amounting to €400-€500 per month. They said that for every kilometre they cover they receive compensation of €0.25 - €0.50, while for distributions within one kilometre, they receive no compensation at all. They also noted that they had tried in the past to ask the company to cover the cost of their equipment, but without response. As they said, moreover, they have not yet received any response regarding the requests they have made in writing to the company.
In a document they have forwarded to the company's management, as they said, they request the restoration of the amount per route to €2.60, as was previously the case, as well as the restoration of the corresponding amount to €4.00 for Fridays and €3.50 for Saturdays. They also claim compensation for routes within one kilometre, a single compensation of €0.50 per kilometre for all routes, as well as compensation of €1.10 for routes operated under rain. They also ask that the percentage held by the companies that employ them (which in turn provide services to Wolt) be reduced to 30%, instead of the current 41%.
Rising fuel costs, as well as the cost of electricity and basic goods, have made their livelihoods extremely difficult, workers said, which prompted them to go on strike. They stressed that they intend to continue the strike, although they have also received messages that most of the accounts of distributors on strike have been blocked by the company, which they are calling for to be lifted.
