Its come to our attention that an old friend of the IWW has popped up again, now that the IWW & IWGB have started helping Deliveroo couriers organise for a better deal.
Fellow Workers, please give a big hand to Mr Block!
Mr Block has always been there throughout history. The IWW gave him a name over 100 years ago, when we were organising workers who faced the same problems as Deliveroo riders face now: bad contracts, low pay for a difficult job, and no respect from their bosses.
Wherever you work, you’ll have met Mr Block, the Boss’s Parrot.
When the boss cuts pay and conditions, Mr Block says “we don’t deserve any better”.
When workers start to get hope that things can change, Mr Block is there to have a slash on their fireworks and scare them back into line.
When word gets around of unions fighting and winning in other places, Mr Block is the know-it-all who tells you “it can’t happen here, so don’t cause a stir or you’re asking for trouble.”
The IWW and IWGB now have representatives or supporters in most Deliveroo fleets in the country, and so we get to hear all about the Mr Blocks and their ‘bosses parrot’ antics.
Here’s a classic Mr Block from Leeds Deliveroo fleet, for example:
“I am all for better pay holiday pay & sick pay but we all joined as self employed contractors so if we don’t like the changes that Deliveroo bring in then move on”
Well, here’s some news for you Mr Block: you’re pretty much the only person left who thinks Deliveroo riders are self-employed contractors!
The IWGB are on the verge of a tribunal ruling that will prove the opposite, and here’s what the Government’s Department of Business has to say on the matter:
“An individual’s employment status is determined by the reality of the working relationship and not the type of contract they have signed. Individuals cannot opt out of the rights they are owed, nor can an employer decide not to afford individuals those rights” (quoted in The Independent, 13/08/16)
Of course, Mr Block is on the side of the bosses, so he can’t stand unions. Here’s what he has to say about them:
“All these unions promising so much but if you lose your job for whatever reason due to these unions, are they going to pay your bills? I bet the unions are not telling you how many riders down there are still working for Deliveroo!”
When you say “down there” Mr Block, do you mean in Bristol, where riders organised with the IWW and now have better terms and conditions than Leeds, even though they do the same job? Well, Mr Block, I can tell you – NO ONE lost their job, they all still work for Deliveroo!
https://www.facebook.com/BristolIWW/videos/1267392136637534/
Or by “down there” do you mean in London, where riders organised with the IWGB and AGAIN now have better terms and conditions than “up there”, even though they do the same job? Where Deliveroo tried to get rid of an IWGB organiser and were quickly forced to reinstate him?
https://twitter.com/IWGB_CLB/status/809465933743783936
What would have happened if our ancestors had listened to Mr Block’s “common sense” 100 years ago? I’ll tell you what: we’d have no holidays, no sick pay, and no weekends! And you know what no weekends means – no surge fee! 😉
So, sorry Mr Block, you’re chatting nonsense! When you fight together, with help from a union, you don’t get fired, or end up in a Charles Dickens novel – YOU CAN WIN, better conditions, better pay, better contracts.
Mr Block: be a pal to your fellow workers, not the bosses. Help the work along, don’t stand in the way, and most of all don’t believe every lie the bosses tell you, or you end up looking a fool.
FIGHT TOGETHER. WIN TOGETHER.
JOIN THE IWW TO BUILD A BETTER TOMORROW
FOR ALL DELIVEROO RIDERS.