On Monday 03/12/2018, five UberEats drivers at the Hanworth McDonalds in London received calls from UberEats telling them their agreements had been cancelled.
The reason for this appears to be an incident the previous week when drivers in the area refused to work in response to the pay boost being dropped from 1.6x to 1.1x (The pay boost is the multiplier which is added to the low base pay rate per delivery they receive and is what drivers rely on to make the work pay) This amounts to a reduction of about 60%. Local McDonalds managers complained to UberEats and this resulted in the terminations.
A spokesperson for the London IWW – the union organising workers in the area – states:
This makes a mockery of UberEats’ claim that drivers are independent contractors free to choose their own working time. When the drivers come together to take a stand against poverty pay, Uber treats them the same way that greedy bosses have always treated their workers- by attacking their organising efforts and firing them.
The IWW stands in solidarity with delivery drivers, wherever they are and whenever they take action to defend their livelihoods.
The IWW has released a series of demands to Uber and McDonalds:
- We call on UberEats to immediately reinstate the terminated drivers and to return the boosts in Hanworth to 1.6x (around £5 per delivery)
- We want to publically name and shame the Hanworth McDonalds (a Head Office owned restaurant). We demand that the management of this branch stop harassing delivery drivers, especially if they expect them to deliver their food.
The IWW is holding a picket outside of the Hansworth McDonalds restaurant to raise awareness and to call for our demands to be met. The picket details are:
- Hanworth McDonald’s, Twickenham Rd, TW13 6HB
- Saturday 08/12/2018
- 6pm – 9pm
- Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1928235717484100/
We are also calling on Drivers and customers to:
Drivers
- Not accept orders or delivering from Hansorth McDonalds or to the area covered by it during the picket. Show your support to fellow drivers – next time it could be you!
Customers
- Please do not buy from McDonalds whilst the picket is on.
- Complain to McDonalds and to UberEats, either through their websites or via social media. Tell them what you think of union busting and poverty wages.
Solidarity with the #UberEats5 – An injury to one is an injury to all!