Today sees the start of the Belgian Deliveroo trial, regarding the status of couriers, some of whom are still self-employed. The CEO of the delivery company’s Belgian branch has threatened to end his activities.
Self-employed?
Deliveroo couriers currently work on a self-employed basis or through the sharing economy system, but the Labour Audit Office questions this working relationship and believes that the couriers should be employed.
Pierre Verdier, CEO of Deliveroo Belgium, threatens to leave Belgium if the court were to rule that the couriers are no longer allowed to work on a self-employed basis. “I do not think we will be able to continue our activities in Belgium in the event of a negative decision”, Bruzz.be quotes the CEO. “Then we will only be able to provide our services for 2 % instead of 30 % of the urban territory.” He went on to say that “This is also problematic for the Belgian economy. Our company generated 40 million additional revenue for our catering partners in 2019.”
The couriers’ social status has been a bone of contention for some time, both in Belgium and abroad. In the Netherlands, for example, the matter led to contradictory verdicts by several judges.
