Deliveroo bosses face prison sentences following worker status abuse
Two former Deliveroo bosses were handed suspended one-year prison sentences by a French court this morning after abusing the freelance status of riders working for the takeaway delivery firm.
They were also fined €30,000, with the company receiving the maximum penalty of €375,000.
A Deliveroo spokesperson said that whilst it “categorically rejects this judgement”, they added “this decision is difficult to understand as it follows six decisions from the civil courts which confirmed that Deliveroo riders are self-employed and that Deliveroo was in full compliance with the law. These judgements covered the same period that was under consideration by the judge in this case.
“Today’s judgement covers an historic period and, therefore, has no direct implications for how Deliveroo works with riders today in France or any other market. Deliveroo’s model has since undergone several changes in order to meet the expectations of riders who want to be independent”, they added.
Deliveroo said it would consider appealing the decision, but the ruling against Deliveroo is likely to reverberate outside France.
The debate around the status of gig economy workers continues to dominate headlines, and cause ongoing question marks for the likes of Uber and Bolt.
President of the UK’s largest trade union for licensed private hire drivers and couriers, App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU), Yaseen Aslam praised the courts’ decision.
He told City PM that the problem with the UK is the “lack of enforcement” when it comes to gig economy rulings. “When you are looking at a prison sentence, it makes people and companies think twice about undermining worker’s rights”.