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From The Socialist newspaper, 15 February 2017
Ultimatum as Deliveroo drivers down tools in Brighton
Deliveroo food delivery workers are unionising to win employment rights (Click to enlarge)
William Jarrett, National Shop Stewards Network (NSSN) North East
Online food delivery company Deliveroo has come under fire in Brighton, where nearly 100 of its workers downed tools during busy Saturday trading on 4 February.
On the same evening they voted to join the IWGB union. The threat of further action looms, with an IWGB deadline set for 21 February if demands aren't met.
At issue is the paltry sum which riders are paid for their 'drop', the delivery of an order, currently set at £4. Their demand is for an increase of £1 a drop.
Deliveroo dismisses out of hand the riders' employment as meaningful work, by stating that they "offer them flexible, well-paid work which fits around their other priorities, such as studying, starting a small business, or personal commitments."
This is the same empty and hollow language familiar to workers across the gig economy, from local authorities to Deliveroo, Task Rabbit, and Uber. Bosses exploit workers, riding high on the profits their labour generates, while perpetuating the myth that workers are happy to be casualised.
A mood of defiance across the sector is now finding its way in to the traditionally unorganised and low-paid service sector industries.
The NSSN and the Socialist Party both campaign for a minimum wage of £10 an hour, in line with TUC policy set in 2014, as well as secure contracts and the right to be regarded as workers.
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The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.
The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.
The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.
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- When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.
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In The Socialist 15 February 2017:
What we think
Council cuts can be fought - and they must be
Corbyn needs to stand up to Brexit rebels
Socialist Party news and analysis
Resist Trump and his rotten policies: why I'm walking out on 'Day X'
Socialist Students: growing, brimming with confidence
Thousands march to defend Glenfield heart centre
Save child refugees, fight the cuts
International socialist news and analysis
Spain: clear win for left at Podemos conference!
CWI and Izquierda Revolucionaria - towards unification
Izquierda Revolucionaria central committee meeting
France: police attack triggers protests
Workplace news and analysis
United fightback needed as entire grade of rail worker is at stake
"Disgraceful" treatment of sacked EHRC workers
Vibrant Picturehouse pickets in continued living wage strike
Ultimatum as Deliveroo drivers down tools in Brighton
Solidarity with Tesco Ireland Valentine's Day strike
PCS union pledges to fight Jobcentre job losses
Socialist Party reports and campaigns
Anti-trade union laws used against 'Trees Action' protesters
Support floods in for the Cardiff no-cuts three
The Socialist: 20 years old and more important than ever
Toxic fracking could start in England in 2017
May Day greetings in the Socialist
Socialist readers' comments and reviews
No, Trumpism is nothing like Leninism
Foreign aid's not the problem - it's capitalist thieves
Vivid visual account of the Paris Commune
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