Iain Dalton, Leeds Socialist Party
On 1 April on the back of action spreading in recent weeks from Heckmondwike to Morley and Birstall, delivery drivers at the Elland Road McDonald’s in Beeston, Leeds, joined the ongoing strikes in the shadow of the famous football ground.
Like drivers in those towns, who have also been picketing McDonald’s, they are striking against both Just Eat and UberEats, both of which operate from McDonald’s. This reflects the escalation of the demands of those taking part in the strike, angry at the low pay on both apps, combined with rising fuel costs.
While in Sheffield the strike started when Just Eat contractor Stuart lowered its pay rates, strikes have recently targeted Greggs, which only uses Just Eat. Many drivers work on multiple apps and have been concentrating on totally shutting down different outlets for a period of time, one day a week.
While I was standing with drivers on the picket lines, but a handful kept working, sometimes a consequence of language barriers, many more drivers engaged with pickets and cancelled orders, leading to a build-up of undelivered orders in the McDonald’s store.
Drivers in Beeston will shortly hold another meeting to discuss future action, and the Socialist Party will continue to give our full support, as well as mobilising the wider trade union movement in Leeds behind them.
“Just Eat/Stuart you can’t hide!”
Couriers continue action in Sheffield
Alistair Tice, Sheffield Socialist Party
Just Eat takeaway delivery drivers, contracted by Stuart Delivery, have been taking targeted strike action in Sheffield for over 100 days now, since Stuart cut their base rate of pay by 24% on 6 December. Many of the striking drivers have joined the independent union, the IWGB. Stuart has never recognised the union and refused to negotiate with it.
But after 30 drivers and supporters invaded Greggs House in Newcastle on 24 March (Greggs is one of Just Eat’s main clients that drivers have been targeting), Stuart’s UK managing director conceded a face-to-face meeting with Parirs Dixon, the IWGB Sheffield couriers branch chair. Drivers’ hopes were raised of a breakthrough.
But the managing director, Brendan Hamill, arrogantly dismissed the drivers’ concerns and said that the £4.50 base rate would never be restored, that the £7.50 they used to get paid for 2.5 mile deliveries was “ridiculous” and “should never have been paid”, and the restored waiting time payment would be 17p a minute after 15 minutes waiting. What an insult! 85 pence for waiting 20 minutes!
So drivers’ hopes turned to anger, and around a dozen nearby pickets invaded the hotel that the meeting was held in, chanting: “Just Eat/Stuart, You can’t hide, We can see your dirty side”, chasing Hamill out of Sheffield for a second time in this dispute.
This anger has only made the strike activists even more determined to escalate the strike in Sheffield as it spreads around the country, with couriers in more towns and cities forced to take action due to the rising cost of living, especially of fuel.
