Status: 10.01.2022 1:43 p.m.
The food delivery service Lieferando wants to improve the working conditions for its drivers in order to become more attractive for the employees – because the battle for personnel in delivery services is great.
Lieferando wants to become more attractive for couriers. To this end, the delivery service will in future provide its drivers with a company bike and a company smartphone including a data flat rate. In addition, the suppliers have been getting more money since January 1st. The company announced today.
For the 10,000 or so drivers who, according to the company, are on the road across Germany, this should improve working conditions. The base wage rose from ten euros to eleven euros at the beginning of the year. The company announced that the wages of eleven euros per hour are paid regardless of how much the couriers deliver, whether they are waiting for an order, are on sick leave or on vacation, as Lieferando emphasized. There are also delivery bonuses and mileage allowances, including earnings of up to 18 euros per hour.
“Couriers do an excellent job”
In addition, from February all employees can choose between a bike provided by Lieferando, a leasing bike or their own bike for courier trips. According to Lieferando, the latter two options are compensated by a flat-rate kilometer allowance that is in addition to wages. The leasing bikes are also available to drivers at a reduced price and include a maintenance service. So far, this option for drivers has only been available in 15 major German cities, but the delivery service is present in around 60 cities.
“Our couriers do an excellent job for our restaurant partners and customers. We support them with a unique overall package of permanent direct employment, first-class payment and unique equipment,” said Lieferando manager Alexander Linden. The aim was to raise the industry standard in this way. The company has been employing its couriers on a regular basis since 2016 and, according to its own information, has been offering open-ended contracts since November 2021.
Requirements of the employee representatives only partially met
The food-pleasure-restaurants union had demanded an hourly wage of at least 15 euros for Lieferando employees in the summer. In addition, she demands payment of a 13th month’s salary, supplements for shifts in the evening, on Sundays and public holidays, six weeks’ vacation entitlement and full payment for the last trip back to the place of residence.
The recently announced improved working conditions at Lieferando are no coincidence: The food and grocery delivery sector is booming. It is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to find drivers.